This golden Moroccan quinoa salad is one of my new favorite salads.
Think fluffy quinoa with Mediterranean spices, paired with herbs, chewy dates, almonds and sweet red onion.
Served both warm or cold, this golden quinoa salad is super versatile, whether you’re taking this as a work lunch or packing it for a camping trip. I personally love it warm, as it helps bring out the flavor of the spices.
It’s the perfect blend of a warm grain bowl and fresh salad bowl.
One quick note, this Moroccan chickpea quinoa salad is definitely inspired by Moroccan flavors and is by no means a traditional Moroccan recipe.
Moroccan Quinoa Salad Ingredients
Here’s your grocery list for this Moroccan quinoa salad recipe. As always, measurements and directions are in the recipe card below.
- Quinoa: Linking my quinoa tips and tricks video here
- Arugula
- Cilantro: Feel free to use parsley if you don’t like cilantro
- Mint
- Red onion
- Chickpeas: I just used chickpeas from a carton as it’s so much easier
- Medjool dates: Instead of using raisins, I opted to use medjool dates (they taste amazing in this salad bowl)
- Flaked almonds: Also known as sliced almonds
- Spices: Like garlic, onion, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt
- Olive oil: Use a good quality olive oil as the flavor will shine through in the finished salad bowl
- Lemons
Cheat Sheet to This Salad
- Instead of using dates, you can make this moroccan quinoa salad with raisins. I would recommend using golden raisins or sultanas as they pair best with this quinoa salad.
- You can use up any leftover quinoa you have as well. Instead of cooking the spices with the quinoa, simply fry them as the directions state, then add in the quinoa and stir fry together for 3-4 minutes.
- Take this to the next level and make crispy chickpeas. Simply roast them with tons of spices like cumin, coriander, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper and salt along with tons of olive oil. Bake at 450°F for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. They taste amazing in this salad!
Even More Salad Bowl Recipes
If you make this recipe, make sure to tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @munchingwithmariyah so I can share on my stories! Love seeing when you make my recipes!!!
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Golden Moroccan Quinoa Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 people 1x
- Category: Main Course, Salad
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
Think fluffy quinoa with Mediterranean spices, paired with herbs, chewy dates, almonds and sweet red onion. Served both warm or cold, this golden quinoa salad is super versatile.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Quinoa, uncooked
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 clove Garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 head Cilantro, finely minced
- 1 head Mint, finely minced
- 1 large handful of Arugula, roughly chopped
- ½ medium Red onion, finely diced
- 1 can (15 oz) cooked Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 pitted Medjool dates, finely diced
- ½ cup Flaked almonds ((also known as sliced almonds))
- 1 large Lemon
- Extra olive oil for topping
Instructions
- Dump the quinoa into a mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly, set aside.
- In a pot, add in the olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, turn the heat down to medium and add in the minced garlic, onion powder, cumin seeds, salt, pepper, turmeric, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Let the spices bloom and continue to cook until the garlic is golden-brown, about 2 minutes. Make sure to stir the spices as they cook.
- Dump the quinoa into the pot, along with the water and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to high and bring the quinoa to a boil. Once boiling, turn the down to low and partially cover the pot with a lid. Let the quinoa cook until all the water is fully absorbed and the quinoa grains are fluffy, about 10 minutes. Once the quinoa is done cooking, fully cover with the lid and let sit on the stove, heat off, for 10 minutes.
- While the quinoa cooks, add the cilantro, mint, arugula, red onion, chickpeas, dates and almonds into a large bowl. Once the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork and add into the bowl. Squeeze over a generous amount of lemon juice (I used a full lemons worth) along with a generous amount of good quality olive oil. Toss to combine and season to taste with kosher salt.
- I personally like to let this salad sit for 10-15 minutes before eating it, as it allows the flavors to meld a bit.
How much water? Same as usual directions for quinoa?