Chickpea Quinoa Salad

This healthy chickpea quinoa salad is loaded with veggies and makes a light and delicious lunch option that can be made ahead of time for easy lunches throughout the week. Great for meal prep!

Since discovering how to make quinoa ages ago I have been hooked on making quinoa salads. Over the years I’ve made this Easy Quinoa Salad (my personal fave), Greek Quinoa Salad, Southwestern Quinoa Salad, Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad and now this protein-packed Chickpea Quinoa Salad!

If you couldn’t already tell, I’m a big quinoa salad lover. 🙂

Cooking Quinoa for Salad

When it comes to cooking quinoa to use for salad, it’s basically the same process as normal, but I like to make my quinoa a day in advance, let it cool and chill it in the fridge overnight and then use it for the salad the next day.

Prepping it in advance is just so the quinoa doesn’t heat up the other salad ingredients. Of course it’s fine to cook it the same day and just let it cool a bit before using. I do this all the time when I’m in a rush!

Ingredients Needed:

With a base of chickpeas, quinoa and bright veggies, this salad is loaded with nutrients and very filling. Here’s what you need:

• quinoa – this is the base of the recipe and you can use any type of quinoa you like from white, black, red to tri-color. Any variety will work for this recipe.
• chickpeas – I used canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), but you can cook your own if you have the time.
• cucumbers – a refreshing addition to this salad.
• cherry tomatoes – these little guys add such great flavor to the salad.
• bell pepper – I love the flavor and crunch that the bell pepper adds to this salad. Feel free to use any color bell pepper, but I find that red, orange or yellow are the most flavorful.
• carrots – for added crunch.
• red onion – the perfect way to add a bit of flavor and crunch. You can use yellow onion if needed.
• fresh parsley – don’t skip the fresh parsley! While it may seem optional, it really brings this salad to the next level.
• feta cheese – the feta adds a bit of creaminess to the salad and gives it a little tang as well. I recommend using vegan feta to make this salad dairy-free and vegan, if needed! You could omit it, but you’ll lose a lot of flavor.
• olive oil, red wine or white balsamic vinegar, sea salt and ground pepper – instead of an elaborate dressing, we’re using these four items to add a light and refreshing flavor to the salad. The feta and fresh parsley add quite a bit of flavor so the light dressing is really all you need.

What to Serve with Quinoa Salad

Honestly, this chickpea quinoa salad pairs well with just about anything! Here are some pairing ideas:

• Apple Cider Vinegar Chicken – my go-to grilled chicken recipe!
• Grilled Curry Chicken – looking for a little extra flavor? Try this curry chicken recipe.
• Blackened Salmon – the creamy and refreshing quinoa salad is the perfect way to balance out the spice from the salmon.
• The Best Tempeh Veggie Burger – make these delicious vegan burgers as your main and serve this salad alongside it!
• Baked Falafel – If you want to amp up the chickpea count, I think this salad would be delicious paired with homemade falafel and creamy hummus.

How to Store Quinoa Salad

Like most quinoa salads, this salad stores really well so is a great meal prep salad! I love prepping quinoa salads during my weekend meal prep for quick and easy lunches throughout the week. You might just want to add an extra splash of oil and vinegar right before serving as the quinoa might soak up all the dressing. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

More Quinoa Salad Recipes to Try:

• Easy Quinoa Salad 
• Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad
• Carrot Raisin Salad
• Southwestern Quinoa Salad
• Greek Quinoa Salad
• Corn Quinoa Salad
• Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

More Chickpea Recipes to Try:

• Curried Chickpea Salad
• Sriracha Cauliflower and Chickpea Sheet Pan Meal
• Curried Chickpea Bowls with Garlicky Spinach
• Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Chickpeas and Green Tahini Sauce
• Easy Barley Salad with Chickpeas and Pears
• Vegetarian Sheet Pan Dinner with Tofu, Chickpeas and Butternut Squash

If you make this quinoa chickpea salad be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting us know how it turned out for you. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and our readers!

Quinoa Chickpea Salad

4 from 17 votes

This healthy quinoa chickpea salad is loaded with veggies and makes a light and delicious lunch option that can be made ahead of time for easy lunches throughout the week. Great for meal prep!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 5 cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chopped cucumbers
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon red wine or white balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 Tablespoons feta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

 

• Combine ingredients: Combine all ingredients in a big bowl. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve: Serve over your favorite leafy greens and top with an extra drizzle of more oil and vinegar.

Notes

• Chickpeas – I used canned chickpeas because they’re super easy to use! If you don’t like chickpeas you can substitute for another white bean like cannellini beans or Northern beans.
• Tomatoes – You can use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes or a mixture!
• Cheese – Use vegan feta cheese to make this salad dairy-free or vegan. You can also use crumbled goat cheese if you're not a fan of feta cheese or don't have it on hand.
• Avocado – Want to add a little creaminess and healthy fats to your salad? Add in some chopped avocado!
• Dressing – I love the simple dressing I created with this salad but any vinaigrette would work if you're in a pinch. Some options: Greek salad dressing, white balsamic vinaigrette or lemon vinaigrette.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup Calories: 298kcal Carbohydrates: 44g Protein: 12g Fat: 9g Saturated Fat: 2g Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 2mg Sodium: 469mg Fiber: 10g Sugar: 4g

Author: Brittany Mullins

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