This vibrant Moroccan-Inspired Chickpea and Quinoa Salad is made with leafy greens, fresh herbs, crunchy pistachios, and a spiced vinaigrette. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and perfect for meal prep!
My Go-To Salad Lately
Let’s be real: life lately has been a lot. Between all the transitions and juggling everything in between, I’ve been leaning hard into simple, make-ahead meals—and this one checks every box.
Warm weather vibes are in full swing over here, and this salad fits the mood perfectly—fresh, light, satisfying, and totally meal-prep friendly. If we’re doing salad for dinner, you better believe it’s going to be a hearty one with big flavor. This Moroccan salad checks all those boxes and more! It’s nutrient-dense featuring fluffy quinoa, spiced chickpeas, crunchy pistachios, sweet dried fruit, crisp vegetables, and creamy feta. It works beautifully as a main course or a hearty side.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This isn’t your average side salad—it’s vibrant, hearty, and packed with feel-good ingredients. Here’s what goes into this flavorful, no-fuss dish:
For the Salad
- Leafy Greens – Your favorite base (arugula, spinach, or mixed greens work great).
- Chickpeas – Canned and drained and tossed in optional seasonings. Or for extra crunch, try adding roasted chickpeas!
- Cooked Quinoa – Adds protein and keeps things filling.
- Moroccan Spices – Think cumin, turmeric, paprika, or even a dash of cinnamon.
- Figs or Pitted Dates – For natural sweetness that pairs perfectly with the spices.
- Fresh Herbs – Mint or basil (or both!) for that fresh finish.
- Cherry Tomatoes – Halved and juicy.
- Shredded Carrots or Cucumber – Adds crunch and color.
- Red Onion – Thinly sliced for a zesty bite. Shallots may be substituted.
- Pistachios – For crunch and a little extra flair. Toasted or roasted almonds also work well if you’re not a fan of pistachios.
- Feta cheese – Adds a creamy, salty touch.
- Olive Oil + Balsamic Vinegar – The dressing essentials.
- Lemon – Just a splash of juice for brightness!
For the Vinaigrette
This simple dressing is what brings the salad to life—it’s tangy, a little sweet, and full of warm spice
- Extra virgin olive oil – Use good-quality oil for a rich, fruity base.
- Balsamic or red wine vinegar – Balsamic adds sweetness; red wine vinegar is brighter and tangier.
- Honey or maple syrup – Balances acidity—honey emulsifies, maple adds a subtle earthy note.
- Paprika – Gives gentle warmth; smoked paprika adds depth.
- Cumin – Warm, earthy spice; toast briefly to boost flavor.
- Kosher salt and black pepper – Season generously and taste as you go.
Prep Tips Before You Begin
- Fluff your quinoa well! After cooking, let it cool slightly and fluff with a fork to keep it light and airy—this helps avoid clumps in your salad.
- Drain those chickpeas. If using canned, rinse and dry them with a paper towel so they roast or mix in better without sogginess. Want extra flavor? Toss them with a little olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, ginger or cinnamon, cumin and sea salt plus black pepper before adding.
- Chop everything evenly. Dice carrots, tomatoes, and onions into small, even pieces so every bite is balanced and colorful.
- Squeeze lemon last. If you’re adding lemon juice, drizzle it right before serving for that fresh pop!
- Make it ahead. This salad holds up beautifully in the fridge, so feel free to prep it the night before. Just keep the greens and dressing separate if you’re going for max crunch.
How to Make Moroccan Quinoa Salad
- Prepare the Quinoa: Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and let it cool slightly.
- Spice the Chickpeas (Optional): If using canned chickpeas, consider tossing them with a pinch of cumin, paprika (smoked or sweet), a pinch of ginger, pepper, kosher salt, and olive oil for added flavor.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, chickpeas, leafy greens, cucumber (or carrot), tomatoes, onion, and parsley.
- Add Toppings: Gently fold in the feta cheese, sliced figs or dates, and pistachios.
- Make the Dressing: In a small bowl or jar, whisk vinegar, sweetener, and spices first, then drizzle in the oil, or just shake everything together in a jar.
Serving Suggestions
- Meal prep! Great to take to work or for kids/athletes looking for a quick nutrient dense meal.
- Make it fresh and serve at a potluck or party. This salad is so fresh, beautiful, and flavorful!
- Double the recipe and make this quinoa salad the Main dish around your dinner table. Toss in grilled chicken, baked fish, or uncured meat. Pair with soft boiled eggs or hard boiled eggs. Or keep as is, hearty and plant based!
Moroccan Chickpea Salad Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A flavorful, Mediterranean-inspired salad with hearty chickpeas, quinoa, and Moroccan spices. Perfect for meal prep or a fresh, no-fuss dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 cups cooked quinoa
- ⅔ cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (see notes for optional seasoning)
- 5 to 6 cups leafy greens (such as baby spinach, arugula, or mixed greens)
- 1 cup diced carrots
- ⅔ cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ cup crumbled or cubed feta cheese
- 4 dried or fresh figs, sliced (or use 4 pitted dates, chopped)
- 1 oz pistachios or toasted almonds, roughly chopped
- Optional garnish: 2 tablespoon fresh chopped mint (~3 leaves)
For the Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
- ¼ tsp ground paprika
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa according to package directions or use leftover pre-cooked quinoa. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool slightly.
- Optional seasoning for the Chickpeas: Rinse and pat dry the canned chickpeas with a towel to remove excess water. Then toss ⅔ cup of the chickpeas with ¼ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon paprika (smoked or sweet), a pinch of ginger, ¼ teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste, and 1–2 teaspoon olive oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, chickpeas, leafy greens, carrots, tomatoes, onion, parsley, feta, figs or dates, and pistachios.
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Toss and Serve: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. Garnish with a splash of lemon juice and fresh chopped mint.
- Serve immediately or chill in the fridge for up to 2 days. (See notes for meal prep tips.)
Notes
Meal Prep Tip: For longer storage, keep the dressing separate and toss right before serving. This helps the greens stay fresh.
Variations: Make it Vegan: Use maple syrup in the dressing and omit the feta or use dairy-free feta. Add Protein: This salad pairs beautifully with grilled chicken, salmon, prosciutto, or even seared lamb.
Crunchy Chickpeas: Roast chickpeas with olive oil, salt, turmeric, and cumin at 400°F for 20–25 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: salad
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 303
- Sugar: 14.8 g
- Sodium: 295.8 mg
- Fat: 8.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.4 g
- Fiber: 9.4 g
- Protein: 11.1 g
- Cholesterol: 8.4 mg
I made this salad and it was delish! But mine didn’t look like your photo as I tossed everything together. Was I supposed to keep all of the ingredients separate?
Hi Alison! We are so glad you enjoyed this salad. 🙂 You can totally toss all the ingredients together when serving. We chose to not mix the salad together for the photos to showcase the ingredients better. Happy eating!
Thanks for replying so quickly!
This salad is delicious!!! I served it at a Moroccan themed dinner party. The only change I made was adding cucumber. So fresh and healthy!!!!
Yay! Love the addition of cucumber. Thanks for telling us about your recipe experience, Ruth. 🙂
A friend made a few years ago and I loved it. Confused in dressing, lemon+splash. Does that mean you use a full lemon of juice in dressing? Plus splash later?
Just sent you an email! But thanks for pointing that out.
Thanks for this question. We definitely need to update and clarify the recipe here.
The dressing should be:
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp each ground paprika and cumin
sea salt and pepper to taste
Then garnishes and extras
splash of lemon
1/4 c chopped parsley leaves (fresh)
2 tbsp chopped mint (or 3 mint leaves)
Does that make sense? We’ll update the recipe card!
One of the best salads I have ever made. My dinner guests raved and I shared the recipe with everyone. Well done!
I am so glad to hear of it! Thank you so much:)
This was amazing! First thing I have tried on your sight. I used both yellow zucchini and carrots. I also “roasted” the veggies on the stove top. A little bit of olive oil in a cast iron pan—add onions and cook 3-4 min. Add carrots, chickpeas and zucchini for another 3-4. Turn off heat and add tomatoes. Layered as you said. Wonderful! The dressing is great. Leftovers were great as well.
Love the shrimp addition and the roasted veggies. That sounds divine Rhodena! Thank you for sharing this and for the feedback. <3
Is it 1/3 cup or 1/4 cup olive oil?
Chickpeas mixed with quinoa or separate layer? Stated both ways in recipe.
For the dressing? Depends on how much you want on your salad, ya know? And you can totally mix the chickpea and quinoa together or keep separate. This salad is very good either way! Hope that helps!
I made this salad just according the the recipe and it is delicious!! The only thing I personalized was the greens: I had beet greens in hand from having roasted beats so I mixed those half and half with red leaf lettuce. And I tossed a few roasted beets on top to use them up. This is fantastic!!
Oh I am so glad you shared your experience. Love love the beet greens. Such a great idea!
Oh.My.Gosh. This is the most colorful recipe on the planet. I’ll have to try it.
xo, Darlene 🙂
? thanks Darlene! Lmk how it goes
How nourishing! I always love chickpeas and quinoa in a salad. Yours ultimately looks like a massive rainbow bowl of beauty–so much color and all types of delicious vegetables in one glorious salad!
Totally! You’d love this. Have you tried the new kite hill vegan cheese? That would be awesome on this!
The flavors and textures in this sound absolutely AMAZING!
THIS should be the photo in the dictionary, next to the word “salad,” so that all anti-salad folks know how real, delicious nourishment should look.
I couldn’t agree more? I’ll submit a request to Webster’s if you will too?
Delicious and easy to make. I didn’t have squash on hand but roasted cauliflower and carrots instead and worked well as a substitute.
great idea! love the combo of cauliflower and carrots!
You had me at figs 🙂 This looks absolutely delicious!
let’s have a fig party!
I love that he requested a salad! M does like salad but doesn’t usually request them, just knows I’m gonna make one for him 😉 This looks utterly divine. LOVE the combo of flavors!!
This salad is stunning!
Also I love having salads as my main course, but like you it needs to be all about the toppings. Nutrient dense, filling, satisfying and of course tasty. I tend to color block my toppings too but that’s because I’m neurotic.
i’ve seen your salads—> UBER IMPRESSIVE
Oh I won’t mind to serve salad as a main dish at all! Actually dish has been our main dish for dinner for almost a month! It’s truly hot in Austin.
Love the flavor combination here and the quinoa and beans provides good feuls and protein. Pour me a glass of wine and I can enjoy a big bowl of this 😉
done deal! let’s make that happen!
Oh my- this looks divine!
This salad is ALMOST too pretty to eat. Almost. Can’t wait to make it along with that naan!! Mmmm 🙂
it will rock your socks off…just sayin. 😉
Have I told you that your photography is awesome? I can see all the layers of that salad, and it’s beautiful. YUM.
have i told you that i LOVE YOU!? xxoo thanks friend
Goodness gracious this looks fantastic!!
Wow that looks so colourful! I like to put fruit in my salads as I can find some leaves quite bitter. One of my favourites at the moment is to sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the salad. Little rubies of flavour and crunch to keep things interesting 🙂
oh i love that too! great idea
This looks amazing. So many delicious flavors!!
The word in the title “Moroccan” drew me in straight away there! I am a huge fan of Moroccan recipes. Mainly tagine recipes, of which I’ve done a few. I was lucky enough to live in Gibraltar for 2 years in the 1980’s and we spent our holidays in Morocco.
You’ve opened up my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities with “Moroccan” salads. Adding to my yummly recipe box and pinterest!
Lovely! 😀
okay I”m officially jealous!
I just bought a bunch of fresh basil today for a recipe I am going to make!
Figs and basil sound heavenly and this salad looks gorgeous.
I have made salads as the main course before and my kids have loved it! I think if it’s colorful and interesting they are all over it. I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks friend! 🙂
yes!! fresh basil for the win! <3
Marry me!
I love everything you listed about what you wanted to prove with this salad. And you nailed it. I would happily scoff this down as a meal. Adore on so many levels. Especially because I LOVE moroccan food! Pinning! What a fab gluten free salad that you wouldn’t even consider being gluten free!
exactly!! Easy really, just add a lot of color! haha
Now this is just looks amazing (and gorgeous!), and you’ve more than proven your point(s). I’ve been slacking on my salads lately, but I’d definitely eat a whole lot more of them if they looked this good!
well you’ve been making up for it with your delicious smoothies and flourless goodies. which i could definitely live off of!
Yum!! This salad looks delicious. I’ll be pinning this one for later. I feel the same way as you about serving salad to my husband… it better be substantial or else he’s will give me “the look”. Ha! Thanks for the sharing this recipe 🙂
haha I know, right? that look is never good
That is one delicious combination! So many flavors and add-ins! I love it!
I’m salad OBSESSED. I like all of my dinners in the summer to be served crunchy and cold.
yes, the colder and crunchier the better!
Lindsay, you are really killing it with these Moroccan recipes! I so love layers – when it comes to food! Just reading through these layers makes me drool – so many layers, so many flavors!
layers are the best, right? dig in!
Ooooh yum!! I love salads that are packed with yummy things.. this looks awesome!
you and me both!
Can you send a big bowl of that to Seattle please? That looks incredible! My favorite salads usually involve goat cheese, roasted chickpeas, and potatoes of some sort because I do need all of the carbs.
yes yes, i will come to seattle! i need a break from heat! haha
This looks amazing!!
So many amazing flavors in this dish…I just picked up some figs yesterday from Trader Joe’s…They can seriously go with everything! XOXO
I just pinned this. I love fig, basil, and prosciutto on pizza…. a salad is genius. Or I could just slather this on your naan. I’m hungry.
i totally did!
That is one beautiful salad!!! I need you as my cook! 🙂
I AM SO BORING!!!!! I am OK with that but would love to be rich & have somebody cook less boring stuff for me. 🙂
I’ll play lotto and then we can both hire people. One to clean for me, and one to cook for you! deal?
I need a maid too! 🙂
Such a beautiful salad! I love beefy salads. Something that drives me crazy about eating out is that the salads are so wimpy. When will restaurants catch up and build a real salad like this one?
seriously. i’m kinda over the simple strawberry spinach or the Caesar. haha
Wow!! Such a gorgeous salad!! Love the layers of colors and flavors!
This looks AMAZING! I’m such a salad person and when I would take salads into work people would ask what I put on them.. uhh, whatever was in the fridge today? Haha I might have to go get a few things for this one though 🙂
exactly!!! the more the better! haha
We haven’t had figs yet this season. I am going to look for them today. This is ther perfect salad to have with dinner tonight.
i see them all over at the markets now. You must get!
What a gorgeous salad. I love figs! I just bought some from our farmers market. I can taste the salty proscuitto with the sweet figs. Fresh figs remind me of when I traveled through Turkey. Almost daily, I would buy them from a street vendor and eat like an apple. Such vivid memories of what seems like a lifetime ago.
can we travel back to turkey together?
Love this idea, especially the figs. I really never think to get figs and I do actually like them. Great flavor combos going on here. If you come here and make this for me (with tofu) I’ll give you TOOOONNNNSSSS of fresh basil. Have it coming out of our ears 😉
um,yes, deal! maybe we can do a rain dance too and it will cool off! LOL!
This is a super colorful and beautiful salad- can’t go wrong with figs and proscuitto
amen to that!
I love that article from Real Simple. I feel like my years of cooking everything together are now justified as Morrocan cooking.
This salad looks amazing. I love the inclusion of figs!
haha i agree! we’re officially moroccan chefs!
I love salads as a meal! And with all these amazing ingredients, I bet people were coming back for seconds! I love figs and rarely think to add them to salads, that has just got to change! This is beautiful!
i know i did! haha. So good the next day too
I do not think it’s possible for a food picture to look any better than the pictures of this salad! Sounds and looks fancy, fresh, and absolutely delicious. This is definitely a keeper for when I want to be impressive!
i think you’d love! <3 maybe cauliflower rice versus quinoa
I feel the need to get all up on this salad (minus the prosciutto!)
yes, do it!!!
So many of my fav things are packed into this delicious salad!
One of my fav pizzas includes figs, proscuitto, basil, goat cheese and balsamic drizzle…so you should just dump some of this salad on one of your yummy naan breads and turn it into a pizza 🙂
oh yes, i kinda did that and added salmon.Gah… so good! thought of you! <3
Lindsay, take me to Morroco! I love this dish and I love exploring different cuisines. Oh and leftovers–so this is the PERFECT dish for me! Crazy good!
let’s go!!! pack your bags
Now, this is a NOT boring salad! Figs on a salad so good — really any fruit on a salad good!
except banana. haha. maybe?
You do realize that you have 3 of my favorite ingredients in the title, I love Moroccan food, and I love salad. Thus, You have essentially created me as a dish (not that I’m not positively dishy anyways). Good grief, Charlie Brown. I want to roll around in this and frolic.
I like to think the my salad are, in general, not boring. I love salad because it has endless possibilities, and every bite has the potential to be different! But that said, you gotta mix it up. I love using different sauces and such as dressings (love bbq), putting together hilarious combos (hello, shrimp and blueberry!). At the end of the day, make it yours 😀
you could never be boring, at all. and shrimp plus blueberry? YES I AM SO MAKING!