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)
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.
Why you’ll love it
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Fluffy Quinoa
- Delicious Avocado
- Creamy Tahini Dressing
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.
Ingredients needed
- Cooked Quinoa – I love making my quinoa in the Instant Pot!
- 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!
Wine pairings
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Gewurztraminer
- Chenin Blanc
More quinoa recipes
- Quinoa Soup {Creamy + Delicious}
- Quinoa Taco Bowls
- Southwest Beef & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Taco Quinoa & Turkey Lettuce Wraps
- Chicken Gyro Bowls with Quinoa
More chickpea recipes
- Sweet Potato & Chickpea Buddha Bowl
- Cauliflower Salad with Roasted Chickpeas & Quinoa
- Harissa Chicken with Chickpeas
- Instant Pot Chickpeas
- Fennel and Chickpea Salad
- Macadamia Nut Hummus
- More → 37+ Chickpea Recipes
More salad recipes
- Arugula Salad
- Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
- Lebanese Cabbage Salad
- Thai Cucumber Salad
- Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Farro Salad with Basil Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Thai Chicken Salad
More tahini recipes
- Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- Roasted Squash Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing
- Farro Salad Recipe with Basil Lemon Tahini
- Grilled Eggplant Baba Ganoush
- MORE → 35+ Recipes that Use Tahini
More easy vegetarian recipes
- Vegetarian Sushi
- Indian Butter Chickpeas
- Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts
- Mushroom Parmesan
- Plus, 100+ Vegan Dinner Ideas
Did you make this cauliflower and chickpea salad?
Please leave a comment and rating below, if you loved this chickpea cauliflower salad recipe. Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
HUNGRY FOR MORE? For more great Platings & Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
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.
Equipment
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2018. It was updated in 2023 to add new information. The quinoa cauliflower salad recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
Delicious salad! Even my husband who thinks he doesn’t like quinoa liked it. The tahini and lemon dressing is so good. Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m obsessed with that dressing too Vivian!
The flavours in this are so good. Next time I will only dress the portions I am eating as I did the whole thing which made it soggy. I will be doing many variations of this thank you!
You’re so welcome Leah!!!
Great flavours! Loved it. Even my husband liked it. Easy recipe and full of flavour!!
I’m so happy to hear that Kate!
Are there supposed to be red onions here?
No red onions.
Great recipe but I had a trouble to see it because of the adverts- they covered the whole screen!
not a fan of maple syrup, any suggestions on a substitute?
Hi Dan – I’m not a huge maple fan, and I would say that you can’t taste it too much. However, you could also use honey, or leave it out entirely, maybe adding a little bit more water to thin it out. Then give it a taste, if you feel like it needs it, a pinch of sugar could help add some sweetness. Hope that helps!
This looks so good but my husband hates cumin and I’m not that keen either is there another herb or spice I can substitute?
Hi Gerry! You can leave out the cumin. Some paprika, oregano and/or garlic powder could work in its place. Hope that helps!
Hi! This looks amazing!
Is the 605 cals per serve or in total?
Hi! This looks amazing!
Is the 605 cals per serve or in total?
Hi Bek – The 605 calories is per serving. There are 4 servings in total. It’s a pretty hearty salad. Hope that helps!
Delicious! I decided to assemble the salad in our bowls and then drizzle on the dressing, garnishing with the avocado, and used cilantro since I did not have parsley. I did turn the cauliflower over half way through to increase the browning.
Absolutely LOOOOVE this.
Cathy x
Thanks Cathy!
Hi, gorgeous recipe. If made the day before and then assembled on the day, will the chickpeas and cauliflower go soggy?
Thanks, Nat
Hi Nat – The cauliflower does tend to get a bit soggy as it sits. 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.
This sounds delicious can’t wait to try it.
I found this on In Color Only. I love Cauliflower and Broccoli.
Thank you, will let you know what I think.
Bobbie
Thanks Bobbie!
This looks so good! What a great recipe that is hearty & healthy!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
We love making this recipe as meal prep for lunches throughout the week! It keeps in the fridge and reheats so well. It’s really delicious and satisfying! Last time we made it we added some leftover savoy cabbage and it was a great addition.
Love that add in idea Jeni! I’ll have to try that!
Cauliflower! Love all things cauliflower. Can’t wait to try out this salad for a new dish.
We eat this chilled. Very good. We think it would be great in a lettuce wrap. Or on a bed of lettuce or with steam and lemon dressed kale
This looks so good! Do you use this dressing in any other dishes?
Thanks for sharing! Does the dressing keep long?
This sounds delicious but my husband is sensitive to tahini (awful, I know!). Do you have any creative ideas for a substitute? I was thinking maybe cashew butter?
I think that Cashew Butter would make a nice swap! Or, maybe some Greek yogurt…
My favorite so far, I just became plant based. The keys is definitely to the drizzle the sauce then serve.
Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome Amy!
love cauliflower. need to try this new recipe.
Thank you Mary – I hope you enjoy it!
Delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, except I only had red quinoa, and no parsley so I used cilantro, as someone else suggested. My dressing was still pretty thick even with the water, but it sure it tasty. Next time I need to use two baking sheets so I get better browning and crispiness. And yes, there WILL be a next time.
Thanks Katie – I’m so glad you liked it!!!
Is there a specific tahini dressing you use?
Hi Karissa – I love this brand.
Absolutely delicious!!!
Thank you for sharing!!!
You’re welcome Cheri! Thank you for trying the salad out! 🙂
I have been on a healthy salad kick lately and gave this one a try today. I only ever leave a review on a recipe if it blows my mind and let me tell y’all. This is INSANELY good. And so simple to make with stuff I almost always have on hand. I halved the recipe because my family is always picky about my healthy creations and I immediately regretted not making more. My teenage son is literally hovering over the counter inhaling what is left. I followed the recipe exactly but forgot the parsley…which wasn’t even necessary! I will be making this again soon. It would be awesome with some grilled chicken or even rotisserie chicken thrown in.
Thank you Jessie!
This was one of the best recipes I’ve made in a long time! The texture of the chickpeas and the flavor of the dressing are amazing. Wow. The dressing. I’ll be making this over and over again!
Thank you so much Gigi!
My only complaint was that I didn’t double this. Absolutely fabulous!!!! I used a store bought turmeric tahini from target. Thank you!
Thank you so much!
20/10–one of my top 10 favorite meals. The flavors were so so good and everything was healthy too. Super for a gluten free individual 💫
Thank you Jamie!
This was such a great recipe quick and healthy.