This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Color, texture, and crunch; this Moroccan-inspired Chickpea Quinoa Salad has it all! Fresh carrots, parsley, Medjool dates, and golden raisins make this salad recipe extra special. Serve as a main course or as a side!
This Chickpea Quinoa Salad hits all of my salad requirements. It’s all about the rainbow of veggies and dried fruit in this Moroccan quinoa chickpea salad drizzled with possibly THE easiest honey lemon dressing.
Salad Leftovers from this are a welcome site.
It’s a kitchen sink side dish that work well for potlucks. Equally delicious as a main dish because it has plenty of plant-based protein, ideal to serve when my vegan friends come to visit. It’s great to serve along side grilled shrimp, salmon or chicken.
Let’s get into this Quinoa Salad situation – we’ve got fluffy, cooked quinoa, shredded carrots, a whole can of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), and fresh herbs, like, flat-leaf parsley and green onions. Also in the mix is some golden raisins, dates, and one handful of chopped pistachios. Toss that all up and drizzle with the honey lemon dressing. And just look at all that beautiful color!
And that honey lemon dressing! It’s as simple as tossing a little cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and a hint of chili power and a quick shake-y shake in a mason jar.
Let’s talk about how this is the perfect power salad for lunches, picnics, and barbecues.
Moroccan chickpea quinoa salad to the rescue indeed!
Fabulous Recipe. This is among my all time favorites!
Ingredients for a quinoa power salad
- Cooked Quinoa: this whole grain is naturally gluten-free and contains tons of antioxidants. It’s considered a completely protein – making it ideal to include in a vegan or vegetarian diet. You can find this ingredient in most grocery stores and it’s also available online here.
- Matchstick Carrots: adds vibrance to the salad and is great source of fiber. They also contain vitamin K and calcium.
- Green Onions: or scallions add the same taste as onions do without any of that harsh bite.
- Canned Chickpeas: has tons of fiber which keeps you nice and full. It adds bulk to the salad so that you don’t get hungry quickly.
- Dates: have tons of fiber and give this salad a nice pop of sweetness.
- Raisins: I like to use golden raisins for this recipe because they are typically used in Moroccan cuisine, but feel free to swap this for any variety you like.
- Pistachios: adds color and crunch. Give them a rough chop so you get a little bit in every bite!
- Parsley: adds lots of color! We’re using a full bunch of parsley for this recipe. See notes below for other herbs you can use.
- Seasonings: I typically just use some ground cumin, salt and chili powder or cayenne pepper in the dressing. But it’s totally customizable!
- Olive Oil: this is the heart and soul of the lemon dressing.
- Lemon Juice: adds a bright pop of acid and also cuts through the sweeter ingredients like the dates and the raisins.
- Honey: this won’t add too much sweetness as we’re only using 1 tablespoon but it does make the dish a bit more balanced.
How to make chickpea quinoa salad
- Cook the quinoa. Add oil to a saucepan and sauté the quinoa for a minute. Sautéing really helps amp up the nutty salty flavor. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat. Fluff with a fork when it’s done. Let the quinoa cool before using it in the salad.
- Make the dressing. In a small mason jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, ground cumin, salt, honey, cayenne (or black pepper) and shake. Taste and then adjust with more seasonings as you prefer.
- Toss the salad. In a large bowl, combine quinoa with matchstick carrots, green onions, garbanzo beans, dates, raisins, pistachios, and parsley. Toss before you add the dressing, and continue to toss until the salad is well combined. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper as needed and you’re ready to serve it up!
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
- Allows you to flex your refrigerator. Use the ingredients you have on hand, add in English cucumbers, swap the pistachios for walnuts. Use basil, fresh dill, or mint instead of just using parsley. Add some crumbled feta to your bowl.
- Ideal for meal prep. It’s one of those salads that actually taste better as they sit in the fridge. Since we aren’t using any vegetables with a high water content, like tomatoes, it’s an ideal salad to prep ahead and keep in an airtight container for the week.
If you like this recipe, try these:
- Greek Quinoa Salad Jars
- Summer Tomato and Cucumber Quinoa Salad
- Cuban Mojo Chicken Quinoa Bowls with Mango Salsa
- Spring Pea Feta Couscous Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
- Superfood Broccoli Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
Moroccan-Inspired Chickpea Quinoa Salad (Power Salad)
Equipment
Ingredients
Chickpea Quinoa Salad:
- 1½ cups cooked quinoa or ½ cup uncooked (see notes)
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 15 ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ⅓ cup chopped dates
- ⅓ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley chopped
Honey Lemon Dressing
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey maple syrup or brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper black pepper or chili powder
Instructions
- QUINOA: Cook the quinoa according to package directions in a rice cooker or on the stove. Allow the quinoa to cool to room temperature before using it in the recipe. This works great with leftover quinoa!
- POWER SALAD: Add the cooked quinoa, carrots, scallions, chickpeas, dates, raisins, pistachios, and parsley to a bowl.
- HONEY-LEMON DRESSING: Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small mason jar and give it a few good shakes until the dressing mixes through. Taste and adjust with more salt, chili or honey as desired.
- DRESS: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the salad with more cayenne or salt as needed. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator if you want to serve this later.
Notes
- Parsley: Sometimes when you buy parsley, the bunch is HUGE. If that is the case, just use ¾ bunch. It’s really up to you how much parsley/herbs you want to use. Some of the parsley can be replaced with mint, basil, or cilantro if you’d like.
- Toast: When preparing the quinoa, add a teaspoon of oil and sauté the quinoa for about 1 minute before adding the water and cooking. This gives the quinoa a nutty/toasted flavor which goes really well with the flavors of this salad!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
I added kale, and apple cider vinegar to the dressing. So good!!!
Just made this in a whim, and golly gosh it’s delightful! Super easy, and very filling for a salad! The whole fam bam loved it!! It would be a very versatile salad, maybe a nice lemon vinaigrette for summer mm mm!
Really nice looking salad.
Fabulous Recipe. This is among my all time favorites!
I made this recipe without the pistachios, and with regular raisins (I am unable to use the sulphured type) – it is absolutely awesome. Will be making it again, and sharing it this time (hee hee). Delightful flavor and grand crunch!
Super super super good!!
This salad is superb. My niece calls it her “life changing salad!” I’ve made it a few times now, and have always used craisins and almonds. I think next time I’ll try adding sunflower seeds too. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Delicious – making it again!
I don’t like quinoa (can’t stand the texture). What can I substitute? Would brown rice work, or would whole wheat couscous be better?
Either would work, I feel the couscous would soak up more dressing though so you may need to make a little extra if you decide to go that route.
How about farro?
Should work just fine!
First, this salad is really nice looking :p !! Taste was great too. I tried a lot of quinoa salads in the past months and this one is now my favorite. Thank you!
This salad has been my go to lunch for weeks since I found the recipe. I’ve started a plant based diet and this is a perfect dish! I added flax seeds and used dried cranberries since I didn’t have dates. I think dried apricots would be wonderful too. Thanks for this awesome recipe!
This recipe is delicious! I did use dried cranberries instead of raisins as I prefer a tart flavor instead of sweet. Thank you for sharing…..
so good! made it recently and it is to die for!! definitely tastes better the next day and even a few days later when all the flavors are really soaked up. i drizzled a little warm peanut butter on it and it was DELICIOUS! definitely will make again. easy and makes a great side dish, dinner, or even a snack!
I found this recipe through pinterest and I am already attracted by the photo of this salad. Quickly made it and it turn out the very best of all the salads i had. That is sooo yuuum?Thank you soo much for sharing.
This is a Family Favorite. I’m diabetic and the dates make this just sweet enough, with fiber to boot Crunchy, tasty,
easy, filling.
This one is on the first page of my favorites binder.
This has become my staple! I have a very busy life – and I find it super easy to make this on Sundays to feed me for the rest of the week! I never get tired of this quick, easy and super delicious recipe!
Everone I have served this salad to, vegans, vegetarian ‘s, meat eaters, love this salad. I make this every week so that I have something delicious to eat each lunch time with other delicious vegan things in the fridge.
Made this for my work week lunch
It tastes great and I know I can play with the ingredients and still have an amazing dish
THANK YOU!!!
Delicious! I added a mix of cilantro, parsley and mint. I also added feta. This is a keeper. Goes great with roasted salmon.
Thank you.
This was soooo yummy. It went well with my grilled moraccon chicken. The only thing I changed was to sub dried cranberries instead of the dates and raisins b/c that’s what I had on hand. Definitely a keeper.