This Chickpea Thai Quinoa Salad is gluten-free, easy to make, and deliciously healthy. This salad combines quinoa, chickpeas, carrots, cabbage, and cilantro is topped with a creamy peanut sauce for a quick meal.
I’ve been getting more and more emails looking for easy yet tasty plant-based meals. I hear you – that’s all I want to make as well!
If you’ve been a VNutrition reader for a while, you probably know I’m a Thai food fanatic. My Thai Basil Noodles and Spiralized Thai Salad are two of my favorites.
I also love any sort of peanut sauce I can get my hands on. I even made my own Easy Peanut Sauce to throw on just about anything I can think of.
So it won’t surprise you that I combined all of my favorite Thai flavors into an easy-to-make meal that can be ready in about 15 minutes –> my Thai quinoa salad!
Quick & Healthy Dinner
Easy needs to be the name of the game. With a full-time job, nutrition clients, and working on new recipes/nutrition posts for my site, there’s not much time in the day to be messing around if I actually want to spend some time with my loved ones.
This salad is the best of all worlds: healthy, tasty and easy to make. Especially if you do a little meal prep…
Meal Prep
I often use the tips I share in my Vegan Meal Prep post to make everything easier for mealtimes.
By pre-making the quinoa and peanut sauce on the weekend you’re basically set for an easy dinner or lunch. You would just have to slice the veggies which you can do in minutes with a mandolin (check out my must have kitchen tools for a plant-based kitchen).
Another option for those veggies is to buy them already sliced. My grocer has both carrots and red cabbage pre-grated/sliced. It saves so much time and hassle on a busy night.
A Protein-Packed Meal
People are always asking me: “Will I get enough protein on a plant-based diet?” and I always answer that they will so long as you’re eating a healthy, well-rounded meal.
My Thai Quinoa Salad includes both quinoa AND chickpeas, both of which add lots of protein.
Quinoa is considered a “complete” protein because it contains all the essential amino acids that our body can’t make itself. It also contains good amounts of folate, magnesium, iron, fiber, and zinc.
Besides protein, chickpeas are a healthy source of carbohydrates, fiber, manganese, and folate.
Chickpea Thai Quinoa Salad
I’m not going to lie, this Thai Quinoa is a LOT like my spiralized Thai salad flavor-wise BUT I know everyone doesn’t have a spiralizer… plus sometimes you want a little bit of a heartier dish which this is.
I love this recipe because of the low stress and overall tastiness of it. It’s perfect for a quick dinner or an easy lunch to take to work.
If I know I’ll be storing the salad in the fridge for a few days, I keep the peanut dressing separate so things don’t get too soggy.
I hope you love this Thai Quinoa Salad recipe as much as I do. If you make this recipe, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below.
Easy Chickpea Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 2 cups red/purple cabbage
- 1 large carrot grated (about 1 cup)
- .5 cup cilantro chopped
Creamy Peanut Dressing
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (the creamy kind)
- 3 TB vegetable broth or water (more if needed)
- 2 TB tamari
- 2 TB fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 TB rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp sriracha (optional but tasty)
Instructions
- Add all salad ingredients to a bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk the ingredients to make the peanut dressing. Add more veggie broth or water if you would like a thinner consistency. Note: you might not need all of the dressing.
- Add dressing to salad ingredients and toss until combined. Salad will last in the fridge for about 3 days.*
Notes
Nutrition
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Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist helping people thrive on a plant-powered diet. Mary Ellen offers a completely holistic and science-based approach to designing a healthy, plant-based life.
When she’s not working with clients or creating new meals for her blog, you can find Mary Ellen doting on her two rescue shih tzus, creating the perfect vegan mac & cheese, or exploring the world with her husband.
Randi Tisdall says
This looks delicious!!!! I love quick meals like this- especially with peanut butter. *drools*
Mary Ellen says
thank you Randi! Peanut butter is amazing!
vicki says
This looks great! Always looking for an excuse to eat more peanut butter dressing!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Vicki!
Jen says
This meal is right up my alley! I love love love thai food – and this is definitely a healthier spin. Thanks for sharing such a creative recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
Mary Ellen says
Thank you so much Jen! Thai food is one of my obsessions! I hope you enjoy if you get to try it!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Jen! Thai food is sooo good!
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
I love Thai flavours and the look of this dish!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Kari!
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter says
Chickpeas and quinoa are my true kitchen staples, so this salad would be right up my street! Great dish for a meal prep too.
Mary Ellen says
Thank you so much Tania! I always have those on hand as well!
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Yum, this looks awesome. Agreed on any sort of peanut butter recipe – thanks!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Christine!
Jennifer says
This dish really does have it all, doesn’t it? COLORFUL! Love it! And that sauce….YUMMO!
Sorry it’s been so long since my last comment! I have been reading here and there 🙂 Hope you are well!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Jennifer! Hope all is well with you too!
gemma says
sounds like a great lunch for gym days!
Mary Ellen says
Yes totally!
Erin says
I just tried to make peanut sauce last night and it didn’t go well. LOL I’m excited to try this recipe next time!
Jasmin | VeeatCookBake says
I love thai cuisine. This must taste amazing 🙂 It is on my list 🙂
Mary Ellen says
Thanks so much Jasmin!
Ang says
I made this salad (I used the food processor to slice the cabbage and grate the carrots) while hubby made the peanut butter dressing. We doubled the recipe because I love having extra salad in the fridge! It was so super quick and easy (I already had boiled some quinoa earlier in the morning) and tastes great! I love the Thai inspired dressing!
Mary Ellen says
Sound like you and your husband have salad making down pat! Having that quinoa ready is a huge time saver! So glad you enjoyed!
Ang says
I found your recipe on http://www.thishealthykitchen.com and it was so easy and quick to make. I used the food processor to slice and shred, while hubby made the dressing. It was so delicious and well received by our guests as well. I love the Thai inspired dressing!
Mary Ellen says
I’m so glad you liked the salad Ang! What a great idea to use the food processor to slice and shred – I’m totally doing that next time!
Lydia says
Hi, I feel like I am being silly here but do you cook a cup and a half of quinoa or do you need a cup and a half of the cooked stuff if that makes sense? Also if the later how much uncooked do I need? Thanks! x
Mary Ellen says
No not sill at all, Lydia! That probably means I’m not explaining myself as well as I should in the post. The cup and a half is if the quinoa is already cooked. Quinoa usually triples when it’s cooked so cooking about a half of a cup with 1 cup of water should give you 1.5 cups cooked.
Lydia says
Brilliant, thank you! As you can see me and quinoa are relatively new friends 😉 Love the recipie and can’t wait to try it x
Mary Ellen says
Sometimes quinoa can be fickle but you’ll get used to cooking it after a while. I hope you enjoy when you get a chance to try it!
luna trapani says
How much is one serving? Like in cups?
Mary Ellen says
Hi Luna, I would say about a cup to cup and a half but I haven’t really measured. I usually just separate the whole thing into 4 servings.
Beth says
This is so good! And surprisingly filling 🙂 I’m sure it will be added to a regular lunch routine! Thanks for posting.
Mary Ellen says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Beth! It’s one of my go-tos for lunch too!