A Flexible Quinoa Salad Recipe
Think of this as a choose your own adventure salad. It is a quinoa chickpea salad, that’s what forms the base, but you can use just about any vegetables, herbs, or other add-ins you have on hand. I’ve been making this salad for years, often with vegetables about to turn, and my go-to mustard and white wine vinegar dressing.
While it makes a fantastic quick, light weeknight dinner, it also packs well for lunches and will keep for a couple of days. I often make this for travelling, or for camping, and it was my standard lunch in undergraduate school. It’s an excellent make-ahead lunch for meal prep and can be divided up into individual containers to grab and go in the morning.
There are several alternatives and suggestions outlined in the ingredients section below, so you can make a number of variations following the basic recipe. As written, a serving contains about 10 grams of protein, 7 grams of fibre, and 4mg of iron.
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Ingredients You’ll Need and Why
Quinoa and chickpeas are the primary ingredients, then you need something crunchy, something sharp, a sweet element, and soft herbs. See below for ideas. These are my notes from recipe testing and you can find the full recipe card with complete measurements and instructions below.
- Quinoa: if you can get pre-rinsed quinoa, it’s ideal. I don’t know about you, but I hate rinsing quinoa – it’s just so small and gets stuck everywhere. Most sold in stores now is pre-rinsed but it should say on the package.
- Chickpeas: this can be canned or cooked, it doesn’t matter. If using canned, make sure to drain and rinse well before adding. I usually soak canned chickpeas in fresh cool water for a few minutes before draining again to improve the taste. Substitute big white beans.
- Vegetables: virtually any vegetable you like raw will work well. Red peppers, cucumber as pictured, grated carrot (see quinoa carrot salad), tomatoes (especially cherry), and frozen corn are all excellent. See this roasted vegetable salad for a cold-weather version.
- Onion: without the onion this salad can taste flat. If raw onion isn’t your thing, try pickled onion instead. Shallots and salad onion are milder options.
- Herbs: the herbs are what make this salad excellent, and I encourage using them if at all possible. Parsley and basil are my favourites but it’s nice to use a blend. Any soft herbs are great – also try dill, oregano, and coriander (cilantro) depending on what you like most.
- Add-ins: for sweetness try pomegranate as pictured, dried cranberries or raisins, or chopped dates. For more salt add preserved lemon, feta or a plant-based alternative, capers, or olives.
How to Make Chickpea Quinoa Salad
It’s very simple and ready in a short time, but the quinoa does need to cool before mixing to avoid softening the cucumber or other raw vegetables. If you transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl after cooking, it will cool more quickly. It should be about room temperature.
Step 1: cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Use slightly less than double the amount of water to quinoa if your pot lid seals very well, to avoid a mushy texture. Season the water well.
Step 2: mix the vinaigrette in a jar or bowl, shaking or whisking very well to fully combine. If the vinaigrette separates right away it hasn’t been mixed for long enough (or you’ve omitted the mustard, which is the primary emulsifier).
Step 3: add the chickpeas, herbs, onion, and cucumber to a large mixing bowl with the cooled quinoa. Pour the vinaigrette over top. The dressing can be mixed directly in the bowl, but you’ll need to be careful to toss the salad very well in that case to make sure it’s incorporated.
Step 4: toss the salad well, then either serve immediately or let it rest for a while before serving for the best flavour. The quinoa will absorb some of the dressing as it rests, making the salad more flavourful.
Expert Tips for the Best Quinoa Salad
- Rinse it off: unless labeled as rinsed, the quinoa should be rinsed before cooking to remove the bitter saponin. Chickpeas should also be rinsed well.
- Think about balance: for an excellent grain salad, you want to have a balance of textures and flavours. Creamy chickpeas, crunchy vegetables, acidic vinaigrette, some bite from the onion – this is what makes a good salad.
- Use warm quinoa: the cooked quinoa doesn’t need to be chilled before adding to the salad. It can’t be hot, but a little warm is fine, and that means it’ll absorb the vinaigrette more effectively. Think room temperature or slightly warmer.
- Don’t skimp on the vinaigrette: it does make a fairly large batch, but the quinoa will soak some of it up and that’s what makes the salad tasty!
- Make it ahead of time: quinoa salad tastes great, maybe even better, the day after making it so feel confident to make it ahead of time. The recipe does make quite a large salad.
More Quinoa Recipes
Moroccan Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowls
Quinoa Swiss Chard Patties
Black Bean Quinoa Burgers
Chocolate Puffed Quinoa Bars
If you make this Chickpea Quinoa Salad or any other vegetarian dinner recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Description
Ingredients
For the Quinoa
- 250 grams (1 ½ cup) dry quinoa
- 750 ml (3 cups) water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
For the Salad
- 225 grams (1 ½ cups) cooked chickpeas or canned, rinsed well
- 30 grams (1 cup) mixed herbs roughly chopped (parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, etc.)
- 1 small red onion finely sliced
- 1 English cucumber diced
- A handful pomegranate seeds or raisins
Mustard Vinaigrette
- 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
- 60 ml (¼ cup) white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard*
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Zest and juice of a lemon optional
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa, add the dry quinoa, water, and salt to a medium pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 12 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. Set aside to cool while you prepare the other salad elements.250 grams (1 ½ cup) dry quinoa, 750 ml (3 cups) water, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Place the chickpeas, herbs, onion, cucumber and pomegranate seeds into a large mixing bowl.225 grams (1 ½ cups) cooked chickpeas, 30 grams (1 cup) mixed herbs, 1 small red onion, 1 English cucumber, A handful pomegranate seeds or raisins
- To make the vinaigrette, add all of the ingredients to a jar or container and mix until very well combined.125 ml (½ cup) olive oil, 60 ml (¼ cup) white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard*, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, Zest and juice of a lemon
- Add the quinoa to the bowl with the vegetables and top with the vinaigrette. Mix well, and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to three days in a sealed container. Leftovers keep well and the salad tastes better on the second day.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Thank you for the Honey Oat bread recipe and the Quinoa and chickpea salad recipe!
I’ve decided the ‘lockdown’ is a perfect time to bake and cook nutritious meals! I have just started using spelt flour because of the protein value .
I’m wondering if you can give me a good recipe, other than a pasta recipe using Semolina flour?
Thank you!
Judy Rowett
Hi Judy! I’m so happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying the recipes. Unfortunately I don’t often work with semolina so I don’t have recipes using it!