Herbed Quinoa & Chickpea Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
This fresh, herbed quinoa and chickpea salad makes a satisfying lunch. It's also a great side dish for holidays and potlucks. Gluten free and easily vegan.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Last Thursday turned into a fiasco. I woke up and started powering through my to-do list, for once. Emails? Check. Laundry? Check. Groceries? Check. High five, self!
Then my landlord came over to work on some things. As I was talking to him and trying to clean off the counters, Cookie leapt up in a truly impressive feat and swiped a hunk of dark chocolate cake off the counter. She gobbled it down before I could stop her. I tried the hydrogen peroxide thing, but it wasn’t enough, so we zoomed over to the vet.
My Cookie girl spent the afternoon behind closed doors, and we went back the next afternoon, too. We’ve both been moving a little slow since then. She’s generally such an exuberant force, and she’s recovered about ninety percent now. It’s cute when she grabs cabbage from the counter, but chocolate, not so much (I’m careful, too).
I finalized these salad details while she was away, and it was a relief to come home to a healthy dinner after a stressful day. Quinoa salads can be both super nutritious and delicious, and this one is definitely both.
In addition to quinoa (which is cooked to fluffy perfection using my preferred method), I added chickpeas, which are rich in fiber, protein and nutrients like manganeses and folate (source). I added loads of fresh flavor to the quinoa-chickpea base with spinach, parsley, cilantro and green onion.
The salad wasn’t quite awesome enough until I added freshly toasted pepitas and some creamy, crumbled feta cheese (which could be replaced by sliced Kalamata olives, if you’d rather). Then I poured in a zippy, garlicky, lemony dressing made lightly creamy with some tahini. This salad would be a great packed lunch, and it would also be a lovely vegetarian (easily vegan) addition to your holiday table.
This is my last post created to celebrate the United Nation’s International Year of Pulses. “Pulse” is the more general name for beans, lentils and peas (a few of my favorite ingredients). For more information about the benefits of pulses, and to join me in committing to eat one serving of pulses every week, visit PulsePledge.com. To see my other recipes, check out my Greek lentil salad, fresh seven-layer dip and broccoli, chickpea and avocado chickpea pita sandwiches.
Watch How to Make Perfectly Fluffy Quinoa
Herbed Quinoa & Chickpea Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
This fresh, herbed quinoa and chickpea salad makes a satisfying lunch. It’s also a great side dish for holidays and potlucks. Recipe yields 2 large, meal-sized portions or 4 side salads (you could easily double or triple this recipe).
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
- 2 cups water
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 ½ cups roughly chopped baby spinach
- ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (or additional parsley)
- ⅓ cup chopped green onion (green parts only)
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta
- ⅓ cup toasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
Lemon-tahini dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 large clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, which gives it time to fluff up.
- Meanwhile, toast the pepitas in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and making little popping noises, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a large serving bowl to cool for a few minutes (we’ll add more to the bowl in a minute).
- To make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt and several twists of freshly ground pepper. Taste, and add up to 1 more tablespoon of lemon juice and/or more pepper, if necessary (I like my dressing pretty zippy for this salad, so I used the full 4 tablespoons).
- Once the quinoa is ready to use, add it to the large bowl. Add the chickpeas, spinach, parsley, cilantro, green onion, feta and toasted pepitas. Drizzle all of the dressing over the salad, and toss to combine. Serve immediately, or let it cool and refrigerate for later. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the feta. You might like to add some thinly sliced Kalamata olives to make up for it.
Change it up: You could add shredded carrots and/or top with diced avocado.
If you love this recipe: You’ll also love my Greek Lentil Salad and Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Quinoa Salad.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with USA Pulses and Pulses Canada. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
Sounds delicious, I love the addition of the feta. I may just put this on my list of Thanksgiving salads.
Thanks, Celeste! I hope this one makes the cut. :)
glad to hear cookie is feeling okay – that’s always scary when they eat something like chocolate – kisses to her!
Thank you, Dervla!
Looks and sounds so delicious!
Thank you, Rhian!
Woah. This looks AMAZING!!!
Thanks, Elissa!
This looks delicious! Have pinned it for near future use. I’m not sure there’s a dog owner out there that hasn’t had their little blighter swipe chocolate before. You have no idea how many times one of my little guys has eaten it, and me being vegan, mine is dark chocolate – super yikes! The little tyrant, all of 11lbs, is adept to opening bags, pulling cupboards open and of course climbing onto the dining table! He’s the most mischievous out of the four rescues we have. So little and with short, stubby legs yet the naughtiest ;)
Your little guy sounds like Cookie! Those smart, ornery dogs are trouble. The best kind of trouble. I’m glad he’s ok after the chocolate incidents!
I love that kind of salad, healthy, simple and delicious :)
I really want to try the tahini dressing !
Thanks, Mary! I’m pretty obsessed with the dressing.
So sad about the Cookie scare. I’m so glad that she is doing better now. And this looks so yummy! I am bookmarking this for my list of things to make next week :) I’m also taking the pledge to eat one serving of pulses a week, but as a vegetarian who cooks from your blog every week, I’m pretty sure I already do!
Thank you, Sarah! I bet you are getting at least one serving a week. :) So glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
Hi Kate, some people don’t know chocolate can be fatal to dogs, & need to see a vet asap, I’m so glad Cookie is going to be ok, & I hope she recovers to 100% healthy in the next few days, thank you for all the lovely nutritious meals you bring to us which I love to share with my friends on Twitter :)
Thanks, Linda! She is acting like her usual ornery self again. I hated to see her sick. Thank you for sharing my recipes with your friends. I really appreciate it.
Oh no! I have had to double dose my dog after he ate a pound of Stilton in one gobble! And proceeded to vomit right when the dinner guests were arriving! Luckily they are dog lovers!!!
Oof, that sounds like an uncomfortable experience for all! Glad he’s ok!
This looks like my kind of salad, fresh and delicious! I hope Cookie is going to be ok, good on you for getting to the vet’s straight away, so many people don’t know that chocolate is dangerous for dog’s :)
Thanks, Hope. She’s back to good health now. No more chocolate for Cookie!
I have already uploaded this recipe to my recipe/menu planning program. It would make a wonderful lunch. So glad that Cookie will be okay. My sister had a beagle who dug through a box of stuff to get some chocolate covered coffee beans – while she was gone, of course. Fortunately my sister got back shortly after the episode, the vet took care of the dog, and he lived a long and happy life. I guess we have some of the same propensities dogs do – going for the things that aren’t good for us. Like me and chocolate. Hope Cookie recovers fully.
Thank you, Susan. I hope you enjoy this one. I’m glad your sister’s beagle was ok! Cookie is always going after food, and I’m still not sure how she nabbed that chocolate. It was so dark it nearly gave me heart palpitations, so I was worried. It sure was a good cake. :)
Naaaw poor Cookie :( , but I bet ( or hope) the girl learned something from this horrible experience and won’t be going on chocolate feasts anymore in the future. Anyway, I’m glad you’re both okay and that you were at least able to finish off your day in a good way -Spinach is just the bomb!
Hugs and pats xx
Well, I sure hope she learned her lesson. She’s acting like herself again. Thanks, Pia!
Hi. All I can say is Wow! Your pictures are fabulously done and your recipes look so awesomely delicious! I’m a procrastinator so I haven’t made anything yet. I will though!
Deb
Thanks, Deb! Hope you find a chance to make one of the recipes soon!
Glad Cookie is okay!! I know how scary that is. :( Thank you for the lovely recipe!
Thank you, Ashley! I appreciate it. She’s acting like herself again now. :)
Looks great Kate, I’m thinking of adding something red like tomatoes to it for a festive look on christmas day! :)
Thanks, Fran! I think this would make a very festive red-and-green salad for Christmas, good idea!
That sounds so scary! I remember finding my dog in anaphylactic shock from flea medicine and rushing him to the animal hospital- nothing more terrifying that sending your loved one behind closed doors and waiting. This salad looks incredible- definitely appreciating those additions of feta and pepitas :)
Oh my goodness. That sounds terrifying. I’m so glad your dog is ok! xo
So pleased all is well with your Cookie girl. Chocolate has fatal consequences for our beloved (although I do know of one very greedy Kelpie who managed to demolish an Easter egg with no harm done! It was the stealthy removal from the bag, the quiet departure to the garden and THEN taking the egg from the box AND hard plastic packaging which had me swinging between fits of giggles and panic about the potential harm to one very contented looking dog!).
Covert operations are obviously a trait of the breed, as our present VG Kelpie managed to carefully remove a small biscuit from the top of a coffee cup (which was carefully placed out of reach!) on a storage container on top of the kitchen table. Not a drop of coffee spilled during the exercise!!
Love your recipes, and am always so delighted you offer variations in your notes for vegan or gluten free. Looking forward to trying this recipe. xxx
I’m giggling over here about your kelpie! Sounds like Cookie. She’s an ornery, agile, food-obsessed pup. So nice to hear that you’re enjoying my recipes. Thank you, Emma!
This salad looks amazing and suits my taste absolutely 100%! Thank you for this great recipe, gotta give it a try asap. Great blog & work!
Sounds great! I might make it later this week.
Thanks, Zoe! Hope you love it.
Hope cookie gets better fast! The recipe sounds great. I can’t wait to try it.
I hope Cookie is feeling better! This salad looks absolutely delicious — it’s exactly the way I like to lunch! And hey, I’m all about a zippy, vinaigrette!
Thanks, Lisa. She’s pretty much back to normal now, thankfully!
This salad looks delicious and I really like the addition of cilantro along with the parsley. Definitely will make this for lunches. This Fall, I have made your Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas twice already and will be taking it on Thanksgiving. Do you have a favorite source for pepitas and do you buy them in bulk or packaged? You make beautiful food!
Thanks, Kathy. So glad you are enjoying my salads. I usually buy pepitas in the bulk bin section at Hy-Vee, Whole Foods, etc. I don’t like the kind that Trader Joe’s sells!
Fresh, simple and beautiful. Love this! And so glad to hear Cookie is doing well, it’s so scary when those pups snatch something they shouldn’t!
Thank you, Nicole! She is an ornery one. It was great to see you at Chopped, hope to see you again soon!
This looks delicious!
Thanks, Sara!
Made this and it is delicious! I didn’t have any Pepitas so added Cranberries instead.
Thank you, Jodi! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know!
Sorry to hear about Cookie, I hope she is fine. Thank you for still sharing this lovely recipe. I love falafel and this reminds of a super healthy alternative!
Thanks, Lillian! She’s about 95% better now, thankfully. I kind of had hummus in mind when I came up with this salad! Now I want some falafel to go with it. :)
Cookie likes to keep you on your toes, huh? Between escaping before and now stealing chocolate of the counter. She’s just as mischievous as she is cute! ;)
This salad looks like the perfect cure for a stressful day. Love the sound of the lemon-tahini dressing!
Yes, she’s always keeping me on my toes! Such an ornery pup. Thanks, Sarah!
Loved loved loved this salad! My entire family loved it! Its bright and light bc of the dressing, but also warm and filling bc of the quinoa! Unfortunately, I had a chickpea mishap so I substituted avocado. LOL
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I bet avocado would be great.
Going to try this one tonight! I love chickpeas and quinoa and I’m excited to combine them! I love the story about Cookie eating your cake. My Gala stole a can of powdered cappuccino mix once… I did the peroxide method and she puked foamy cappuccino all over. So gross!
Haha, guess Gala did the work of an espresso machine for you! Dogs can be so gross sometimes. But cute all of the time.
Hi Kate,
I tried this yummy salad yesterday, and it´s so good! I omited the Chees with Olives as you surgested and went for White bean rather then chickpeas, as that was what had on Hand. very yummy – still saved some for lunch today;-) also I added a tiny spoon of maplesyrup to the Dressing… sorry i didn´t take any pics… next time.
thanks for your beautifull Bolg
Pia*
Thank you, Pia! Your version sounds great.
I love your recipes but I do not see the nutritional information and I like to keep track of this on my phone app. Am I missing it somewhere?
Hi Mary Lou, I’m sorry, I don’t have nutrition info yet. I’m working on it, but you can always run recipes through a nutrition calculator such as myfitnesspal.com.
I just made your Herbed Quinoa & Chickpea salad and it was so delicious and the flavors were a perfect! I had to make a substitution in the dressing because my tahini had passed it’s prime :). I used 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil in it’s place. I also increased the garlic to 2 cloves to suit my taste. This is one of my favorite salads for sure!
Thanks, Rosanne! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Good idea on the sesame oil!
Loved this salad! I added avocado as a topping to mine. So delicious and easy to make!
Thanks, Julie! Bet it was extra tasty with avocado.
I made this salad tonight and it was delicious. All of the ingredients are perfect together. We have enjoyed all of your recipes that we have tried so far!
Thank you so much, Nancy! Really glad to hear that.
I love this! It reminds me of a recipe that I’ve made in the past however, this sounds better, lol!
Wow! The Tahini Dressing ist awesome, I think it will work also for other salads. And the toasted pepitas make the difference! Don’t skipp toasting!
Greetings from Germany :)
Thanks, Vicky! That tahini dressing and freshly toasted pepitas are two of my favorite things. So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this with kale and toasted my quinoa before cooking…..it was delicious! Love the flavor!
Oh yum! Thank you, Linda!
Hello Kate
I am a new follower and the salad was a hit.
I didn’t have parsley and replaced with mint and did not have green onion and replaced with half red onion.
Thank you!
Thanks, Leili! Your version sounds delicious!
YUMMMMMMM!!! Just made a salad inspired by this with what I had in the fridge, but followed the dressing to a T. Absolutely delish.
Within the past week, my kids and I have also made your healthy-ish pumpkin bread into muffins (with cranberries & mini chocolate chips), your honey lemon curd for birthday cake filling, and your healthy-ish banana bread into blueberry breakfast muffins. Clearly we’re huge fans. =)
Thanks for doing what you do! Your work is so appreciated!!!
Kelsey, belated thank you for your kind words! I’m so glad you all have been enjoying my recipes. Hope you’re having a great day!
Ooh I hope Cookie is OK, they’re really not good with chocolate are they?
This salad looks wonderful, I love things like this, so nice Kate.
Thanks, Angela! She’s doing well now. Chocolate can be really dangerous. :(
This sounds delicious….will get some fresh herbs and make tomorrow … Thanks
Hope you loved it, Heidi!
Hi. This looks great and I am about to make this. Please note that you did not include the tahini in your dressing instructions–I’m sure that was just an oversight but I was puzzled for a bit.
Sharon, thank you for pointing that out! I just fixed it.
Mmmmm! Kate, the salad is delicious! Just like you I enjoy a little zest in my dressing. I also love garlic so I added a tablespoon of minced in the dressing. Came out wonderful! I’m trying to limit my portions right now. Not happening. LOL!
Thanks, Kecia! I definitely polished off that whole bowl myself, no regrets. So much good stuff in there. :)
Glad that cookie is okay! I love chickpeas and I just hopped onto the quinoa bandwagon (I know I’m a little late to the party). This salad looks so fresh!
Thanks, Valencia! She’s better now. Quinoa is great in salads like these!
omg! I cannot wait to try this.. always love to discover new vegetarian recipes!
Thanks, Lisa! Hope you love it. All of my recipes are vegetarian, so you’re in a good place!
Wonderful healthy recipe! We had this for lunch yesterday, along with fresh orange slices. In a word…..perfect!
Thank you, Ron and Marsha! I appreciate it.
I have made this twice already since you posted it, Kate. A great combination of flavors, especially with the parsley and cilantro together. This will certainly be going into our regular repertoire.
Thank you, Sophie! Delighted to hear it. :)
Made this tonight as listed in recipe to have for lunches this week. I really liked it. The dressing is what makes it but it also has a pleasant variety of textures. I am not a vegetarian but I am trying to eat more vegetables so I appreciate your site as the recipes never seem like they are “missing” something or require weird meat substitutes.
Thanks, Rachel! I appreciate that. :)
Kate I just made this for the 2nd time last night! You have really outdone yourself with this delicious and satisfying salad! I can’t gush over it enough how flavorful and satisfying it is – and you feel great after eating it! I followed your recipe exactly, except I did not have pepitas and so used walnuts instead which went very well with it, and I ended up squeezing some more lemon juice on it just because I like things extra lemony. Thank you so much for coming up with this gem!!
Well, this is just delicious, Kate. One problem – I now want to douse EVERYTHING in that lemon tahini dressing. Thanks!