This Cauliflower Chickpea Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing combines roasted cauliflower & chickpeas with fluffy quinoa and creamy avocados. It’s a healthy, protein-packed salad that can be made ahead of time. (Vegan+Vegetarian)
Table of Contents
In searching through my recipe archives, I discovered that I had one cauliflower recipe. One. It’s time to change that. Because I love cauliflower. And I’m pretty sure that a lot of you guys do too.
I make this Roasted Miso Cauliflower often as a side dish. And I love swapping cauliflower rice in recipes to make them low-carb. But today I’m bringing on the Cauliflower Salad.
Can we just talk about this dressing for a sec? It’s dreamy…
Garlicky, lemony, nutty – with just a hint of sweetness from some maple syrup. You could basically drizzle it on anything and it would taste good.
But we’re drizzling it on some roasted chickpeas and cauliflower that are tossed with quinoa and avocado.
It’s basically heaven in a bowl.
Ingredient notes
- Cooked Quinoa – I love making my quinoa in the Instant Pot or in my rice cooker.
- Cauliflower – I used 1 medium head of cauliflower for this recipe.
- Canned Chickpeas – Or, swap in these (no soak!) instant pot chickpeas.
- Olive Oil
- Avocado
- Spices – Cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper.
- Fresh Parsley
- Tahini
- Lemon Juice
- Garlic
- Maple Syrup – Or, swap in some honey.
How to cut cauliflower
- Cut the cauliflower into quarters.
- Lay the quarters on a cutting board and cut into them at an angle to remove the core.
- Repeat with each quarter.
- Cut any larger florets into bite sized pieces.
How to make it
- Preheat your oven to 450-degrees.
- Combine cauliflower, chickpeas, olive oil and spices in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Spread out evenly on baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until the cauliflower begins to char and chickpeas are crispy. Set aside to cool slightly, while you prepare the dressing.
- Combine the cauliflower-chickpea mixture with cooked quinoa. Top with avocado and parsley. Drizzle with tahini dressing and toss gently to combine.
How to make the tahini dressing
Just whisk everything together and then season with salt and pepper. You may need to add in some water to get the consistency you’re looking for. I like my dressing on the thick side, but thin enough to drizzle.
How to make ahead + store
- To make this cauliflower quinoa salad ahead of time, I like to toss the cauliflower, chickpeas, quinoa and parsley, but leave the dressing on the side. When ready to serve, drizzle with the dressing and add some sliced avocado to the top. I also love adding on these quick pickled onions!
Erin’s wine pairings
- Chenin Blanc
More quinoa recipes
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Did you make this roasted cauliflower and chickpea salad?
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Full Recipe
Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 avocado (cubed)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (to garnish)
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas:
- 1 medium head cauliflower (cut into small florets)
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Tahini Dressing:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic (grated or minced)
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1-2 tablespoons water (if needed)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450°F.
- Combine cauliflower, chickpeas, olive oil and spices in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Spread out evenly on baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until the cauliflower begins to char and chickpeas are crispy. Set aside to cool slightly.
Tahini Dressing:
- Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup. Add extra water if needed to thin. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Combine cauliflower-chickpea mixture with cooked quinoa. Top with avocado and parsley. Drizzle with tahini dressing and toss gently to combine.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2018. It was updated in 2023 to add new information. The quinoa cauliflower chickpea salad recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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