Name: Easy Chickpea Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
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); 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))

Published: Aug 22, 2018 · Modified: Apr 12, 2021 by Mary Ellen Valverde | VNutrition · THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS · AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.

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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 two favorite Thai-Inspired dishes are my Thai Basil Noodles and Easy Peanut Noodles.

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!

Jump to:

Quick & Healthy Dinner
Meal Prep
A Protein-Packed Meal
Chickpea Thai Quinoa Salad
Other Tasty Quinoa Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

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.

If you're looking for another great quick and easy salad, check out my Greek-Inspired Quinoa Salad.

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.

Other Tasty Quinoa Recipes

If you're in need of more quinoa recipes, definitely check out my:

Southwest Quinoa that's ready in 20 minutes for a quick and easy weekday dinner
Greek-Inspired Quinoa Salad which is great for meal prep and tastes just like you're in the Mediterranean
One Pot Lentil Quinoa for a delicous meal that's simple and easy to clean up
Buffalo Quinoa Balls are the perfect meat-free appetizer or game day treat

If you make this recipe and LOVE IT, please give it 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!

📖 Recipe

Mary Ellen Valverde | VNutrition

Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist who empowers vegans to feel confident in creating sustainable habits that align with their values and health goals. She shares easy gluten-free plant-powered food to nourish your body + satisfy your tastebuds. Mary Ellen's recipes and nutrition info have been featured on Yahoo News, Parade, VegNews, LIVESTRONG, Dr. Axe, Greatist, LIVEKINDLY, Brit+Co, Well+Good, and more.

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