Make a delicious Quinoa Chickpea Salad. Toss cooked quinoa, chickpeas, and fresh chopped veggies in a simple lemon basil vinaigrette.
Weeknight-easy
Minimal prep
You’ll Learn: The secret to keeping salads delicious all week
Worth It: Satisfying and packed with protein, it keeps you full and energized
Bonus: Flexible enough to be a main or a side dish
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Perfect summer lunch – This refreshing quinoa chickpea salad is one of my favorite things to make in the summer!
- Quick and delicious meal – This quinoa chickpea salad comes together in less than 30 minutes. It is delicious immediately and as it sits in the fridge the flavor of the basil vinaigrette intensifies.
- Meal prep favorite – Throughout the summer and early fall I like to make cold salads for lunch. I make a big batch during Sunday meal prep and enjoy it all week.
Serving Suggestions
I prefer to serve this fresh summer salad chilled. I like to make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge until I am ready to serve.
You can also serve it at room temperature or warm. If you want to serve it warm, toss the veggies, feta cheese and vinaigrette with the quinoa while it is still hot.
This cranberry kale quinoa salad is another version of a kale salad that can be served warm or cold. I personally like to chill it before serving, but it is also delicious slightly warmed. This crispy rice salad is also delicious.
This salad is delicious on its own as a quick and healthy lunch or as a side dish with dinner. If I need a quick meal, I love to serve it with this Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin.
This salad is the perfect side dish to bring to summer barbecues or picnics. I also like to serve it with some of the following grilled meats like Marinated Grilled Chicken Thighs, Grilled Surf and Turf Skewers, or Grilled Marinated Flank Steak for a simple summer dinner.
Ingredients
- Canned chickpeas – chickpeas are a pantry staple for me. They are a great source of fiber and so easy to incorporate into a meal.
- Dry quinoa – I love keeping quinoa on hand. It is such a versatile ingredient that is the lovely fluffy gluten-free base for this salad.
- Feta cheese – I love feta for the tanginess and creaminess it adds to a dish.
- Cucumber – the crunch of the cucumber is so tasty in this quinoa chickpea salad
- Bell pepper – use any color bell peppers you would like. I used red, but yellow or orange are great too. Green has a slightly less sweet flavor that I don’t like as much for this dish.
- Red onion – red onion is so good in salads. I prefer to dice it finely so the flavor is not overwhelming
- Fresh basil – I love the fresh basil in the vinaigrette, but so many herbs would be delicious
- Extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, fresh lemon juice, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and salt – these are the other ingredients that go into the refreshing lemon basil vinaigrette. You can either whisk them together in a small bowl or blend with the basil for a smooth and creamy dressing.
What kind of quinoa should i use?
I prefer to use white quinoa for this salad because I think it looks nice with the chickpeas and veggies.
You can also use red quinoa, black quinoa or tri-color quinoa. All types of quinoa will taste the same in this salad. All quinoa cooks similarly with a ration of 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa, but I follow package instructions for exact cook time.
Can i make this dairy free?
Yes! You can omit the feta completely or use a dairy free feta.
If you don’t want to use a dairy free feta, you can crumble some extra firm tofu, toss it in lemon juice, and mix it into the salad. This is a perfect way to make this recipe completely vegan AND add some extra protein.
ingredient substitutions
I prefer the taste or chickpeas or garbanzo beans in this quinoa salad, but you can use many other kinds of beans instead. You can use black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans or even edamame in place of chickpeas.
I like to use basil for the vinaigrette, but you can use any kind of fresh herbs. Fresh flat-leaf parsley or fresh cilantro would both taste delicious in place of the basil.
I love the nice crunch that the bell pepper and cucumber add to this salad. You can add even more crunch by adding chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, pistachios or walnuts.
For dairy free, you can omit the feta completely or use a dairy free feta. If you don’t want to use a dairy free feta, you can crumble some extra firm tofu, toss it in lemon juice, and mix it into the salad. This is a perfect way to make this recipe completely vegan AND add some extra protein.
Feel free to add any extra vegetables that you like to this salad. Sometimes I like to add cherry tomatoes and chopped greens like spinach or kale. Extra fresh veggies and things like kalamata olives add even more wonderful textures to this vegetarian salad. You can also add a fresh clove garlic to the vinaigrette for extra flavor.
How to make
Step 1: Prepare and fluff quinoa
To begin, rinse quinoa and prepare the rinsed quinoa according to package instructions on the stove in a saucepan or in an instant pot. I like to boil it in vegetable broth for extra flavor.
After boiling, fluff cooked warm quinoa with a fork and then allow it to cool completely.
Open the can of chickpeas and drain out the liquid. Rinse the chickpeas until cold running water until the water runs clear and set the chickpeas to the side.
Step 2: make lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Blend fresh basil, olive oil, white balsamic, lemon juice, dijon mustard, maple syrup and salt with an immersion blender or regular blender. Blend until just combined.
If you do not have a blender, finely chop the basil and then whisk all of the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Feel free to add fresh garlic to the vinaigrette if you like the flavor.
Step 3: Mix it all together
Place cooked and cooled quinoa, chickpeas, chopped veggies, and crumbled feta into a mixing bowl. Pour the lemon basil dressing on top.
Toss to combine everything and taste. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Prep and Storage
Yes, you can make this chickpea quinoa salad ahead of time. If you are serving this at a party and you want it to look fresh and vibrant, I recommend keeping the salad and the lemon basil vinaigrette separate until about an hour before you serve it.
Toss the salad with the dressing an hour before serving it. You can serve this salad chilled or at room temperature.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This salad should be good in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Check out these other vegetarian Side Dishes!
For a delicious vegetarian entree try this Creamy Chickpea Stew.
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Quinoa Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 can chickpeas
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 bell pepper chopped into bite size pieces
- 1/4 a red onion – finely diced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp white balsamic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool completely.
- Open can of chickpeas and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Set aside.
- Prepare dressing by blending fresh basil leaves, white balsamic, lemon juice, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and salt with an immersion blender or standard blender
- Add the cooked and cooled quinoa to a bowl along with the chickpeas, feta, cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion. Pour lemon basil vinaigrette over top and toss to combine. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- use parsley or cilantro in place of basil in the vinaigrette
- use any type or quinoa that you like or even brown rice in place of the quinoa
- omit the feta cheese to make this recipe vegan
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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