Gluten Free Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with Dijon Dressing

Looking for a protein-packed salad with distinct tastes and textures? It’s right here! This Quinoa Avocado Chickpea Salad is loaded with fresh veggies and protein-packed quinoa and chickpeas. The delicious salad is tossed with an easy Dijon dressing that brings it all together to make a flavorful dish.  

Do you eat chickpeas? Growing up I don’t remember my mom using them in the kitchen. It wasn’t till I met my in-laws and had dinner over at their house, I tried chickpeas for the first time. Ever since I have been loving chickpeas.

Cold salads are the best way to stay refreshed during the hot summer months. You can have them as an easy side dish or light lunch. It’s so good to enjoy a large bowl of this Quinoa Salad Recipe which is healthy, colorful, and made with simple ingredients. 

It includes creamy avocado, crunchy onion, juicy tomatoes, quinoa, chickpeas, and fresh herbs making it one of the best quinoa recipes you’ll taste. 

The Dijon dressing in this salad is important to look over. Why? Because all of the ingredients are probably ones that you’ll recognize! Lots of store-bought dressings have gluten in them, adding it as a thickener or boosting the flavor. That’s not necessary with this super simple vinaigrette. 

You combine Dijon mustard, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and salt for a bright and tangy dressing.  

All the ingredients in the dressing add in that extra jazz that makes this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad one that you will make over and over again. It’s a tangy and flavorful dressing that perfectly complements the salad making this the best recipe to enjoy during the summer. . 

This Quinoa Chickpea Salad is perfect for those on a gluten-free and dairy-free diet. The quinoa is the source of gluten-free and a high protein grain. It’s also a low-fat protein option. Together with all of the fresh vegetables in this particular recipe, you can’t go wrong with such a delicious and nutritious lunch!

How to Cook Quinoa

Quinoa can be found in a variety of colors, like red quinoa, black, white quinoa, or a mix of all three. No matter the color, each variety is cooked the same way. Firstly, rinse it in a fine mesh strainer. This is optional but recommended to rinse the saponins (naturally occurring insecticides that give a bitter taste and could be hard to digest). 

Then cook quinoa with a 1 + ¾ cup: 1 cup ratio. All you need is water! Some recipes say to add more or less water, for fork fluffy, light quinoa result that is not mushy or dry, I use 1 + ¾ cups of water for 1 cup of raw quinoa. 

Key Ingredients to Make the Quinoa Chickpea Salad Recipe

White Quinoa: Any color or variant of quinoa will work here. It’s a great base for the salad. It has a great texture, is gluten-free, fills you up for longer, and is absolutely delicious.

Chickpeas: Cooked dry chickpeas or canned chickpeas will work. 

Tomatoes: Use cherry tomatoes because they are less watery and have a sweet and rich flavor.

Red onion: Adds a zing and a vibrant hue to the salad. Yellow onions or green onions can also work though. 

Creamy Avocado: They have a rich texture that moistens quinoa, masks the onion taste, and adds healthy fats and nutrients to help make you feel satisfied but not guilty.

Fresh parsley: Use flat-leaf parsley if you can find it. It has a more robust flavor than curly parsley. 

​Key Ingredients for the Dressing 

Dijon Mustard: Adds a tangy flavor to the dressing.

Lemon Juice: Balances the mustard and adds a bright, refreshing element to the dressing. 

Extra Virgin Oil: Gives the dressing richness and flavor.

Salt: To season and taste.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

Expert Tips

• Optional additions to include are fresh ingredients such as crunchy cucumbers, red bell pepper or green bell pepper, baby kale, chopped romaine, spinach, or other fresh herbs like fresh dill.
• You can substitute chickpeas with pinto beans, navy beans, white beans, black beans, or garbanzo beans. 
• Cherry tomatoes are best for this salad but they can be replaced with roma tomatoes or grape tomatoes. 

How to Store Leftover Vegan Quinoa Salad

• You can meal prep the ingredients ahead of time. Just leave out the avocado as it tends to brown quickly. 
• Store leftover cold quinoa salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for 3-4 days. 

Recipe FAQs 

Here are more salads to enjoy:

• The Easy Avocado Chickpea Salad is refreshing, zesty, and incredibly tasty. It makes the perfect side for a quick lunch.
• This Simple Roasted Chickpea Salad with Greens is a vibrant, flavor-filled, and delicious salad packed with fresh veggies, healthy fats, and proteins.
• Try the bright, vibrant, and finger-licking good Beet Salad with Feta Cheese and Walnuts.

Tasty salad recipes to also try

If you tried this Gluten Free Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with Dijon Dressing or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you enjoyed it in the📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!