Quinoa Chickpea Salad

This zesty lemon Quinoa Chickpea Salad is so refreshing and great for potlucks, BBQs, picnics and more. Its bursting with flavors and is packed with protein and colorful fresh vegetables.

Recently, I have been working with lemons quit a bit and so you must have seen my lemon tahini dressing and vegan lemon cake. So, to continue with my obsession with lemons, I decided to stir this lemon dressing for my best ever quinoa salad.

Its so soothing and satisfying and packed with delicious flavors. I made extra batch to have leftovers the next day. In fact, it helps me in weekly meal plans as well. I made it in bulk and refrigerated to stay in track of healthy eating all through the week.

For hot lunch option I prefer lemon dill quinoa with lima beans.

Easy quinoa chickpea salad

Its quick and comes together in about 30 minutes. It’s healthy and nutritious. This salad is protein rich and packed with fiber along with being full of complex carbohydrates. At the same its flavorful and so satisfying and keeps you full for longer.

Health benefits of quinoa

Quinoa as we all know is rich in fiber and is a complete protein. It’s the best combination of complex carbohydrates and so its is a superfood. It aids in weight loss and is a healthy substitute to rice. Along with being a rich source of antioxidants its also heart healthy.

Quite often, I like to bring up quinoa recipe and some of the popular ones are vegan jambalaya, tofu mushroom quinoa scramble and no bake chocolate quinoa brownies.

Health benefits of chickpeas/garbanzo beans

It’s a great vegan protein source thereby promoting weight management. It helps in controlling blood sugar and boost mental health also. Overall, it’s a nutritious and versatile ingredient.

I have tried desserts like chickpea cookie dough and chickpea cookies and some savory recipes are sesame chickpeas and chickpea zucchini burger.

Ingredients for healthy quinoa chickpea salad

Quinoa
Water
Salt
Garlic powder
Chickpeas/garbanzo beans
Onion
Cucumber
Carrots
Frozen sweet corn kernels
Cherry/grape tomatoes
Red and yellow bell peppers
Fresh parsley
Lemons
Black pepper
Dried oregano

What I like about salads are that they are so versatile and gives an opportunity to be creative. However, I made this quinoa chickpea salad recipe in the simplest way possible. It turned out so good that even my kids loved them as a meal.

Ingredients notes:

Quinoa – I used regular quinoa but feel free to mix red and yellow quinoa to make it more beautiful and attractive.

Chickpeas – also known as garbanzo beans. I used canned ones for convenience and tasted so good.

Vegetables – I used specific ones as per my family’s taste but feel to add few more of your choices or substitute any if desired.

Parsley – I used flat fresh parsley leaves for the best taste and aroma.

Lemons – large yellow lemons work excellent here especially the zest part.

Oregano – I used dried oregano in the dressing and it works like a miracle in flavoring.

For detailed measurement of ingredients, please scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to make Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Step 1: preparing quinoa

Firstly, in a saucepan, I brought the water to a boil and stirred in rinsed quinoa. Then, I let it cook at high until half of the liquid was absorbed.

Secondly, I added salt and garlic powder into it and lowered the flame. Then, I cooked it covered until all the liquid was absorbed.

Next, I turned it off and removed the lid. Then, with the help of a fork, I fluffed it and let it cool.

Step 2: preparing for the dressing

In this step, I grated the skin of fresh lemon and then squeezed the same in the bowl.

Next, I added salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder to it and stirred it well.
Finally, I kept it aside too.

Step 3: assembling

Firstly, in a mixing bowl, I combine cooked quinoa along with drained chickpeas and all the chopped vegetables.

Secondly, I tossed in chopped parsley.

Thereafter, I drizzled the dressing over it.

Lastly, I tossed it and served it.

We devoured it for lunch and have added to my meal plans every other week.

What to serve with vegan quinoa chickpea salad

This salad is great as is and quite filling. However, to make it a wholesome meal you may pair it with tofu nuggets or whole wheat bread or air fryer sweet potato cubes.

How to prepare ahead of time and storing

Its easy to prepare for this salad ahead of time. You may cook quinoa and refrigerate in an air tight container for about 4-5 days. I usually make the lemon dressing and recreate for 2-3 days in a glass bowl. When ready you may simply assemble all the ingredients and serve. The leftover salad can be refrigerated in an air tight container for about 1 week.

Expert tips:

• It is important to cool down quinoa before tossing it with all the other ingredients.
• Lemon is citrus and it reacts with steel. So, make sure to make the dressing in a glass or a plastic container.

My other salad recipes that you might like:

Chickpea Salad in Cilantro Dip
Vegan Macaroni Salad
Healthy Vegan Potato Salad
Mexican Coleslaw Salad
Papaya Black Bean Salad
Cashew Balsamic Quinoa Salad

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I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. I am very excited to hear back from you.

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In addition, you may checkout my cookbook for everyday comfort vegan recipes.