This curried quinoa and chickpea salad is the perfect healthy meal. The kind where you gobble a bowlful then go back for seconds because it’s so good. 

With the ancient quinoa grain and the protein-packed chickpeas, this is the perfect balanced plant-based meal. There’s also the option to add some steamed broccoli, zucchini, green beans, etc. to make sure you get your vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

I love that this curried quinoa chickpea salad is super easy to make, yet it has such a complex flavor. The comforting curry flavor, the freshness of the parsley, the sweetness of the raisins, the nutty almond crunch…it all works together so magically.

Best of all, this meal is time-friendly and wallet-friendly. Do you know what that means? Attention, attention to all busy workers and students!

How to Make this Curried Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Believe it or not, the first step for your curried quinoa chickpea salad involves cooking up some quinoa. Simply boil it for about 15 minutes, until cooked and all the water is absorbed. Or follow the instructions on your package.

The type of quinoa you use doesn’t really matter. I used tricolor quinoa, but you can use plain old one-colored quinoa, too.

Whilst the quinoa is cooking away, heat the olive oil up in a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the spring onion until soft and fragrant. Add the chickpeas and sauté until they start to turn golden. Season with salt and pepper, adding more or less to taste. Lastly, stir in the curry powder and lightly toast it before removing the pan from the heat.

The finish line is within sight! Stir the cooked quinoa into the pan to allow it to absorb all those wonderful flavors, then add the chopped parsley (or coriander), almonds, and raisins. 

What has that been? 20 minutes? It’s a pleasure.

Serving and Storing the Salad

This salad is delicious served warm, but it’s just as good if you wait for it to cool down.

This means you can whip it up with short notice for lunch or dinner, or use it for meal prep, similarly to my warm greens quinoa salad.

If you’re making the curried quinoa chickpea salad ahead, ensure that you keep the almonds separate until you’re ready to serve. This will ensure they don’t lose their satisfying crunch.

Options to modify this salad include sautéing or steaming the miscellaneous veggies that might be hiding at the bottom of your fridge. If you’re one for an extra bite, feel free to throw some chopped chili into the pan, and/or use hot curry powder.

Print Recipe

Curried Quinoa Chickpea Salad

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Light Meal

By Lisha Lovely – Serves: 3-4

Prep Time: - – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 20 minutes

An economical plant-based meal that can be whipped up in a flash and will be gobbled up even faster! The comforting curry flavor, the freshness of the parsley, the sweetness of the raisins, the nutty almond crunch…it all works together so magically.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1½T olive oil
• 1 large spring onion, sliced
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1T curry powder
• 2T chopped parsley or coriander
• ¼ cup almonds, halved and roasted
• ¼ cup raisins

Instructions

1

Boil the quinoa in the water for about 15 minutes, until cooked and all the water is absorbed.

2

In the meantime, heat the olive oil up in a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the spring onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Add the chickpeas and sauté for another 5 minutes, until they start to turn golden. Season with salt and pepper, adding more or less to taste. Lastly, stir in the curry powder, then remove the pan from the heat after 1 minute.

3

Stir the cooked quinoa into the pan, then add the chopped parsley, almonds, and raisins. This salad is delicious served warm, but just as good if you wait for it to cool down.

Notes

Options to modify this salad include sautéing or steaming the miscellaneous veggies that might be hiding at the bottom of your fridge. If you’re one for an extra bite, feel free to throw some chopped chili into the pan, and/or use hot curry powder.