Here's a quick and easy vegan recipe for those busy days: easy Quinoa Chickpea Salad with lemon tahini dressing, ready in under 30 minutes. It's a light, refreshing, and delicious option, perfect for when you want a colorful, nutritious, and satisfying meal.
If you want a refreshing and filling salad for lunch, this vegan Chickpea Quinoa Salad recipe is a great choice. This recipe, along with this Roasted Beet and Kale Salad, is perfect for meal prep, too. You might also enjoy this Southwest Quinoa Bowl.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Quinoa Chickpea Salad Recipe
- This salad is a powerhouse of nutrition, combining protein-rich quinoa and chickpeas with crunchy and colorful fresh vegetables, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds. The tahini lemon dressing gives this vegan quinoa chickpea salad a zesty, creamy finish.
- This healthy vegan salad is incredibly delicious and easy to make. It comes together in less than half an hour.
- This quinoa chickpea salad is gluten-free, making it suitable for almost everyone! It's versatile, so change the ingredients to suit you and what you have on hand.
Top this vegan Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Vegan Cheesy Kale Chips for additional texture and crunch. Do you have more chickpeas? You'll love this Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad, another great recipe for meal prep and lunch.
This salad was delightful and all we needed for a light supper. Love the chickpeas and pumpkin seeds.
- Mary
Ingredients
Here is what you will need to make this easy Quinoa Chickpea Salad recipe:
- Quinoa - You can use any quinoa of your choice, including tri-color like I did or white quinoa, red quinoa, or black. Rinse it before cooking.
- Lemon juice is freshly squeezed, not from concentrate. I love the brightness that fresh lemon juice adds to the dressing.
- Tahini - I love Kevala for the taste, plus it's not too thick.
- Spring mix salad - the fresher the organic salad greens, the better!
- Chickpeas - For this recipe, you can use canned chickpeas, as I did, or cook dried chickpeas for the best taste and texture. Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans.
- Serrano pepper - Seed and de-vein the serrano pepper before dicing it, or keep the seeds for an extra kick if you're feeling bold. This freshly diced pepper adds a hot and spicy bite. The serrano pepper is a type of chili similar to jalapeños or habaneros, but it has an intense heat that adds a kick to this salad! It is five times hotter than jalapeño peppers. If you're not up for a spicy salad, omit it. This quinoa chickpea salad will be incredibly delicious either way!
A complete ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are some ideas you can try when making this healthy quinoa salad with chickpeas:
- Chickpeas - You can substitute with black beans, cannellini beans, or black-eyed peas. Tepary beans would be good, too.
- Fresh herbs - Add chopped fresh parsley or freshly chopped mint.
- Lemon juice - Use fresh lime juice instead or a touch of apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar; adjust to taste.
- More protein - Add more chickpeas, beans, tofu to make a protein-rich, plant-based salad quickly.
- Quinoa - Use brown rice, millet, Kamut, couscous, bulgur, or freekeh.
- Seeds - Instead of hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds, try sunflower seeds.
- Serrano pepper - Leave it out if you don't want the heat. If you want spice, use a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper instead.
- Spring mix - Use spinach, kale, or any salad greens of your choice.
- Tahini - If you don't have tahini, use almond butter or sunflower seed butter.
- Vegetables - You can change the salad ingredients by adding any other vegetables you like, such as chopped green onions, asparagus, red bell pepper, roasted sweet potato, sliced red onion, or peas for extra protein.
Make a vegan Greek quinoa salad with red onion, kalamata olives, sliced fresh cucumber, and vegan feta cheese.
How to Make This Vegan Quinoa Chickpea Salad Recipe
Here are the steps to make this simple and easy vegan salad with chickpeas and quinoa:
- Step 1: Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under cold water before cooking to remove its natural coating, saponin, which can affect the taste.
- Step 2: Heat the vegetable broth in a medium saucepan to boil. Add the quinoa carefully and cook for 15 minutes on low to low-medium heat at a simmer, keeping the lid on slightly ajar. Stir occasionally until the liquid is mostly absorbed and remove from heat.
- Step 3: Once it's off the heat, let the cooked quinoa sit for another 5 minutes. Then, let it cool to room temperature.
- Step 4: Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, water, and sea salt in a small bowl or Mason jar. Taste and adjust seasoning. If the dressing is too thick, add a small amount of water to reach the desired consistency.
- Step 5: Assemble the salad greens, chickpeas, radishes, bell pepper, carrot, cherry tomatoes, and serrano pepper between 2 serving bowls. Add the hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, and quinoa.
- Step 6: Pour half the lemon tahini dressing over the two salads; reserve half for another use.
- Step 7: Toss the quinoa chickpea salad to combine, and sprinkle freshly ground black pepper to taste. Top with sliced or chopped avocado and serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- To save time, cook the quinoa the day before.
- Make this quinoa chickpea salad for meal prep. Double the recipe and enjoy it throughout the week, keeping the salad and dressing separate.
- Serrano peppers are hot and can irritate the skin. The juice may be painful for the eyes, so keep your fingers away from your face after touching the pepper. I recommend that you wear thin disposable gloves when handling this pepper. Or skip it if you don't want a spicy salad!
Recipe FAQs
This healthy quinoa chickpea salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days; the dressing can be stored separately in a jar for up to 7 days. Give it a good shake before using, and add water if it is too thick to achieve the desired consistency.
This salad serves two people as a main dish or four as a side dish; reserve half of the dressing for another use.
Chickpeas have many health benefits and are an excellent fiber and plant-based protein source. They also contain amino acids, minerals, manganese, zinc, and vitamins, including B vitamins.
Serrano peppers have many health benefits and contain many minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6. Like other hot peppers, serrano peppers contain capsaicin in the seeds and ribs, which causes heat and a burning sensation. Capsaicin has many anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. It can help digestion and reduce nasal congestion.
The ancient grain quinoa has gotten much attention as an excellent source of antioxidants, protein, and minerals such as iron, magnesium, and folate. Quinoa is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids; highly nutritious quinoa is also naturally gluten-free.
Related Recipes
If you try this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Easy Quinoa Chickpea Salad
INGREDIENTS
For the Quinoa:
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¾ cup quinoa rinsed
For the Lemon Tahini Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed, not from concentrate
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water add more if dressing is too thick
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- 4 cups spring mix salad
- 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained or freshly cooked
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper or red or orange
- ½ cup carrot shredded 1 medium carrot
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 teaspoons serrano pepper, seeded and deveined, diced approximately half a serrano pepper, optional
- 2 teaspoons hemp seeds
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ ripe avocado, chopped or sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the Quinoa
- In a small-medium saucepan, heat the vegetable broth to a gentle boil on medium heat. Rinse the quinoa and add it to the broth carefully.1 ½ cups vegetable broth, ¾ cup quinoa
- Cook on low to medium-low heat for 15 minutes with the cover on, slightly loose. Stir occasionally until the broth has been absorbed by the quinoa. Remove the cover and let it sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Make the Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Combine the tahini, lemon juice, extra virgin oil, water, and salt in a small bowl or jar. Whisk well until combined. If the dressing is too thick, add water in small increments.¼ cup tahini, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Make the Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Assemble the organic spring mix, chickpeas, radishes, bell pepper, shredded carrot, tomatoes, and serrano pepper if using, between two plates. Top with hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds.4 cups spring mix salad, 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained, 2 radishes, thinly sliced, 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper, ½ cup carrot shredded, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, 2 teaspoons serrano pepper, seeded and deveined, diced
- Add ¼ cup cooked quinoa to each plate (save the rest for another use), and top each salad with lemon tahini dressing to taste. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add sliced or chopped avocado.2 teaspoons hemp seeds, 2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds, ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ½ ripe avocado, chopped
NOTES
- If you cook the quinoa and chop up the vegetables ahead of time, the preparation will go quicker.
- To enjoy the best flavor, rinse the quinoa with water in a fine-mesh strainer before cooking to remove the saponin, a natural coating that can make it taste bitter or soapy even if boxed quinoa is pre-rinsed at home.
- This lunch is great for meal prep. Pack the salad, quinoa, chickpeas, and vegetables in a container. Keep the dressing separate; add it to the salad at the time of serving.
- To save time, make the quinoa the day before; store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
- The calorie count assumes half of the dressing will be saved for another use.
NUTRITION
Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.
Mary says
This salad was delightful and all we needed for a light supper. Love the chickpeas and pumpkin seeds.
Emily says
Thank you for trying this recipe, Mary! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Megan says
A great salad that will be on high rotation here. I love how simple it was and how I can easily add any extras I like.
Emily says
Thank you for trying this recipe, Megan! I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it easy to make. Feel free to add any of your favorite ingredients to the salad to make it even more personalized. I hope you'll give it a try again soon!
Gloria says
Chickpeas and quinoa are a winning combination. Protein-packed and budget-friendly. I know this will be a hit with the family.
Emily says
Thank you for your comment, Gloria! It's a refreshing and filling summer salad!
Marysa says
Sounds like the perfect summertime salad. I love quinoa and it is nice to have some ideas for how to use it.
Emily says
Thank you, Marysa, it's perfect for summer!
Nancy says
Wow - so much texture and yummy wholesome ingredients!! Perfect meal!
Emily says
Thanks so much, Nancy!
Julia says
Loved this... and it packed up neatly for a picnic too! Followed your advice about preparing the quinoa and it was the best I've ever tasted it, must have washed out the bitterness better or something. Thank you.
Emily says
Thank you so much for your review, Julia. I'm so glad to hear that the quinoa turned out well and that it packed up nicely for a picnic too!
Tavo says
We had this for yesterday and we loved it!Loved the touch of the tahini!
Emily says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Tavo! I'm glad to hear that you both enjoyed it and found the tahini a nice addition!
Joshua says
This is my kind of salad! It was very filling and very nourishing. It's great for work lunches and is enough to hold me over until dinner. Thank you for sharing this!
Emily says
Thank you for your review, Joshua. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed our salad and that it helped keep you going until dinner!
Lucy says
This is such a delicious and filling salad. I love the range of different veg from the rainbow and flavours included. It's perfect for so many occasions, as a meal on its own or for BBQ's, picnics and gatherings. Thank you!
Emily says
Thank you so much for your review, Lucy; we're really glad to hear that the salad was a hit!
Anaiah says
I loved this vegan chickpea and quinoa salad! It was full of flavor and so nutritious. The lemon tahini dressing paired perfectly and it was so easy to make!
Emily says
Thank you so much for your review, Anaiah! I'm happy to hear that you loved our recipe.
Kayla says
Loved how bright and fresh this quinoa salad was! It was so delicious and healthy!
Emily says
Thank you for your review, Kayla, I'm so glad you loved this quinoa salad!
Chris says
This salad was so delicious! It is so easy to make, very simple and so good! Will make this again! Thank you!
Emily says
Thanks for the 5-star review, Chris! We're so glad you enjoyed your salad and found it easy to make. If you have any other feedback, please feel free to reach out anytime!
Susan says
Wow! So great! Thanks for sharing!
Emily says
Thanks so much, Susan!