We love quinoa recipes. You might have tried my quinoa spinach salad, a delicious side dish to any grilled tofu or plant-based meat, or my Quinoa Tortillas. This high-protein quinoa salad recipe is made with two amazing vegan protein sources: quinoa and chickpeas. Quinoa is a complete plant-based protein full of fiber that keeps you full and satisfied for hours. Combined with chickpea, another high-protein plant-based ingredient, it creates the most potent protein salad that is 100% vegan. This salad also includes many Mediterranean flavors, from olives, lemon, olive oil, tomatoes, cucumber, and mint. It will remind you of Greek flavors typical of the Mediterranean diet. Let me share the secret to making this perfect chickpea quinoa salad in less than 30 minutes for a delicious family dinner.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to make this quinoa salad are:
Cooked Quinoa – You can use leftover cooked quinoa or cook the quinoa and cool it down before using it in the recipe. Follow my instructions on how to cook quinoa in a rice cooker for a quick, easy way to make fluffy quinoa. Canned Chickpeas – Also known as garbanzo beans. Drain and rinse them before use. It doesn’t need to be cooked, as canned chickpeas are always pre-cooked. Cherry Tomatoes – Finely diced. Cucumber – Peeled or unpeeled, that’s up to you. Some people don’t digest the cucumber skin very well, so you may want to peel it off. Cut them into cubes. Red Bell Pepper or any color yellow bell pepper is sweeter and goes well in this quinoa salad. Red Onion – or yellow onions. Kalamata Olives – pitted and halved. Mint – Or fresh parsley. Pick your favorite herb.
For the quinoa salad lemon dressing, you need the following:
Olive Oil – I choose locally-sourced extra-virgin olive oil. Lemon Juice – Either from fresh lemons or store-bought lemon juice. Maple Syrup – Or any liquid sweetener of your choice, like brown rice syrup or coconut nectar. Tahini – Hulled tahini is less bitter. Feel free to use almond butter or peanut butter as a swap if you don’t have tahini or simply skip the ingredient. Cinnamon – This is optional, but I love the combination of cinnamon in the dressing and mint in the salad. Salt and Black Pepper – to taste. Garlic Powder – or fresh crushed garlic.
How To Make Quinoa Chickpea Salad
It’s so easy to make this Quinoa Chickpea Salad. It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and is so refreshing and fulfilling.
Serving Suggestion
Serve the salad as a barbecue side dish, perfect picnic lunch, or high-protein meal. One serving contains 9 grams of protein, so it’s a very fulfilling salad on its own. You can also serve the salad with extra toppings like:
Chili Flakes – for a boost of spiciness Tofu – like my Tofu Scramble or my Tofu Marinade. Edamame Sliced Avocado – Don’t add it to the salad before serving. Vegan Almond Ricotta Cheese Vegan Feta Cheese Drizzle of Cucumber Dip Toasted Kale Nuts like pecans, walnuts, or sliced almonds for a bit of crunch Fresh Herbs like dill or parsley
Allergy Swaps
Below are some options to make this recipe allergy-friendly:
Gluten-Free – This recipe is naturally gluten-free. Quinoa is a gluten-free grain, and all the other ingredients are also sans gluten. Onion-Free – You can remove the red onion and swap them for another bell pepper color, like yellow pepper, thinly diced. Tahini-Free – Tahini is made from sesame seeds and adds a lovely flavor and creamy texture to the dressing. You can replace the tahini with almond butter or skip it from the recipe.
Find below the answers to your most common questions about this quinoa chickpea salad recipe.
More Quinoa Recipes
I love cooking with quinoa, and below are some more quinoa recipe ideas for you:
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