This easy quinoa salad with chickpeas recipe is the perfect summer salad! It is full of veggies, chickpeas, quinoa, herbs, tossed in a homemade lemony dressing.
If you are looking for a healthy and wholesome salad, then this delectable Quinoa Salad is a go-to recipe! It is refreshing, light, and full of flavors made with protein-packed chickpeas, quinoa, fresh veggies, herbs, tossed in a lime vinaigrette for a citrusy tang.
If you are looking for more salads with quinoa, do check out my quinoa black bean salad and quinoa tabbouleh salad.
Here are some more delicious and healthy quinoa recipes:
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Ingredients
- Quinoa: While you can use any variety of quinoa (white, black, red, or tri-color), I prefer white. Learn how to cook quinoa in Instant Pot.
- Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans): You can use either canned or cooked chickpeas. Today, I have used dried chickpeas. I like to soak them overnight and cook them in a pressure cooker. Learn How to cook chickpeas in Instant Pot. If using canned, make sure to rinse and drain before using.
- Cucumber: I like to use English or Persian cucumbers for salads. But, you can use any type of cucumber you like.
- Bell peppers: I used red bell peppers because they are the sweetest and the juiciest. But feel free to use any color you like.
- Tomatoes: I like to use grape (or cherry) tomatoes in this salad as they are sweet. You can also use diced Roma tomatoes without seeds.
- Red Onions: Red onion adds a touch of sweetness and crunch to the salad.
- Olive Oil: Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Lime Juice: Freshly squeezed lime juice is preferred for this salad. You can also substitute any type of vinegar, like distilled white, apple cider vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar. If you prefer, you can also zest half the lime for extra lemony flavor.
- Garlic: Use freshly pressed or minced garlic.
- Fresh Herbs: Use fresh cilantro (or parsley) and mint (or dill). Make sure to chop them just before using them for maximum freshness.
How to Make Quinoa Chickpea Salad Recipe
Cook Quinoa
- Instant Pot Pressure cooker: I generally cook the quinoa in an Instant Pot as it is very easy, and we get a perfect fluffy separated grain every time. Pressure cook 1 cup quinoa with 1 ¼ cups of water (or vegetable broth) on High pressure for 1 minute and let the pressure release naturally. Here is the detailed recipe for "How to cook quinoa in Instant Pot".
- In Traditional Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook the rinsed quinoa with 1.5 cups water for two whistles on medium-low heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
- On Stovetop in a Pot: Cook 1 cup of rinsed quinoa with 2 cups of water on medium-low heat until cooked, and let it cool.
Dressing:
Whisk together the ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ½ cup lime or lemon juice, 2 garlic cloves (minced), ½ teaspoon dried oregano (optional), salt, and pepper in a glass jar to make the dressing.
Assemble
In a large mixing bowl, place all the following salad ingredients:
- 2.5-3 cups cooked quinoa
- 1.5 cups of cooked chickpeas
- ½ English cucumber (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup red onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro (or parsley), chopped
- ¼ cup mint leaves (or dill), chopped
Drizzle the dressing over the salad ingredients.
Toss gently to combine.
Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
What do you Serve with Quinoa Salad?
This Quinoa salad is wholesome and can be served as a main dish. It is also great as a side dish, serve this alongside soup or sandwiches.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make-Ahead: You can cook quinoa, and chickpeas, prep the veggies, herbs, and dressing the night before serving. Store the dressing and salad ingredients in a separate container for prolonged shelf life, and assemble when you are ready to serve.
- Storage: Leftover quinoa salad will last in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days when stored in an airtight container or mason jar.
Expert Tips
- Rinse the quinoa under running water before cooking it. Otherwise, the quinoa may taste bitter due to the natural coating called saponin. To avoid this, it's essential to rinse the quinoa thoroughly before cooking.
- Cool the quinoa before adding it to the salad. Otherwise, warm quinoa will wilt the fresh veggies and lose their freshness.
- Use Fresh Herbs. Fresh herbs add so much more flavor than dried ones.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Cheese: Add ½ cup crumbed or cubed feta cheese just before serving. You may also use cottage cheese.
- Make it Spicier: Add freshly chopped jalapeño pepper or red chili flakes.
- Other fresh herbs: Try fresh Italian parsley and dill.
- Add some diced avocado. Avocado adds creaminess and healthy fats to this salad. Add it right before serving to prevent them from browning.
- Protein: Chickpeas can be substituted with other canned beans like white beans, or kidney beans.
- Add nuts: Add almonds, walnuts, or pecans for some nice crunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have quinoa handy, you can easily make this recipe with other grains, such as millet, barley, or couscous.
You can substitute chickpeas with cooked white beans or black beans.
Quinoa Chickpea Salad tastes best when served cold. However, it can be served at room temperature after it is assembled. If you prefer hot, warm it in a microwave for a few seconds and serve.
More Salad Recipes
Quinoa Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed (1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- ½ english cucumber (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
- ½ cup red bell pepper
- ½ cup red onion finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro (or parsley), chopped
- ¼ cup mint (or dill), chopped
For The Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano optional
Instructions
Cook Quinoa
- Instant Pot Pressure cooker: I generally cook the Quinoa in an Instant Pot as it is very easy, and we get a perfect fluffy separated grain every time. Pressure cook 1 cup quinoa with 1 ¼ cups of water (or vegetable broth) on High pressure for 1 minute and let the pressure release naturally.In Traditional Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook the rinsed quinoa with 1.5 cups water for two whistles on medium-low heat. Let the pressure release naturally.On Stovetop in a Pot: Cook 1 cup of rinsed quinoa with 2 cups of water on medium-low heat until cooked, and let it cool.
Dressing:
- Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in a glass jar to make the dressing.
Assemble the Salad
- In a large mixing bowl, place all the salad ingredients.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad ingredients.
- Toss gently to combine.Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sanny
Like tabbouleh, only BETTER! Instant pot made cooking the quinoa and chickpeas (separately) very quick. The dressing is lovely, with the lime flavor. Is it wrong to confess I ate almost an entire batch of this myself?
Good thing that the instructions for cooking quinoa and chickpeas are easy, and they freeze. Plenty left to make another batch of the salad.