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Moroccan Inspired Quinoa Carrot Salad

October 5, 2020 by Alexandra Daum
A simple 15 minute Moroccan carrot salad with quinoa and chickpeas for busy days. Healthy, vegan, and ideal for packed lunches or a quick dinner. Dates, lemon, and parsley round out this filling salad.
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Two bowls of quinoa salad with two glasses of water.

One of my all-time favourite salads, I make this about once a week almost year round. It’s so flexible in terms of substitutions, and so satisfying – light but filling, and packed with flavour.

Since it only takes about 15 minutes to make, it’s also my go-to tired food especially when SAD starts to wreak havoc moving into winter. So even though different types of carrots are in season or storage year round, I especially like this in autumn and winter.

With a slightly spicy lemon ginger vinaigrette playing off sweet dates, chewy quinoa, and protein-rich chickpeas, it’s a solid main dish. If you’re going to work or school in person, or have to travel, it also packs really well.

Quinoa carrot salad after mixing.

Ingredients

  • Quinoa
  • Chickpeas (cooked or canned)
  • Carrots
  • Baby greens (spinach is pictured)
  • Dates
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Parsley
  • Garlic
Moroccan carrot salad ingredients.

For the lemon ginger vinaigrette:

  • Olive oil
  • Lemon juice
  • Fresh ginger
  • Sea salt
  • Maple syrup
  • Cinnamon
  • Black pepper
  • Cayenne pepper
Lemon ginger vinaigrette ingredients.

Method

Start by cooking the quinoa according to the package instructions (it may or may not need to be rinsed beforehand). While it’s cooking, prep your other salad ingredients. Wash your veg, grate the carrots, cut the dates, and chop the herbs and garlic.

To make the vinaigrette, simply place all of the ingredients into a jar or container and shake/whisk until fully combined and emulsified. You may need to give it another shake right before adding to the salad.

Once the quinoa is cooked, uncover and let it cool for a few minutes before adding to a large bowl with the other salad ingredients. Add the vinaigrette, then stir to mix it in and evenly distribute everything else. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a couple of days.

Ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
  • A mason jar of mixed vinaigrette.
  • Vinaigrette being poured over the salad.

Tips and Notes

Some commenters have noted that they let the quinoa cool fully before mixing. I recommend mixing the salad while the quinoa is still warm for two reasons – to wilt the greens, which makes them a bit more pleasant to eat, and because the grains soak up the vinaigrette more effectively if they’re warm. You can use cold quinoa if you prefer.

If you’re using canned chickpeas, I recommend rinsing and then soaking in cold water for about ten minutes before rinsing again. I find that they taste much better with a short soak in fresh water, especially when used in a salad rather than incorporated into a soup or stew.

If this seems like too many ingredients for you, try this more basic chickpea quinoa salad instead. Both are great!

Two bowls of quinoa salad with two glasses of water.

Substitutions

Use any baby green you like or have on hand. I have an abundance of spinach in the garden right now so that’s what I’ve used for the photos, but rucola, baby kale and chard, or even sprouts and mustard greens.

The same goes for herbs – I don’t have loads of parsley now, so I used mostly lovage and just a bit of parsley. You can also use cilantro or oregano if you prefer.

Other grains can be used in place of quinoa if you prefer, like couscous or bulgur (not gluten-free). You can also use raisins or dried cranberries in place of the chopped dates, which I often do.

Try adding other seeds or nuts, like pepitas or walnuts, alongside or in place of sunflower seeds.

More Moroccan Inspired Recipes

Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Salad
Chickpea, Sweet Potato, and Kale Stew
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
Moroccan Carrot Chickpea Stew
Moroccan Guava Almond Phyllo Cake

Two bowls of carrot salad with lemon wedges.

Let’s connect! For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email. If you make this recipe, I’d love to see! Tag your instagram versions with @occasionallyeggs.

Yield: 4

Moroccan Carrot Quinoa Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
4.79 from 14 votes

Ingredients

Metric – American

Quinoa

  • 180 grams dry quinoa
  • 500 ml water
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Salad

  • 250 grams cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed
  • 200 grams packed carrots, shredded
  • 60 grams dates, chopped
  • 50 grams baby greens (spinach, kale, rucola)
  • 40 grams sunflower seeds
  • 1 handful about 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced*

Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette

  • 60 ml olive oil
  • Juice of a lemon ~3 tablespoons
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey if not vegan
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt to taste
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Start by cooking the quinoa. Go by your package instructions on whether it needs to be rinsed or not. Add the quinoa to a pot with the water and salt, cover, and heat on high, covered, until boiling. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 12-15 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed.
  • While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the other salad ingredients and place them into a large mixing bowl.
  • Make the vinaigrette by adding the olive oil, lemon juice, ginger, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and cayenne pepper to a jar or container. Shake or whisk until fully combined.
  • Once the quinoa is cooled, remove the pot from the heat and uncover to let the quinoa cool for a few minutes.
  • Add the quinoa to the bowl with the other salad ingredients, then top with the vinaigrette and mix well to combine. Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Notes

* If you’re very sensitive to raw garlic, try subbing roasted garlic in its place or leave it out.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g Calories: 434kcal Carbohydrates: 31g Protein: 17g Fat: 6g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Sodium: 350mg Fiber: 19g Sugar: 5g
© Alexandra Daum
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
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This post was first published in April 2018. It has been updated with new photos, updates to the text, and slight changes to the recipe as of October 2020.

More Mains:

Peanut butter noodle bowl in a large ceramic serving dish.Ten Minute Peanut Butter Noodle Salad
Kale topped pizza on two sheets of parchment paper.Winter Pizza
Mushroom pot pie with a serving on a separate plate.Mushroom Pot Pie (Vegan)
Three potato tacos in a shallow bowl.Roasted Potato Tacos

Previous Post: « Roasted Hazelnut Butter
Next Post: Sweet Potato Latkes »

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Comments

  1. Unknown says

    April 10, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    I had no idea you could freeze soaked legumes and such! What a great hint:)

    Reply
  2. Alexandra Daum says

    April 29, 2018 at 8:52 am

    Thanks! It's my go-to for home cooked legumes!

    Reply
  3. Lisa says

    August 4, 2018 at 8:47 am

    Thanks a lot! I’m obsessed with your Moroccan carrot chickpea salad..?

    Reply
  4. Jestina Ellingson says

    March 23, 2019 at 7:19 pm

    I substituted spinich for the arucola and cilantro for the parsley. I also can substitue frozen squash spiral cut by (Birds eye) drained and defrosted pat dry.
    I also added 1 cup dates instead of half a cup.
    I mixed the dressing in a nutra bullet blender decreased the black pepper added cayenne pepper and powdered garlic instead of garlic in the salad.
    I had made this twice before I liked it but but not the green’s that were advised in the recipe. Also the Quinoa should be cold or chilled not hot. I mixed iy together in a Gallon ziplock….talk about a GREAT SALAD! Yum!!

    Reply
  5. Christine says

    July 16, 2019 at 1:00 am

    5 stars
    Perfect dinner for a hot summer evening. Quick to make–so I can enjoy more sunshine–but still packs a lot of flavor. I added a dash of cumin to the dressing but otherwise followed the recipe. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  6. Christine says

    July 16, 2019 at 1:00 am

    5 stars
    Perfect dinner for a hot summer evening. Quick to make–so I can enjoy more sunshine–but still packs a lot of flavor. I added a dash of cumin to the dressing but otherwise followed the recipe. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Melissa says

    October 5, 2020 at 9:06 pm

    I made this for lunch today. It was so delicious and flavorful. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Alexandra says

      October 6, 2020 at 11:04 am

      Lovely to hear, thanks Melissa!

      Reply
  8. Dan Codorean says

    January 12, 2021 at 5:15 am

    5 stars
    We recently discovered some very good recipes here… this salad is definitely a keeper. So many flavors, such good use of quinoa. Love it.
    Thank you!!!

    Reply
  9. Christy Moceri says

    September 11, 2021 at 2:17 am

    5 stars
    I had no dates, so had to omit them, but otherwise made as directed. Delicious! I made as a side dish with butternut squash soup, but this salad was the star of the show. I’m surprised how filling this was… I stuffed myself silly.

    Reply

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