Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing
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This Quinoa Chickpea Salad is a delicious and nutritious meal. With plant-based protein, fresh vegetables and a zesty lemon dill dressing, it’s perfect for a healthy lunch, light dinner, or side dish. Quick to make and full of wholesome ingredients, this salad is sure to become a go-to favourite.
If you’re looking for more quinoa salad ideas, try my Chili Lime Black Bean Quinoa Salad!

Post originally published July 11, 2019. Photos and post updated January 2025.
Why you’ll love this recipe
I’ve been making variations of this recipe for years and it’s always a crowdpleaser. This lemon dill quinoa salad is
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make quinoa chickpea salad. See the recipe card below for full details.
For the salad
- Quinoa – we use a pre-rinsed variety
- Cucumber – I use English cucumber, but you can also peel and seed a regular cucumber
- Bell peppers – the sweeter peppers (red, yellow or orange) work best
- Carrot – adds nice crunch to the salad. You can also grate the carrot if you prefer that texture.
- Green onion
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – I used a 19oz can, but it’s fine to use a 15oz can. Use what you’ve got!
For the lemon dill dressing
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed
- Fresh dill – chopped and to taste (see tip 2 below)
- Fine-grain sea salt
- Dijon mustard
- Black pepper – to taste
How to make it
Step one: Make the quinoa
Option 1: On the stove top
- With a dry measure, scoop one cup of quinoa into a medium sauce pan
- Using the same measuring cup, add two cups of water to the quinoa
- Place sauce pan over high heat and bring to a boil; once boiling, turn down to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes
- After 15 minutes, remove from heat and let the quinoa rest for 5-10 minutes
- Fluff with a fork
Option 2: In the Instant Pot
- With a dry measure, scoop one cup of quinoa into the Instant Pot insert.
- Using the same measuring cup, add one cup of cold water to the quinoa (that’s right, just one cup of water for this method).
- Close the lid, set the vent to sealing and pressure cook on high for 1 minute.
- Allow for a natural release (just leave it!), then when the pin drops, open the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- Transfer to a large bowl to cool.
Step two: Prepare the mix ins
- While the quinoa is cooking, rinse and drain the chickpeas (be sure they drain well or the residual water could dilute the flavour of the dressing).
- Wash and chop all the vegetables and dill.
- Place the vegetables and chickpeas in a large bowl.
Step three: Prepare the dressing
- In a small bowl or mason jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, fresh dill, salt, Dijon mustard and black pepper. Stir well.
Step four: Prepare the salad
- Add the fluffed quinoa to the large bowl with the vegetables and chickpeas.
- Pour on the prepared dressing and gently toss the ingredients together until the quinoa is well coated.
- Optional (but recommended): Refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes or more to allow the flavours to blend.
Tips for success
More easy salad recipes
- Almond Apple Quinoa Salad
- Mediterranean Bean Salad
- Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
- Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad
- Fall Fruit Salad
- Deviled Egg Salad
Quinoa Chickpea Salad
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Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1½ cups cucumber, quartered and sliced
- 2 bell peppers, small dice (red, yellow, or orange)
- 1 cup carrot, small dice (about 2 medium carrots)
- ¼ cup green onion, chopped (white and light green part only)
- 19oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
For the dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the cucumber, bell peppers, carrot, green onion and chickpeas. Place in a large bowl.
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl or mason jar.
- Add the cooked and cooled quinoa to the vegetables and chickpeas in the large bowl, pour the dressing on top, then stir until well combined. If you have time, cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the flavours blend. Store any leftovers in a airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 4 days.
Notes
- Quinoa: be sure to rinse if your quinoa doesn’t come prewashed (it will say on the package). This will help to avoid an undesirable flavour/texture.
- Veggie choices: this salad is super customizable. Switch up the mix ins with what you have on hand.
- Dill: adjust the amount in the dressing to suit your taste. We like a decent amount of dill flavour, so we recommend at least 2 tablespoons.
- Marinate: we highly recommend letting it sit at least 30 minutes to let the flavours blend.
Nutrition Estimate
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a review below and share your results!
Have you ever tried it with dried dill? Of course fresh is best, just curious!
I have, but you’re right, fresh is definitely more flavourful 🙂 I used 2 tsp dried dill to replace the fresh (1 tsp per tablespoon)
This was a nice, fresh recipe. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you
So happy to hear this, you’re welcome!
I’m doing a 22 day cleanse the first 10 days you can’t have any protein just fruits and vegetables. So this recipe was perfect! I could have everything in it! I did add artichoke hearts
Thank you for coming up with this recipe. I have stage 3 kidney disease and this is a recipe where I can get protein from plant based ingredients instead of meat. Excited to make it!! It’ll be a delicious treat!
I hope you enjoy it, Lynn!
Made this salad late Sunday night for lunches for the week. Came together super quick. The dressing is amazing and may need to try it on more things! Great recipe!