Home » Salads » Quinoa Chickpea Salad
Published: April 30, 2021Updated: April 19, 2022Author: Jenn Laughlin
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This quick and easy Quinoa Chickpea Salad is loaded with veggie goodness and tossed in a flavorful homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing.
There’s nothing that makes eating your veggies a total breeze quite like faceplanting into a vibrant veggie salad.
Salads like this totally scrumptious Quinoa Chickpea Salad are truly the backbone of my blog and they’re recipes I keep coming back to time and time again.
Because it’s great the first day as well as the next, this salad can easily be made in advance as part of your weekly meal prep.
Simply save adding the avocado until just before serving and you’re good to go!
When it comes to this quick and easy quinoa chickpea salad, veggie combinations and dressing possibilities are quite endless.
Delicious Dressing Options
I whipped up my favorite cilantro lime dressing to swirl into this colorful quinoa salad but there are a few others that will work great as well!
Cilantro Lime Dressing
See recipe card below for a printable recipe for both the salad and cilantro lime dressing.
Light and Zippy Lemon Dressing
- 1.5lemons, juiced
- 3TBSPavocado oilor light olive oil
- 1tspwhite wine vinegar
- 1clovegarlic (peeled and minced)
- 1/4tspsea saltor extra, to taste
- 1/4tspblack pepper
Chili Lime Dressing
This flavorful chili lime dressing will put a Tex-Mex or Southwest spin on this Quinoa Chickpea Salad:
- 1/4-1/3cupavocado oil
- 2TBSPwhite wine vinegar
- 1TBSPlime juiceplus extra to taste
- 1clovegarlic(peeled and minced)
- 1tspchili powder
- 1/2tspcumin
- 1/4tspsaltor season to taste
- 1/4tsppepper
To make these dressing recipes, whisk ingredients together in a small bowl with a metal whisk or fork or simply add them to a lidded mason jar and shake before serving.
Veggie Options for Chickpea Quinoa Salad
You can put a spin on this colorful quinoa salad recipe by using your favorites or simply deep diving into your crisper to use up all the little bits and pieces of veggies leftover from past dishes.
Here are some delicious veggies to pair with quinoa and chickpeas:
- peppers (bell pepper, banana peppers, jalapeños, etc)
- tomatoes (all varieties)
- onion (all vareties)
- English cucumber
- chopped massaged kale
- fresh spinach
- scallions
- olives
- sweet corn
- avocado
- edamame (steamed and shelled)
- chopped broccoli and/or cauliflower
- shredded carrots
Other tasty mix-ins include fresh herbs, sliced almonds, roasted sunflower seeds, dried fruit, and so. much. more.
I usually try to choose ingredients based on what I have handy and also what will best compliment the dressing used.
Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
Make a little… or a lot! This salad can be scaled down to a smaller portion if needed or doubled/tripled to feed a crowd at a party or potluck.
Because it’s naturally vegan, it will keep for quite a while at room temperature, making it perfect for sharing at your next backyard shindig!
Ready to eat? Let’s get our recipe on!
Quinoa Chickpea Salad
This quick and easy Quinoa Chickpea Salad is loaded with veggie goodness and tossed in a flavorful homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing.
5 from 15 votes
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Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Vegetarian
Keyword: Quinoa Chickpea Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Jenn Laughlin – Peas and Crayons
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1.5 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 can chickpeas 15 oz (drained and rinsed)
- 2 cups chopped bell pepper (any color)
- 1-2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- ¼-½ cup finely chopped red onion
- chopped fresh cilantro for topping, to taste
CILANTRO LIME DRESSING
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 3-4 TBSP avocado oil or light olive oil
- 1 TBSP red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic (peeled, smashed, and minced)
- 3-4 TBSP chopped cilantro leaves
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
Instructions
First rinse and drain your quinoa using a mesh strainer or sieve. Bring a small pot to medium heat and lightly toast the quinoa to remove any excess water, stirring often. This step is totally optional but adds to the nuttiness and fluff factor of the quinoa! Next add your water, set burner to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered with the lid slightly ajar, for 12-13 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and the liquid has been absorbed.
While the quinoa cooks, use this time to prep remaining ingredients.
For the dressing, add all the ingredients to a lidded mason jar and shake well.
Finely chop red onion and peppers. Dice tomatoes. Chop a little exta fresh cilantro to add to your salad as well, to taste. Save chopping avocado for just before serving.
Once your quinoa is ready, fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. For a chilled salad, chill your quinoa in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before tossing with veggies. For a room temperature or slightly warm salad, you can toss it all together right then and there.
Add chickpeas, peppers, tomato, onion and fresh cilantro to the quinoa in a large bowl. Whisk/shake dressing once more then pour over salad. Mix well.
Garnish with extra cilantro and any additoinal salt and pepper desired. Dig in right away or chill before serving. I love it both ways! Before serving, chop your avocado and gently fold into the salad. Enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to add any extra chickpeas or veggies your heart desires! Other optional extras include fresh chopped scallions, sweet corn, chopped spinach, kale, olives, broccoli, cauliflower, shredded carrots, edamame and/or feta. If you add a bunch of extras, simply make a little more dressing and have at it! This salad is crazy flavorful and versatile.
As written, recipe yields 8 side-dish sized servings or 4-6 larger portions.
Nutrition Facts below are estimated for both salad and dressing using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 187kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 196mg, Potassium: 398mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1256IU, Vitamin C: 56mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?I want to see! Tag @peasandcrayons on Instagram and Facebook!
If you get a chance to try this healthy vegetarian Quinoa Chickpea Salad, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
More Tasty Recipes Featuring Quinoa and Chickpeas
- READER FAVORITE: Tomato Quinoa Salad
- Chickpea Shawarma Bowls
- NEW! Quinoa Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Vegan Chickpea Quinoa Burgers via Holy Cow Vegan
- Roasted Chickpea Quinoa Taco Bowls
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About The Author:
Jenn Laughlin
Hi! I’m Jenn and I’m here to help you eat your veggies! It'll be fun, painless, and pretty darn delicious as I teach you to plan your meals around fresh, seasonal produce with a little help from healthy freezer and pantry staples.
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