I first started making this quinoa salad when Sidney was around 3 months old; I wanted a healthy meal prep lunch that was flavorful and nutritious but most importantly, I wanted a salad that would last for days in the fridge without getting weird. AND DAMN DOES THIS SALAD DELIVER.
I have a few other quinoa salads on the blog that are fabulous, but this chickpea curry quinoa salad really takes the cake. It’s bright, bold and full of flavor thanks to the nutritious quinoa that’s infused with fresh grated ginger, curry powder, garlic powder and earthy ground turmeric.
Oh, and let’s not forget about the beautiful veggies, fruits & herbs including red bell pepper, carrots, peas, red onion, dried cherries, cilantro and parsley. Once you take a bite, I promise you won’t be able to stop. Especially after you try my spicy maple glazed cashews!
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Ingredients in this curry quinoa salad
This delicious vegan curry chickpea quinoa salad is loaded with a rainbow of veggies and an incredible blend of spices. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Quinoa: I love using regular, white quinoa, but tri color quinoa will work just as well. You can cook it in water or vegetarian broth.
- Chickpeas: to add a delicious boost of plant-based protein. See below for more protein ideas!
- Sesame oil: a bit of sesame oil will help flavor the quinoa and infuse the spices. Feel free to sub olive oil.
- Herbs & spices: we’re adding freshly grated ginger, curry powder, turmeric, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper to give the salad a wonderful, warming curry flavor.
- For the add-ins: this quinoa salad calls for crunchy red bell pepper, shredded carrots, green peas, dried cherries, red onion, cilantro and parsley. The blend of veggies and herbs gives it a nice crunchy texture paired with fresh, bold flavor.
- For the cashews: I love the crunch that the cashews give this salad, and I like to toast them with a little maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and sea salt. YUM.
Customize this curry cashew chickpea quinoa salad
- Switch up your protein. If you’re not vegan or vegetarian I think grilled chicken would be delicious in here. Try this marinade, too!
- Use the veggies you have on hand. Shredded red cabbage, snap peas, green onion or even roasted broccoli or cauliflower would be delicious in this salad.
- Choose your sweetness. I love this salad with dried cherries but feel free to use dried cranberries, raisins, golden raisins or chopped dates for little bites of sweetness throughout.
- Switch up your nuts. I recommend using already roasted nuts if you want to sub. Honey roasted peanuts, cashews or pistachios would be great options.
How to cook the perfect fluffy quinoa
Don’t forget to get all of my tips and tricks for making the BEST fluffy quinoa in this post! As I mentioned, you can cook your quinoa in water, vegetable broth, or, if you’re not vegan or vegetarian, chicken broth.
Delicious maple cayenne toasted cashews
The cashews are optional in this salad but I HIGHLY recommend adding them because they’re so delicious. Here’s how to make them:
- Add your cashews to a pan on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Carefully toss them around until they begin to smell fragrant and start turning light brown, which should be about 5 minutes.
- Immediately remove them from the heat and stir in the maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and salt. Then set them aside to cool before adding them to your salad.
Beautiful chickpea curry quinoa salad in 5 steps
- Cook your quinoa. Start by cooking your quinoa in water or broth until it’s nice and fluffy. Set it aside.
- Add chickpeas & seasonings. Stir in the chickpeas, sesame oil, and all of those yummy seasonings until they’re well combined.
- Add the mix-ins. Fold in your chopped veggies, herbs, and dried cherries.
- Toast the cashews. Toast your cashews (if using) and add the maple syrup, cayenne, and sea salt. Let them cool on a plate or parchment paper.
- Toss & serve. Add the cooled cashews to your salad, toss, and serve!
How to store quinoa salad
This delicious vegan curry cashew chickpea quinoa salad gets even better over the course of a few days as it marinates in the spices. Store it in an airtight container (or a few meal prep containers like these) for up to 5 days and enjoy all week long. It’s perfect for meal prep as a side dish or a main dish, and you can easily make it the night before.
More quinoa recipes to try
- Avocado Blueberry Quinoa Salad
- BBQ Ranch Chicken Quinoa Bowls
- Healthy Enchilada Chicken & Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Famous Crunchy Cashew Thai-Inspired Quinoa Salad
- Balsamic Chicken Berry Quinoa Salad
Get all of my quinoa recipes here!
I hope you love this vibrant curry cashew chickpea quinoa salad. If you make it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe — I really appreciate it! xo.
Vibrant Curry Cashew Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- For the quinoa:
- 3/4 cup quinoa
- 1 2/3 cup water
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup frozen green peas, thawed
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (or sub olive oil)
- ½ tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon curry powder, plus more if you want a really big curry punch!
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the mix-ins:
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots (from 1 large carrot)
- 1/2 cup dried cherries (or dried cranberries)
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/3 cup finely diced cilantro
- 1/3 cup finely diced flat leaf parsley
- For the maple cayenne toasted cashews:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add in quinoa and water to a medium pot and bring mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for exactly 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork, then replace lid and allow quinoa to steam for 5-10 more minutes. While quinoa is cooking you can chop all your veggies.
- Once quinoa is done cooking, stir in chickpeas, peas, sesame oil, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
- Next stir in red bell pepper, shredded carrots, dried cherries, red onion, cilantro and parsley.
- Finally make your maple cayenne toasted cashews: place cashews in a skillet over medium heat. Toast cashews for 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently until they turn slightly golden brown and fragrant, then turn off heat and immediately add in maple syrup, cayenne pepper and sea salt. Stir for 30 more seconds to coat cashews, then transfer to a plate or piece of parchment paper to cool for a few minutes. Cashews may stick together so try to spread them in an even layer when they are cooling.
- Top quinoa with cashews and serve! Serves 4 for a main meal or 6 as a side. I suggest waiting to add cashews until you are ready to serve so they stay nice and crunchy.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on June 17th, 2020, and republished on April 17th, 2023.
181 comments
Wow! I’m so excited to make this! Have been in a HUGE cooking rut and this just looks so easy & delicious. Thank you, thank you!
So happy you found this one! Let me know how it goes 🙂
I usually don’t post reviews of recipes that I don’t make exactly- but I felt the changes I made didn’t alter the recipe too much so here you go! I love curry- so I thought this was fabulous. When looking at the recipe, I realized I had most, but not all ingredients needed to make this. I am a very literal cook- usually don’t modify recipes because I’m very uncreative lol! I made the quinoa with the substitution of the squeeze ginger because my fresh ginger was moldy. That was the only change I made to the quinoa. I didn’t have dried cranberries, but had dried currants and used those instead. I didn’t have cashews, but had pine nuts and used those instead. Although I didn’t do the maple syrup on them because I wasn’t sure how they would hold up. I didn’t have carrots or cilantro so had to leave that out as well. Also- used leftover chicken since I didn’t have chickpeas. This is very, very good and a great way to use up some things you probably already have on hand. I need to learn to let go and just throw some things together because I end up throwing away so much food- which I hate! Thank you for a great recipe!
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing with what you have on hand 🙂 glad you loved it!
This looked so good that I made it (and ate some) right away—at 7:30 a.m.—ha! Delicious. I especially love the maple cayenne cashews. I also added some red grapes right before serving.
Thanks for another excellent and healthy recipe!
Love it! Such a great lunch (or breakfast haha)
Your recipes never disappoint. This was AMAZING! The sesame oil and maple cayenne glazed cashews add such a nice touch- even my kids loved it! I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow, lol!
So happy to hear that! Perfect leftovers 🙂
This was a great tasty recipe and I modified it slightly based on ingredients I had at home. I never cook with onions, so that was omitted. I don’t have sesame oil and used grapeseed oil. Otherwise, all other ingredients were used. I added new ingredients: yellow peppers, broccoli, barley, edamame, black beans. I have enough meals or sides for this week and will add grilled chicken breast or wild salmon to compliment. Your recipes are always easy and healthy for my needs! Thank you!
Perfect! So glad you loved this one (and other recipes here!)
Yum! We made this for a Fathers Day BBQ! I’m vegetarian, so I always bring a filling vegetarian side dish that can serve as my main. Yummy and filling. I served it over a bed of lettuce!
Love that! Perfect side or main dish 🙂
One of the yummiest salad i’ve made and eat! So So good!
So happy you loved it!
Love this salad! The flavors and textures are amazing. Didn’t have quinoa so I used farro. Perfect to make for a picnic or lunch at the beach!!
Ooo love the idea of using farro! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I love it! I didn’t have all the ingredients so I modified it a little bit – used frozen corn instead of peas, didn’t add cherries, used some lettuce I had in my garden for the greens, subbed golden syrup for maple syrup, and used 1/8 tsp smoked paprika + 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper on the cashews because I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to spices! I also added some lemon juice at the end because it was still a bit spicy for me haha. It turned out delicious 🙂 It is a very easy recipe and works well to sub different ingredients you have in the kitchen!
I’m glad those swaps worked out well! Such a great lunch 🙂
This salad is simply amazing!!! I did not have cilantro and green peas on hand, so I replaced them with dill and edamame, it was so good! It is perfect that the salad can stay in the fridge for a few days without going bad, that’s the recipe I need 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
I was really excited when I found the recipe as I love salads with quinoa. We really enjoyed the recipe and I will definitely make it again. I only omitted the peas. But I was kind of looking for a dressing so I added olive oil and a decent squeeze of lemon juice.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Really delicious! My whole family loved. The cashews are a nice touch. I will definitely be making this again! I had some fresh mint I added but otherwise made it just as written. Thanks for such a great recipe
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
This recipe was delicious, the ingredients all melded well together and the cashews were an amazing addition. The only adjustment I’d make would be to add a little acidity, some lime juice or apple cider vinegar!
So glad you enjoyed! And that sounds perfect 🙂
This a a great lunch that is easy to meal prep. I leave the cashews separate and add just before eating so they stay crunchy.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed this one 🙂
Soso yummy!! Never made anything curry before and this was beyond easy to follow!
Amazing! Glad you loved it!
Delicious recipe! Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
This is my absolute favorite lunch to meal prep lately, it is SO delicious! I typically eat it over a bed of spring mix/spinach for some added greens but it is perfect for an on-the-go lunch. Honestly, my favorite part is the maple cayenne cashews…I could eat these every day! Would highly recommend this recipe to anyone looking to spice up their meal prep. I’ve already shared it with all my family and friends. Thanks, Monique!
So happy to hear that! And love the idea of adding some greens 🙂
This was soooo good! I subbed the dried cherries for a perfectly ripe chopped nectarine and added the juice of half a lime that was left over from the previous day. Will definitely make this again!
Love it! Glad you enjoyed!
This salad is to die for. Making it again for a second time in two weeks.
Amazing! Happy to hear that 🙂
I forgot the peas! But it was still delicious. I made this to eat on over the next three nights of night shift. Overnight eating is tricky because if it’s too fatty, I get sleepy and I work in critical care (on the designated covid unit- eep!). The only problem is that I want to eat all the cashews instead of putting them in. I could stand a little heavier spice so them next time I make it I might do heaping measurements of each. But this is a very refreshing and filling recipe that I’m sure will be just the right fuel for this sleepy ol girl tryna work the night shift again.
I’m so glad you found this recipe! Super nourishing for a late night shift. Thank you for all that you’re doing!
I left out the cilantro and parsley but I added everything else and YUM! The cashews on top are so good.
Perfect! Love those cashews.
My friend and I made this and LOVED it! Super fresh and so flavorful!
This Vibrant Curry Chickpea Salad is amazing!!! I love the different textures and flavors. I made a wrap using a collard green leaf with some of the salad. It was so yummy! It takes a while to prepare, but it is so worth it. Thanks for the recipe!
Love that idea! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
I was looking for a good way to use up some curry powder and this recipe did the trick! It’s so flavorful and came together pretty easily. I love finding vegetarian recipes that have a decent amount of protein in them. Awesome job Monique!!
Perfect! So glad you tried this one!
Absolutely delicious! I eat a salad pretty much every day for lunch, and this is one of my top choices for my rotation. The toasted cashews pack a tasty punch. I think I will make those separately for a yummy snack!
So happy to hear that! Such a great lunch (and love those cashews as a snack!)
I loved this recipe! So easy to use what you have in the house. It is a perfect lunch or side! I substituted dried cranberries for cherry’s and it was so good.
Perfect! So glad you love it!
This was absolutely delicious! Maybe I did something wrong but I added the maple syrup and cayenne pepper separately and when the pepper hit the hot pan it sizzled into the air and we had to open all of the windows in our house because we were coughing up pepper. 😂😂 The second time, I mixed the cayenne pepper with the maple syrup first and had no issues with it permeating the air! Will make again 😊
Whoops! I’ve never had that happen but I’m glad it worked out better with it mixed – so crazy!
This salad is so good. Wonderful taste, vibrant colours, excellent textures and just a parade in your mouth. Thank you for this and all of your other mouth watering recipes.
Absolutely! Glad you loved it!
Flavourful, warming salad. Full of texture and colour too! I added some chopped apricots, red cabbage, pomegranate seeds and served with a dollop of yogurt. Oh and the cashews were the perfect finishing touch. Delicious! I love meals like this that are substantial enough to be pleasantly filling, but not heavy and leave you bloated! 10/10.
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
This is SO good! Made for lunches to take to work for the week and it tasted even better after a couple days. Also added a little avocado one day. This will be my go to from now on!
Love that! Such a great lunch for meal prep 🙂
Made this for lunches during the week and it was was absolutely delicious. Will definitely be a go to in the future- also perfect since my microwave broke and needed something cold for lunch but was still satisfying and tasty!
Perfect! Such a great lunch 🙂
this is definitely worth the effort. it took me much longer than 20 minutes to prep but once it was done i had lunch for the week. i tripled the curry powder and used ground ginger bc i was out of fresh. keep the nuts separate
so they don’t get soggy. it’s delish!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
I wouldn’t say “ vibrant”. I used twice the curry powder.
I hope you enjoyed it!
This salad was incredible. I left out the parsley simply because I did not have it on hand but everything went amazing together. The cashews cook quite quick so stir a lot! Mine got a little brown but still tasted great. Loved it and it filled me up. Will be eating for lunch this week.
This is a meal prep staple in our house. It is packed with flavor and makes for a satisfying lunch.
“vibrant” is the perfect way to describe this salad! Delicious/healthy lunch recipe that lasts a few days in the fridge!
super flavourful without being too saucy. my husband and 1 year old loved it too! the cashews on top were a great addition 🙂
So glad it was a hit!
Just made this today, so yummy!! The spicy sweet cashews at the end really make the recipe and bring that little bit of heat and a yummy crunch on top. So so delicious!
This is a great salad to make ahead for the week! It’s delicious and healthy, and full of nourishing ingredients. I used dried cranberries instead of cherries. Next time I would reduce the amount of red onion or maybe substitute for green onions/scallions (as I don’t love raw onion in dishes), but other than that, I’d definitely make it again.
Delicious, flavorful, fresh, it’s the best! Thank you so much!
Aboslutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I’ve been making a batch of this every Sunday for my weekday lunches for five weeks now. It’s the best! I pretty much make it as written in the recipe, but do extra carrots, peas, red onion and generous with the curry. I also double the cashews every time because they are the best!
Amazing! Love this one for meal prep 🙂
I love how light and fresh this salad is! Full of flavor, yet it’s not laden with a heavy sauce or dressing. I used green onions instead of red, since I’m not a huge fan of raw onions. I also was out of cashews so I used walnuts. Love it and it’s perfect for a light lunch! This will be a regular for me!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
Is this supposed to be served warm or cold?
It’s delicious both ways!
Wow. So flavorful with a tiny bit of heat from the cayenne on the cashews (don’t skip the cashews. So good!). Such a great, healthy salad to keep in the fridge when you need something quick. I will definitely make this again and again!!
Absolutely! Such a great lunch 🙂
This is my husband’s favorite! I have made it every 5 days for a month! Tried other quinoa recipes, he only wants this one. I make it exactly, except a little more curry. Great dish! Will try some of your other recipes. Thanks!
The best! So glad it’s a hit!
Easy and delicious recipe. It is fresh and simple, but so tasty. It is now my go to recipe when I don’t know what to cook.
One of our go-tos, too! Such a great lunch or dinner.
Um this really is one of the best salads ever! And it really does keep well for 5 days! I made this right before I got vaccinated and it basically saved me throughout the week (my arm was so sore). This recipe is very much a WINNER!
So glad you loved this one!! And hope your arm is feeling better 🙂
This was delicious but I like other commenters I think it needs a bit more flavor. Paired it with the Sunshine Dressing and it’s perfect! I’m already making it again after polishing off a batch last week.
https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/sunshine-dressing/
Great idea to add the sunshine dressing! Perfect lunch.
Oh my, I could have eaten the whole thing in one sitting! This recipe was so refreshing and vibrant with the fresh herbs. And it’s so easy to put together! I loved it.
The best! So glad you loved it!
This was soooo fresh and crisp and delicious. All the flavors blended together so beautifully. It is a great salad to serve at a dinner party.
So happy to hear that!
Absolutely delicious. My bf and I were both very impressed. The flavors are fantastic… the cashews are unreal! Definitely will make again.
So happy to hear that!
I made this salad for the second time, and it’s officially become one of my favorites! It’s not too hard to make and it’s simply delicious! I personally double the amount of cashews because I love to have lots of them in there.
So happy to hear that! Perfect lunch 🙂
It looks tasty and even though I am not a vegetarian, I am willing to try it. May God bless you madam & your family now & to infinity & beyond! Respectfully submitted, Mrs. Sarah L. Puffinbarger
I can’t wait for you to try it, Sarah! Hope you enjoy!
Nice, healthy salad with many ingredients I love and I have on hand. My finished product looks every bit as pretty as yours; however, I needed to add at least three times the curry, and sesame oil (25% of oil was EVOO), and twice the ginger, for it to sing. I look forward to checking out other recipes on your site.
Hi, Robin. Glad you enjoyed it! I’ve found that the boldness of spices totally varies depending on the brand, so good idea to add as much as you need to make it taste amazing 🙂
Great recipes
Thanks, Yvonne! 🙂
This is the best thing I have made in a while! I’ll be making it again – maybe with some of the suggested changes. This time I subbed olive oil, and added grilled chicken.
Oh, yay! I’m so happy you loved it so much, Laurie! Great idea to add grilled chicken–yummm 🙂
Becoming one of my favorite lunches! The whole family loves it.
Woohoo! So happy to hear that, Jen!
Excellent salad, used cinnamon instead of cayenne and no cilantro.
SO happy you loved this one! Cinnamon sounds delicious in here 🙂
Wow – I can’t believe I waited this long to make this salad. I made this for meal prep for lunches this week and it was incredibly delicious! Every single bite was so yummy and so flavorful. I love how quick and easy it was to pull together. SO GOOD! Will definitely be in regular rotation.
I have made this recipe multiple times and I never get sick of it! Easy to make, healthy, and super flavorful!
Yay!! So glad you’re a fan, Kristen 🙂
So so good!
The sweet cranberries with the spicy curry!
Definitely a delicious salad and so easy to meal prep! <3
I love this recipe!! It has been a go to in my rotation for make ahead lunches. The cashews are addictive.
This was so easy and delicious! The flavors all go so well together. I find when I’m looking for what to make for dinner, rushing, and usually an hour before we want to eat, I gravitate to your site. I can always count on your recipes being delicious! Thank you!
Great and Quick dinner at the end of the day. The combo of quinua and chickpeas iš really good. 🤩
Such a great combo, right?! Glad to hear you love it!
This tastes so good. I was wondering could I sub the quinoa for rice?
Of course! Great swap 🙂
Restaurant-quality salad that’s so easy to make at home. This salad is DELICIOUS and is the perfect balance of flavor and texture. Even my husband who never gets too excited over a vegan dish was loving this salad 🙂
Oh yay! I’m so happy you love this one, Jena! Thanks 🙂
Hi! I just wanted to thank you for sharing these wonderful recipes. I found you recently and have tried several of them. They’re all absolutely delicious! And here’s another one that looks so good, that I cannot wait to try it. When I see a new recipe by you, I feel I can trust it to be well worth trying. Thank you again!
Thank you SO much, I’m so happy you’re here and that you’re loving them!! ❤️
I think its very possible that I messed this recipe up, so, I am willing to accept that its a user error situation.
I just feel like the recipe needed a little bit more acid, maybe a hit of vinegar or something?
Will try again for sure just because I love all the components
Hi! You can absolutely brighten it up more with a little acidity. I think lime or lemon juice would be great in here!
This is delicious!! It was really easy to make, and it has so much flavor. It’s perfect for meal prep since it makes a lot. I’m looking forward to eating it all week!
Yes, PERFECT for meal prep! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I love love love this recipe! I need to resist the urge to make it every week lest I tired of it! lol
A big hit at our house, so healthy and delicious!
So happy you all love it!! Thanks for letting me know!
This was delicious! Such a great make-ahead lunch. This would also be great to take to a potluck, as it’s both beautiful and tasty. I would do chopped dates next time instead of dried cherries. I added in some chopped zucchini because I needed to use it up.
This was so easy and yummy! Def great for meal prep.
Could couscous be used in place of the quinoa?
Sure!
Delicious. Even better next day.
Yes, the flavors get even better, right?! Happy you loved it!
Soo good! I like to use golden raisins in curry dishes, so I subbed those out but altered nothing else. Stellar, thank you!!
So nourishing and downright addictive! The ingredient list is long, but it’s worth it for the variety of textures and flavors. Can’t wait to make again.
Thanks SO MUCH for all your sweet reviews, Meghan! It means so much ❤️ Happy you love it all!
Loved this. Trying to be more plant based so great recipe to start. I did make a couple of changes… I didn’t have quinoa so I used short grain brown rice,( of course you’d get a bit more protein with the quinoa) I left out the red pepper as my husband isn’t a fan but I’m sure would be great if included. Also I didn’t toast or flavour my raw cashews, just sprinkled them from the bag on the top. Delicious! Makes a lot!
Those are all great changes! Thanks for sharing, Nancy 🙂
This recipe is delicious and so simple! I subbed roasted broccoli for peas and almonds for cashews. Will def be making this again!
This is so good! I just had it for lunch, and needed to give my rave review immediately! Do not skip the dried cherries, they give a wonderful tang to a flavorful dish. I also squeezed a lime over this right after plating to finish it off.
Love, love, love this recipe. Making it tonight following with your overnight blueberry oats and pancakes for breakfast.
In the video what company makes the pot you cook the quinoa in? It’s super beautiful.
Woohooo! I’m so glad you do! I’ll have to ask my videographer about the pot and get back to you 🙂
Thanks so much.
Hello again! Here’s the pot she used in the video: https://amzn.to/3kglkkg 🙂
Excellent, thanks so much.
This is a fabulous recipe. Just made it for lunch and used extra sesame oil (only had toasted on hand) and extra curry powder. It’s a filling dish without weighing you down. Seems like it will be perfect for leftovers, too!
Oh I’m so glad you tried it! Such a great lunch 🙂 And yes the leftovers are amazing — enjoy!
This salad was awesome. An explosion of flavor. We really loved it.
YAY I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks, Alexandra 🙂
I made this last night for my family and everyone loved it! It was perfect except felt like the quinoa was overcooked. Any suggestions on how to fix that? Thanks!
Happy you enjoyed it! But sorry to hear about the quinoa. It might have been the size of pot you used. I’d recommend reading this post on how to cook the best fluffy quinoa 🙂
I am so excited about this for my meal prep! It’s super flavorful and light, the toasted cashews make it taste gourmet! The only substitution I made was dicing up zucchini in place of the peas because they’re not my favorite as well as using dried cilantro and parsley, I’m sure fresh herbs wouldhave taken up another notch. Using fresh ginger is a must!
Those are great subs! SO happy you love this one. Such a good recipe to meal prep 🙂
Hi from the UK. Came across you + your gorgeous recipes on Facebook + have been blown away with how superb they are. Despite a few issues with converting measurements from US cups to Uk measurements, Ive not stopped using them. Looking for an easy way to convert if anyone has any ideas. Im addicted to your clean, tasty + approach. Thank you😍
Hi, Nikki! I’m so happy you’re here + that you’re loving the recipes! ❤️ Sorry that I don’t have UK measurements on my site. I think you could probably find a conversion calculator on Google!
Love this salad! So much flavor, great textures,, and nutrition.
This is one of our favorite salads when it’s cherry 🍒 season!! Not only is it vibrant in color but also in taste!! Make this salad NOW!! You will be in for an amazing lunch or dinner!!
I made a few changes in the dressing. Our ginger in Kerala, India, is very strong, more pungent I should say, so I added some fresh lemon juice and few tsps of brown sugar to mellow the dressing. It was perfect.
That sounds perfect! Great call 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
Really, really good. Pretty much made exactly as written. Made enough for leftovers, the next day, ate it for lunch and dinner.
Love it! This one’s great for meal prep 🙂
I made this today, thought like others, with not all ingredients, and it was delicious! I left out chickpeas, peas, green onion subbed for red, and I just through in regular cashews. If you have most of the ingredients, don’t be afraid to sub if you don’t have something.
Next time I will make it completely as per instruction – can’t wait! Yum!
This one’s great for customizing! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Ok, I already made it again! SO good!!
Obsessed! Thank you for this delicious, healthy recipe!!
This dish was truly delicious. I added shrimp to mine and I loved it but would also eat it with no additional protein. I am planning to share this with a group cooking class upcoming. Thank you for sharing! I am really excited about trying more of your recipes
In an attempt to keep away from sugar I’m looking for salads like this. However; with only 1 tablespoon of “dressing” (it was more like a paste) it did not add much flavor to the salad. 1/2 t salt was too much for me. With almost 6 cups of ingredients to 1 tablespoon of oil and a few teaspoons of spice, it just wasn’t “vibrant” tasting at all. Did you leave out an ingredient??
Hi! Sorry to hear you didn’t love it. It’s not meant to be a heavily dressed salad (I didn’t leave out any ingredients) but you’re welcome to add more sesame oil and/or some lemon or orange juice for extra moisture 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a couple times last Summer and loved it! I would like to make it for a wedding shower for 20-25 people along with mini chicken salad croissants, a fruit salad and deviled eggs. I’m thinking this recipe would be enough as printed as I remember it making quite a large bowl despite it saying makes 4 servings. What do you think?
This was a great recipe for meal prep! I had it for lunch a few days in a row and it was great each day! I enjoyed all of the different textures of ingredients and it was so flavorful! Will definitely make again,
Yay! So glad this recipe is a hit and you are loving it, Meghan 🙂
Every time I serve this salad, it gets raves. I especially love that it is easy to make, colorful, packed with levels of flavors and different textures, AND is a recipe that is easy to adapt. The quinoa/chickpea base is inspiring.
Very good! I made it without any substitutions, but did omit the salt, as my husband needs low-sodium. Very pretty colors, nice and light and refreshing, with a touch of sweet from the cherries, and spice from the curry. Loved the extra crunch the cashews gave. All around great salad!
Sounds delish! Any suggestions for a sub for the cilantro and parsley? I’m one of those people that it tastes like soap to me lol
Thank you so much!
I think this recipe was good, it just wasn’t my absolute favorite. I do love all the different veggies. I think maybe next time I might try toasting the chickpeas just for some extra crunch!
Did you add the cashews? They add the perfect crush to this salad as well.
Didn’t know what to expect but AMAZING!! Satisfied my craving for a curry-flavored, slightly sweet and spicy dinner. I’ll be making this a lot for lunch meal prep during the week. Had it with lentils for an extra boost.
I made this to have for lunch over 3-4 days. It took while to prepare – feels like one of those “everything but the kitchen sink” recipes, but the end result was worth it. I modified it only a little – didn’t have peas so I used some frozen mukimame, and I didn’t have enough dried cherries, so I added some diced medjol dates.
Sounds amazing! Glad you are loving this salad!