This delicious and easy-to-make quinoa chickpea salad with lemon tahini vinaigrette is the perfect make-ahead meal to prepare for lunch during the week or for a weekend family picnic.
Quinoa is one of my favourite grains to cook with for various reasons; it’s one of the quickest cooking grains, packed with protein, gluten-free, and of course healthy for you. The tiny quinoa grains soak up the delicious lemon Tahini vinaigrette yet maintain their slightly crunchy texture. To prepare the quinoa for this recipe you can find detailed cooking instructions HERE).
This salad is surprisingly simple and light, yet delicious and flavorful. With a base of nutty quinoa and creamy chickpeas, this healthy salad is loaded with protein. Meat-eaters can enjoy this as a accompaniment to a meal while vegans and vegetarians can enjoy it as a main.
The vinaigrette has a perfect balance of flavours-fresh tart lemon juice, earthy olive oil, and creamy, nutty sesame paste. The cucumbers add freshness and crunch and the parsley adds freshness and brightness to this salad.
We love this salad as is however, it’s just as delicious with additional ingredients, such as creamy avocado, or fresh spinach leaves. Use this recipe as a base and add your favourite ingredients to personalize the recipe.
If you liked this recipe, you might want to check out these other quinoa recipes;
Baked Quinoa Oatmeal Apple Pie
Quinoa Pizza Muffins
Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad
Looks and sounds so delicious!
I never thought I’d love quinoa as much as I do now. This looks so delicious, so definitely adding it to my ‘must try list’. 🙂
That’s great…also because it’s so healthy for you too!
Omg this sounds delicious!!! I’m always looking for new quinoa recipes so I will definitely have to give this a pin!
Thank you! And thanks for pinning too!
I love the suggestion to add spinach leaves. This is a great way to use your quinoa.
That looks good, I’ve never had it in a salad but I would love to try it.
This looks awesome. I can’t wait to try this for dinner!
This quinoa chickpea salad looks so yummy! I bet that lemon tahini vinaigrette is amazing!
It’s my new favourite vinaigrette!
This looks delicious. I love the combination of quinoa and avocado. It must taste delicious
Yes, it is! The quinoa has a nice bite and the creamy avocado is the perfect complement to the salad!
I haven’t tried quinoa or chickpeas. This Salas does sound super healthy. Maybe one day I can try it.
This looks delicious. I have tried quinoa in a few other dishes and have enjoyed it. I will have to try this next.
Yum! That looks so good. I’ve never tried Quinoa like this before. Although I’ve been making more with it. I’ll have to try this!
I love quinoa in cold salads! It really soaks up all the flavours!
I haven’t tried incorporating quinoa in our diet but would love to start so thank you for sharing this recipe.
http://www.spice-up-your-life.net/
That look pretty good. I haven’t tried quinoa yet.
I’ve been trying to eat quinoa more. I eat quinoa bread, but never like this! I do enjoy chickpeas, and just looked up how to make tahini last night! I am definitely pinning this!
Kudos to you…I don’t make my own tahini, lol! Thanks for pinning!
I’ve never had quinoa before but I’ve heard a lot about its health benefits. This would be a great lunch idea.
Yes, it would be perfect to pack up for a picnic or a quick grab n’ go lunch for work!
This looks so delicious and refreshing! I love cooking with quinoa. And avocado is my favorite too! Love this as a side dish.
It’s really light yet filling and there are so many different textures. I love the creaminess that the avocado adds!
i have everything to make this, so it just may be my lunch tomorrow. This looks like the perfect lunch or side dish to have in the summer 🙂
What a coincidence, lol! I hope you try it!
We love cooking up plenty of recipes using quinoa. This recipe looks good and healthy to eat, especially with creamy avocado. Oh, I like that!
I through an avocado into everything, lol!
What an insanely amazing recipe, this is perfect for those who want to eat healthier! I would love to try this out.
Thank you!!! It’s a great vegan-friendly meal but I’m sure that some feta or goat cheese would go great in this too!
This looks like a great recipe to try. I haven’t actually ate chickpeas yet, but I have always wanted to try them.
You have to try the dried ones…obviously more work involved but they are SO much better than the canned ones!!
This looks like such a great and delicious side dish for summer. Especially to bring as a healthy alternative to typically calorie filled bbqs.
Amanda
http://www.queenofthelandoftwigsnberries.com
I find more and more people are looking for healthier options, even during family functions or events with friends. I think this one would be a great dish to bring along to a bbq!
This looks so refreshing! I wouldn’t have thought of putting chickpeas with quinoa but that really looks very tasty! Thanks for the recipe.
They make such a great combo…they both have a nutty flavour and great texture.
I’ve never had quinoa although I see people using it in a ton of different ways. I need to step outside of my box and give it a try. Did I mention I don’t enjoy cooking. lol
Well, if you don’t enjoy cooking that might be one of the reasons why you haven’t tried it yet, lol!
I have all the ingredients on hand to make this – except the sumac – but it’s optional. Looks like my kind of meal!
You should try this then! The sumac adds a deeper lemon flavour but you could add some fresh lemon zest instead?!
I love quinoa! Your photography is amazing in capturing all the yummy goodness! This salad sounds superb, Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you so much!
I’ve never seen quinoa prepared like this before. That’s why I love it so much. You can really make it in almost any way you can imagine.
Very true!
That sounds absolutely delicious. I am sure this is a big hit with people who like quinoa!
I’ve prepared quinoa SO many different ways…this is officially one of my faves!