Looking for a quick vegan quinoa salad that is filling and easy to pack? Try this delicious plant-based quinoa recipe with chickpeas, tomatoes and cucumber!

Vegan quinoa salad: perfect for on the go

I came up with this vegan quinoa salad because I needed something to take on the go. I often have to be somewhere for work and you never know where you will end up and whether there will be anything to eat. Especially something healthy. So to avoid ending up at the petrol station with roll of cookies between my teeth, I have to do a bit of meal prep.

If you’re making a salad to take with you, it’s important not to use leaves that wilt quickly. You don’t want to arrive at work with a blobby mess. So use ingredients that can take a beating, like quinoa. This quick vegan quinoa salad is perfect. The spices in it will still be good a day later, and simply keeping it in the fridge will allow the flavors to soak in. I love adding chickpeas to salads like this (and have you tried the sticky chickpeas or these spicy roasted chickpeas yet? So good!)

Preparing the quinoa salad

There are no animal products in this plant-based quinoa salad (of course, otherwise it wouldn’t be vegan), but if you don’t want to eat chickpeas, you can easily replace them with some crispy fried chicken pieces. I cooked the quinoa in water with tamari, which adds a bit of flavor. But just taste and season as you like before you eat it!

For making this mediterranean quinoa salad you first take a large bowl and add the cooked quinoa to it. By cooking it in the tamari you’ve already laid the foundation of flavors here. You can use white quinoa, tricolor quinoa or whatever other color of quinoa they come up with.

I added the rinsed chickpeas, chopped cherry tomatoes and fresh cucumber. I also added a small red onion. Other additions that would great here are red bell pepper and for instance green onions. The chickpeas could be replaced by black beans or another kind of legume. For some added healthy fats you could add avocado, but keep in mind that avocado discolors, so that is not a good idea if you want to use the vegan quinoa salad the next day.

If serving right away it’s also great with some fresh parsley and fresh mint sprinkled over the top.

Additions and variations

Except for the variations I mentioned above you can also make this more into a main dish by adding additional items to it. If you’re not vegan you can add some feta to it or use vegan feta cheese. I’ve not tried the latter myself. I struggle with vegan cheese! Adding additional fresh vegetables is always a good idea too. Adding some cooked sweet potatoes will be also make the salad more filling. I also love adding some sugar snap peas or red cabbage. For last minute additions some leafy greens are always a good idea. And the delicious salad will be great with some kalamata olives added as well. As you can see it is pretty flexible!

How long will the vegan quinoa salad keep?

The quinoa salad will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Variation on the dressing

Although the quinoa salad is delicious with the olive oil dressing, I also like to add a dollop of mayonnaise or veganaise. This makes it a bit creamier. Another great addition is peanut butter or almond butter. For mixing the salad dressing it’s best to use a small bowl and whisk the ingredients together. In this case I used olive oil, fresh lemon juice (or lime juice), apple cider vinegar and pepper and salt. Pretty simple. A little bit of maple syrup might be delicious to add.

You can serve the vegan quinoa salad as a side dish if you want and it will also be great during a barbecue.