Avocado Quinoa Salad with Spiced Chickpeas

This avocado quinoa salad is filling, tasty and very easy to make. We love this salad as a main dish or as a side salad. It's perfect for when the weather is nice and warm and you want a delicious fresh salad.

Jump to:

• What You'll Need
• How To Make Avocado Quinoa Salad
• Top Tips
• Variations 
• More Tasty Quinoa Dishes:
• More Tasty Salad Recipes 
• Avocado Quinoa Salad with Spiced Chickpeas

This creamy avocado quinoa salad i made with simple ingredients and comes with warmly spiced crispy chickpeas that add a little sweetness to this salad. They are easy to make and they make a huge difference to this salad so if you do make this don't leave them out. I used a generous teaspoon of Ras el Hanout spice mix to toss the chickpeas in. This elevates the sweetness of the chickpeas while making them smokey and warmly spiced. 

I used quinoa for this salad but you could use couscous if you prefer, this is a flexible salad. Giant wholewheat couscous would also work if don't have quinoa in the cupboard. The shallot and mustard dressing for this avocado quinoa salad is tangy and rich and makes this something more than just veg and quinoa. 

This quinoa avocado salad is a really easy recipe to make and you may have some leftovers if you do just pour it into a jar with a lid and it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. It is really good with a nice grilled chicken salad or any salad really. This avocado quinoa salad is accidentally vegan and gluten-free.

What You'll Need

• Quinoa - we love this salad with regular white quinoa, however, you could also use tricolor quinoa to add more colour. 
• Chickpeas - canned is fine for this quinoa salad recipe but you can use dried if you like, this will increase the cooking time though. 
• Avocado - you will need 2 ripe avocados for this salad, I prefer the larger Haas avocados for this recipe as they have a creamier texture and a richer taste.
• Cherry tomatoes - I like cherry tomatoes on the vine for this salad. They have more flavour and really sing in this dish.
• Other vegetables - you will also need, celery, English cucumber, shallot, lemon juice and fresh parsley.
• Other ingredients needed - whole grain mustard, extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, black pepper  Ras el Hanout spice 

How To Make Avocado Quinoa Salad

1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 356°F. Add the chickpeas to a baking tray, add the Ras el Hanout then mix until all the chickpeas are covered in the spice mix. Add the olive then toss gently. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are hot and slightly crispy. Tip the chickpeas into a small bowl lined with kitchen paper then leave to cool.

2. Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions. Once cooked leave to cool to room temperature. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork before adding it to a large salad bowl.

3. Make the dressing. In a small bowl add the salad dressing ingredients apart from the oil. Whisk them together until they are combined. Slowly whisk in the extra virgin oil then season with the salt and pepper. Leave in the fridge until ready to serve 

4. Add the avocado, cooked quinoa, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas and chopped parsley to a large mixing bowl. Toss gently. Transfer to a large serving bowl. You can add the salad dressing now if you wish I usually serve the dressing on the side and let everyone add the dressing themselves. Serve immediately.

Top Tips

• If you do use quinoa make sure you rinse it well under the cold tap before cooking this will help to avoid bitter-tasting quinoa.
• For perfect fluffy quinoa cook quinoa in a small saucepan, add cold water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer then cover pan. For best results I add a teaspoon of vegetable bouillon or you could add vegetable broth. 
•  If you use giant wholegrain couscous I recommend toasting it in a pan before cooking and it will add another toasty layer of flavour to your salad.
• This salad is great for taking to work for lunch too, it travels very well and would also be great for picnics, just keep the dressing separate in an airtight container and give it a good shake before adding it.

Variations 

• If you want to add more plant-based protein to this salad try adding black beans or crispy tofu.
• Want to add more leafy greens? Try adding baby spinach or massaged kale.
• Spice up the dressing by swapping the wholegrain mustard for dijon mustard and adding some finely chopped jalapeño peppers. 
• Want to add more crunchy vegetables to this try adding chopped red bell pepper or fresh corn.
• Finally, if you want to add some dairy to this dish then feta cheese or goat cheese works really well.

More Tasty Quinoa Dishes:

• Kale and Quinoa Salad
• Roast Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Kale & Feta
• Halloumi Salad with Butternut Squash & Quinoa 
• Quinoa Chickpea Salad
• Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

More Tasty Salad Recipes