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Home » Recipes » Salads

Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Published: Apr 15, 2021 · Modified: Apr 15, 2021 by Lexi

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This Quinoa Chickpea Salad is packed with fresh vegetables and a flavorful whole grain mustard and balsamic vinaigrette! It's vegan, gluten free, perfect for meal prep and so quick and easy to make in about 30 minutes.

overhead view of quinoa chickpea vegetable salad on a large white platter on green backdrop.

Why we love this recipe

  • Quick and easy: this quinoa chickpea salad is easy to make with minimal prep and about 30 minutes total cook time.
  • Lots of veggies including carrots, cucumber, spinach, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and garlic!
  • Plant-based protein: quinoa is a complete protein, unlike many other plant-based protein sources (1 cup of cooked quinoa contains 8g of protein). This recipe is perfect for those looking to easily incorporate more plant-based protein into their diets.
  • Versatile: you can easily change up this salad with different vegetables and toppings.
  • Vegan and gluten free: we use vegan parmesan to keep this 100% vegan. Quinoa is naturally gluten free, so this is a great allergy-friendly recipe.
  • Perfect recipe for meal prep: this quinoa chickpea salad stores really well in the refrigerator and can be made several days before serving. Check out more tips on meal prepping salads (plus our favorite containers) here!
close up view of quinoa chickpea vegetable salad on a large white platter.

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this quinoa chickpea salad:

overhead view of ingredients for vegan quinoa chickpea salad in small bowls.

Ingredient notes

  • Quinoa: we use basic white quinoa in this recipe, which is typically easiest to find in most grocery stores. You can also sub with tricolor or red quinoa, which taste very similar.
  • Carrot: shredded carrot is best in this recipe. You can buy pre-shredded carrots, or use a cheese grater for perfect shavings. For an even quicker option, you can use a food processor with a shredder attachment.
  • Spinach: you can also sub with another leafy green, like baby kale, arugula, microgreens, pea shoots, etc. Since it's not being cooked down, we like to chop ours finely before adding to the salad so you don't end up with any huge pieces of spinach.
  • Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): we use canned chickpeas in this recipe. Be sure to drain and rinse before using. If you want to cook dry chickpeas, check out this tutorial. You can also sub with white beans or lentils.
  • Parmesan: if you're not vegan, of course feel free to use regular grated or shaved parmesan. To keep this quinoa chickpea salad dairy free, we use vegan parmesan from Follow Your Heart.
  • Whole grain dijon mustard: we LOVE the intense flavor and texture of whole grain mustard in this vinaigrette. If you'd prefer, you can sub with an equal amount of regular dijon mustard.
  • Balsamic vinegar is our vinegar of choice for the vinaigrette, but this would also be great with red wine or champagne vinegar.

Step-by-step instructions

Cook 1 cup of dry quinoa according to package directions. We always add ½ teaspoon of salt to the water while cooking, which helps make the quinoa more flavorful.

overhead view of cooked quinoa in a small pot.

While quinoa is cooking, add about 1 tablespoon olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup diced onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add 2 teaspoon minced garlic and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, until softened and slightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

Once the quinoa is done cooking, transfer to a bowl to cool slightly (you can place in the fridge or freezer to speed this up). 

Add all vinaigrette ingredients (¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard, 1 ½ teaspoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper) to a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.

before and after whisking together ingredients for whole grain mustard balsamic vinaigrette.

Prep the 1 cup spinach, 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, 1 cup diced cucumber, ¾ cup shredded carrots, ¾ cup diced yellow pepper and 3 tablespoon chopped parsley.

Add all ingredients (cooked quinoa, onions/garlic, vegetables, parmesan) to a large mixing bowl and toss well with the vinaigrette.

overhead view of all ingredients for vegan quinoa chickpea salad in mixing bowl.

Optional: refrigerate for 30 minutes-1 hour before serving (or enjoy right away!).

overhead view of quinoa chickpea vegetable salad on a large white platter on green backdrop.

Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Refrigerate for an hour before serving: this isn't required, but encouraged. After you toss everything together, give the quinoa chickpea salad an hour or so to soak up all of the flavor from the vinaigrette. The salad will be more flavorful, and it tastes better chilled. If you don't have time, no worries!
  • Chill the quinoa: you don't want to add hot quinoa to this salad. As soon as it's done cooking, transfer to a separate bowl and stir well to help it cool down. We typically pop the bowl in the freezer or fridge for a few minutes to speed this up.
  • Change it up with roasted vegetables: one of the things I love most about this salad is that the base is so versatile. You can take the vinaigrette, quinoa and chickpeas and change it up by adding roasted vegetables like cauliflower, sweet potato, broccoli, etc. It would be great served warm!
  • Storage: this quinoa chickpea salad stores really well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. It's perfect for meal prep and you can make several days before serving!
Do you have to rinse quinoa before using?

Short answer: no, not usually.

Long answer: quinoa has a bitter natural coating (saponin) that needs to be rinsed in order to remove, otherwise your quinoa will taste a bit off. That being said, almost every brand of quinoa on the market pre-rinses the grain before packaging, so it's not necessary for you to rinse again at home. If you're not sure about the source (for example, if you buy quinoa in bulk), go ahead and give it a quick rinse just to be safe.

What other vegetables can you add to quinoa chickpea salad?

There are so many options – this salad tastes great with just about any fresh veggies! We love adding finely chopped broccoli, red onion, olives, sautéed zucchini and diced avocado.

overhead view of vegan quinoa chickpea salad with vegetables in a bowl on green backdrop.

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Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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overhead view of vegan quinoa chickpea salad with vegetables in a bowl on green backdrop.

Quinoa Chickpea Salad


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This Quinoa Chickpea Salad is packed with fresh vegetables and a flavorful whole grain mustard and balsamic vinaigrette! It's vegan, gluten free, perfect for meal prep and so quick and easy to make in about 30 minutes. 


Ingredients

Scale

Salad:

  • 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup yellow onion, diced (1 small onion)
  • 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced (2 cloves)
  • 1 cup finely chopped spinach
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup cucumber, finely diced
  • ¾ cup grated carrot
  • ¾ cup finely diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 14.5 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed well
  • ¼ cup grated vegan parmesan (or regular)

Vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ tsp maple syrup (or agave)
  • 1 tsp fine grain kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and add ½ teaspoon of salt to the water.
  2. While quinoa is cooking, add olive oil to a small skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, until softened and slightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 
  3. Once the quinoa is done cooking, transfer to a bowl to cool slightly (you can place in the fridge or freezer to speed this up). 
  4. Add all vinaigrette ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
  5. Prep the spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, pepper and parsley.
  6. Add all ingredients (cooked quinoa, onions/garlic, vegetables, parmesan) to a large mixing bowl and toss well with the vinaigrette.
  7. Optional: refrigerate for 30 minutes-1 hour before serving (or enjoy right away!).

Notes

Refrigerate for an hour before serving: this isn't required, but encouraged. After you toss everything together, give the quinoa chickpea salad an hour or so to soak up all of the flavor from the vinaigrette. The salad will be more flavorful, and it tastes better chilled. If you don't have time, no worries! 

Quinoa: we use basic white quinoa in this recipe, which is typically easiest to find in most grocery stores. You can also sub with tricolor or red quinoa, which taste very similar. 

Spinach: you can also sub with another leafy green, like baby kale, arugula, microgreens, pea shoots, etc. Since it's not being cooked down, we like to chop ours finely before adding to the salad so you don't end up with any huge pieces of spinach. 

Whole grain dijon mustard: we LOVE the intense flavor and texture of whole grain mustard in this vinaigrette. If you'd prefer, you can sub with an equal amount of regular dijon mustard. 

Storage: this salad stores really well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. It's perfect for meal prep and you can make several days before serving! 

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Salads
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 337
  • Sugar: 4.7 g
  • Sodium: 660.4 mg
  • Fat: 16.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 38.7 g
  • Fiber: 6.7 g
  • Protein: 9.7 g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

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Comments

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    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Ana says

    June 13, 2021 at 10:05 am

    Really tasty and easy to make. It just takes a lot of prep time from cutting all those vegetables (or maybe I'm just slow) but it has become a favorite in my home.

    Reply
  2. Jeanne Rademacher says

    April 30, 2021 at 9:32 am

    This was AMAZING
    And so easy!!
    Can I use white wine vinegar?

    Reply
    • Lexi says

      May 03, 2021 at 11:08 am

      Yes, definitely!

      Reply
Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

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