Brown Rice and Quinoa Salad

You know those loaded salads that make you feel amazing after eating them? This brown rice and quinoa salad is exactly that! It’s packed with protein from quinoa and chickpeas and gut-loving fiber from whole grains and fresh veggies. I often make this as I’m meal-prepping for the week so I can mix up a quick, wholesome lunch. You will also find it’s so versatile, bursting with bold textures, and a nod to Middle Eastern flavors with a fresh twist—you’ll never get bored of it!

What you’ll love about this recipe

1. High in protein – Quinoa and chickpeas have top-notch plant-based protein, to keep you full longer.
2. At least 10 different plants – Staying true to my mission, I give you whole grains and fresh vegetables packed with fiber to help your gut-health that’s so important for your well-being. Not to mention the spices!
3. Bursting with flavor – Harissa-spiced chickpeas, fresh herbs, and a tangy yogurt dressing make every bite full of texture and flavor. Good-bye boring salads!
4. Versatile & meal-prep friendly – We eat it warm or cold, as a side or main dish.

Watch how to make brown rice & quinoa salad

Ingredients you’ll need

For the salad

• Wholegrains: brown rice and quinoa – I use brown basmati, I find that is not so chewy as the long grain and it cooks faster. I use white quinoa, although sometimes you can find a mix of red, white and black quinoa that gives your salad even more color, like this ancient grains salad I usually make in the spring. You can use ready cooked rice and quinoa, no judgment whatsoever.
• Canned chickpeas – or you can totally cook your own from scratch. I like draining and toasting them lightly with Harissa spices so that they get different textures, a little crispy on the outside but still soft. You can buy ready mixed spices, or just blend your own, like in my favorite Harissa spice blend recipe.
• Herbs – This is where you go wild! I went along with my Middle Eastern theme with fresh parsley and mint, almost like a tabbouleh, I also added green garlic shoots (I have garlic growing in my herbs garden), but chives can work well too or even spring onions.
• Olives, Tomatoes, Arugula (Rocket) – just your usual salad items!

For the dressing

• Yogurt
• Garlic
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lemon – you can tone it down and use just half of the zest and juice, as it can be quite overpowering, but I really liked it with the full-on lemony vibe!

Optional Toppings

• Quick pickled shallot
• Chopped toasted pistachios

How to make brown rice and quinoa salad (step-by-step)

Pro Tips

• Use vegetable stock when cooking quinoa and brown rice for extra depth of flavor, or just add salt.
• Let the grains cool completely before assembling to avoid a soggy salad. But we also eat this salad warm and it was so delicious!
• Quinoa cooks faster than what the pack instructions say, watch it closely and remove it from the heat after 10 or 15 minutes.
• Both brown rice and quinoa are naturally gluten-free. Just carefully read the pack label, sometimes they may contain gluten if packed in a factory that also handles cereals containing gluten.

What to serve with this wholegrain salad

• You will love my grilled chicken supreme or my salmon and minted pea puree if you are serving this salad as a side dish 🫶.
• Or for that full Middle Eastern vibe, I think it’s worth trying my lamb koftas with tzatziki dip.
• You can serve it with roasted vegetables like sweet potatoes, or my roasted Chantenay carrots.
• I would really encourage you to try it with some homemade natural pickles, like my fermented cauliflower, the tanginess and crunch are so good, not to mention all the gut-health nutrition!

variations and substitutions

• This recipe is VEGETARIAN, yay!
• VEGAN: you can swap the yogurt for tahini or a plant-based yogurt.
• Add some feta or grilled halloumi, you can thank me later 😜! My chickpea and halloumi salad has all the steps to show you how!
• Roasted veggies – I seriously think that you can roast the cherry tomatoes and eat this salad warm, as a main meal. Or add roasted or char grilled bell peppers, yum 😋!
• Extra crunch – Anything goes: cucumber, radishes, or toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds (pepitas).
• Something sweet: raisins or pomegranate are the perfect fruity pairing with these flavors.

This brown rice and quinoa salad isn’t just healthy and delicious! Packed with protein, fiber, and zingy flavors, it’s the kind of dish that you can have for lunch or dinner. Everyone will be grateful for this salad at barbecues or potluck, but you can meal-prep it every week. That’s why I love it so much and I hope you will too!

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recipe FAQ

Brown Rice and Quinoa Salad

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Flossie

With more than 10 plants, including wholegrains, this brown rice and quinoa salad will make you feel amazing! It’s packed with protein and fiber and lots of fresh Middle Eastern flavors, but you can make it your own!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Cooling time for the grains 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Brunch, lunch, Main Course, main meal, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine british, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Servings 4

Equipment

• 2 saucepans to cook the grains
• 1 Chopping board
• 1 knife
• 1 frying pan to toast nuts (if using) and chickpeas
• 1 small bowl for the dressing
• 1 whisk
• 1 large bowl
• 2 wooden spoons optional to mix the salad
• 1 mandolin optional to slice shallots

Ingredients

  

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For the Salad:

• 100 g brown rice or 200g cooked and cooled
• 100 g quinoa or 200g cooked and cooled
• 1 can chickpeas drained, 230g chickpeas
• 2 tbsp olive oil to toast the chickpeas
• 1 tbsp Harissa spices
• 1 Handful of fresh mint chopped
• 1 Handful of parsley chopped
• 100 g olives sliced
• 150 g cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 Handful of rocket (arugula)

For the Dressing:

• 1 garlic clove mashed into a paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon Juice and zest
• 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Optional Toppings:

• 2 tbsp quick-pickled shallots 1 small shallot steeped in apple cider vinegar for at least 30 minutes or overnight
• 50 g pistachios toasted and chopped

Instructions

 

Cook the grains

• Rinse the brown rice and quinoa under cold water. Cook them separately according to package instructions, using vegetable stock or salted water for extra flavor. Let them cool completely. For guidance only, brown basmati rice cooks in around 25 minutes, long grain longer, but quinoa cooks rather quick, 10 to 15 minutes at the most (water absorption method), even though the pack may say 20 minutes.

Prep veg & Toast the chickpeas

• While the grains cook, slice the olives and tomatoes and prepare all of the herbs and spices. Slice the shallot and steep in apple cider vinegar in a jar or a bowl. Set aside.
• Heat a pan with a little oil and toast the chickpeas on medium heat with Harissa spices until slightly crispy, this takes only 3 minutes. Set aside.

Mix the salad

• In a large bowl, combine cooked and cooled brown rice, quinoa, chickpeas, herbs, olives, cherry tomatoes, and arugula (rocket).

Make the dressing & assemble

• Whisk together garlic paste, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, Greek yogurt. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.

Garnish and serve

• Top with quick-pickled shallots and toasted pistachios if desired. Enjoy immediately or chill for later.

Video

Notes

If you use precooked, store bought grains, you can reduce the cooking and cooling time. 

If you are meal prepping, prep and keep the ingredients separately, for example the sliced tomatoes and olives, the grains, the herbs, the dressing and toppings. Assemble the salad just before serving or the night before if you are preparing lunches.

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