30 Minute Moroccan-Inspired Carrot & Chickpea Salad
Mar 2, 2020 (Last updated Mar 15, 2024) by Hannah Sunderani
Say hello to this moroccan-inspired chickpea salad, made with whole food ingredients like grated carrots, chickpeas, quinoa, fresh herbs, roasted almonds and dates. Drizzled with a citrusy spiced Moroccan-inspired dressing with ground cinnamon, ginger, and cumin. It’s fresh, deeply spiced, and the perfect vegan chickpea salad to enjoy for lunch or a light dinner.
This recipe takes 30-minutes to make and is also great to meal prep as it will last up to 3 days in the fridge – making it the perfect salad to take midweek to work or school.
Now, let me tell you exactly how to make this Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad, so that you can get crunching and munching immediately!
Ingredient Notes
This recipe uses fresh real-food ingredients, which is what I love so much about it! As well as a few pantry staples like quinoa, almonds and chickpeas. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Quinoa: I love adding quinoa to recipes for a heartier salad that sticks with you. I recipe tested this salad with various types of grains, and while the quinoa was my personal favourite, it was also delicious with brown rice and pearl barley. These grains do however take longer to cook, which will lengthen the time of this recipe.
- Almonds: Chopped and toasted in a skillet, almonds are often used in moroccan dishes, which is why I wanted it for this salad. I prefer the deeper and more complex taste of toasting the almonds first, which takes 5 minutes in a skillet. If you want to speed up the process, you could buy roasted almonds instead of raw.
- Arugula: Used as the salad base in this recipe. Arugula has a lovely peppery finish, and it also holds its texture well in this recipe in comparison to mixed greens or spinach.
- Carrots: I’ve opted in for grating the carrots, they’d also be nice julienne style. Grating them vs. chopping gives them more pleasant bite in my opinion.
- Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas that are strained and rinsed work great in this recipe. Chickpeas are often used in moroccan dishes, which is why I’ve opted in for them in this moroccan inspired quinoa salad. You could also substitute for white beans (like navy) but they tend to not hold their shape as well as chickpeas.
- Fresh Mint: Another classic moroccan staple; fresh mint really helps to brighten this dish with a minty finish. I also recipe tested this with parsley and it was delicious!
- Dates: Adds a pop of sweetness and caramel flavour that I absolutely adore in this recipe. It really pairs nicely with the ground spices in the dressing, and helps to enhance their flavour.
- Ground spices: For the dressing, this recipe uses ground cinnamon, ginger, cumin and coriander. It’s a lovely moroccan-inspired pairing.
- Citrus: Freshly squeezed orange and lemon are used in this dressing which really adds brightness and tanginess to the salad. I really love this combined duo vs. opting in for just lemon or just orange.
How to make Moroccan Salad
This recipe is very simple and straight forward to make. Simply toss the ingredients to combine, drizzle with the dressing, and serve.
A little tip: make sure your quinoa is fully cooled before adding the remaining ingredients, otherwise it will cause your greens to wilt. To cool quinoa faster: transfer the cooked quinoa to a shallow bowl and spread it out. This will remove the steam much faster for a quicker cool down.
Here’s exactly what you’ll do:
Make this recipe with me!
Make this recipe with me on my YouTube Channel! On this episode I share 4 Vegan Protein-Packed Salads including this delicious Moroccan Chickpea Salad!
So there we have it, an easy and delicious Moroccan-inspired chickpea salad that you can enjoy with your loved ones. Be it for dinner or meal-prep!
This recipe is wholesome nourishing, vegan, and gluten-free and most importantly – flavour rich! Who says salads need to be boring? Prepare in advance to enjoy through the week, or make a big batch to share. (It’s great for bbq’s and potlucks). I’m sure you’re going to love this recipe as much as we do.
And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
30 Minute Moroccan-Inspired Carrot & Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup quinoa
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup almonds chopped
- 1 shallot small, minced
- 1 cup carrots grated (about 1 large carrot)
- 1 can chickpeas (14 fl oz/400 ml)
- 2.5 oz arugula (70 g/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup mint tightly packed and chopped
- 4 Medjool dates pitted and chopped
Moroccan Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- pinch chili flakes
Instructions
- In a saucepan combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook quinoa for 12-15 minutes. Fluff with a spoon and cover with tea towel. Let cool.
- Toast almonds in a skillet on medium heat, stirring often until fragrant and golden browned (approx. 8-10 mins). Remove from heat.
- Prepare dressing in a small bowl by whisking together oil, lemon juice, orange juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, coriander, sea salt and red pepper flakes.
- In a large mixing bowl combine quinoa, chopped shallot, grated carrot, chickpeas, arugula, chopped mint and dates and toasted almonds. Pour over dressing and toss to combine
Watch The Video
Notes
Approvals
Nutrition
See more step-by-step instructions by visiting the recipe story here!
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This was a crowd pleaser! Everyone loved it. I added cardamom to the spice mixture and put feta on the side and most people added it. This will definitely be a summer repeat.
I love this salad. I’ve added pomegranate when it’s in season.
having never been a fan of dates (especially the blind kind) I swapped out the dates for sultanas. Barberries are an option – as are currants. Prunes – hmm, cut these fine and use less.
This salad is sooo good. The dressing is perfect!
So thrilled you enjoyed this Ash!
Spectacular salad. Took to a large family bbq and also for a new mom as it keeps beautifully for days even dressed. Also wonderful if you like to salads for lunch at work. Even people who don’t like quinoa like it!
I’m so glad you loved this salad Bonnie! And I love it for that same reason – it lasts even after being dressed! I made this a lot on my mat-leave too for this reason. Congrats on becoming a new mom! And thanks for the kind comment. 🙂
A great salad but the dressing wasn’t Moroccon. Ginger shouldn’t have been there, I used double the cumin plus harissa for more spice.
I made this this morning to have with two friends who were coming for lunch. It was delicious! I didn’t have any orange juice so used lemon juice and grapefruit juice. And I didn’t have any coriander so left it out. So good! I will make it again.
Amazing salad! 5 stars for sure! I added green apple slices and green grapes to make it next level. If you let sit in the fridge with all the ingredients except the arugula it will last up to a week. Just mix in the greens as you go!
So happy that you enjoyed this recipe! What a great addition with the grapes and apple! Yum!
Looks fabulous and healthy. My question about it keeping for 3 days…won’t the arugula wilt and become soggy? It barely can stand to have more than a drop of dressing on it in most salads. Thank you!
Hi Bonnie! Thanks so much for the kind words about this recipe. In my experience, this salad holds up well after 3 days. There’s lot of other ingredients absorbing that dressing – quinoa, carrots and more. I’ve made this recipe loads of times and it’s still delish on Day 3. Hope this helps! Hannah
This is just perfection. All the ingredients blend so well together and the dressing is amazing – the perfect sweet tangy with a hint of heat. An absolute favourite of mine!
Thank you Shabibi! I’m so thrilled that you loved this salad as much as I do! Thanks for the sweet comment. 🙂
Hi Hannah. This salad looks delicious! I would like to take it to a potluck and make it the day before. Do you recommend adding the dressing when I make it or just before serving?
Hi Lishcia! I’d recommend preparing the salad in advance and adding the toasted almonds and dressing just before serving! Then toss it all together. 🙂
I made this salad tonight. It’s delicious! Can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
I’m so happy to hear that Angela! We love this recipe too and often have it on rotation in our house. Enjoy the leftovers!
Oh it’s so delicious Hannah 😋 the dates and almonds and mint and cinnamon; oh my. So so good! Thank you
Thrilled that you liked this salad so much Kortneii! I’m such a fan of this flavour combo too. 🙂
LOVE this salad. I had it for dinner tonight and will gladly have it for lunch tomorrow. I added some roasted chickpeas with lime 😉 I had to use up for even more deliciousness. Definitely keeping this in my rotation….thanks Hannah!
Delicious, even my husband, who’s not much of a salad guy, enjoyed it.
So thrilled that you both enjoyed it! My husband loves this one too!
Delicious recipe with an star for the Moroccan spices. I’m a big fan of these spice combos ….but the dates and orange flavor kick it up another notch. Love that it is full of veggies as a side dish but also stands alone as a meal. First recipe I’ve used from this site but will be looking for more.
Hi Bev! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe! I do hope you come back for more. 🙂 Thanks for the very sweet note.
The dressing was just the right flavour balance even for a very large salad. I added cucmber, red cabbage and skipped the arugula and dates. It was a great side dish with salmon
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe Alanna! And love the additional ingredients to make it your own. 🙂
This salad is amazing
I added warm chicken for more
This is the perfect salad for summer!! So light and refreshing yet filling. Comes together so fast and looks like something you could get at a restaurant.
So glad you liked this salad Erin! It’s one of my faves too! Thanks for the sweet comment.