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Home » Salads

Vegan Brown Rice and Chickpea Salad

Published: Oct 27, 2019 · Modified: May 16, 2023 by Janelle Hama

Jump to Recipe

A cold vegan brown rice salad with freshly chopped vegetables and chickpeas in a simple lime dressing. This rice salad can be enjoyed as a main or as a side, making it ideal for lunch or dinner.

Very Colourful Brown Rice Salad

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Jump to:
  • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
  • Ingredients You'll Need
  • How to Make Brown Rice and Chickpea Salad
  • Pro Tips
  • Variations
  • ❓FAQ
  • Related recipes
  • Vegan Brown Rice and Chickpea Salad

I absolutely adore this vegan brown rice and chickpea salad, not only for its freshness and taste but also for the ease of making it.

The other day I had family come over unexpectedly over the lunch period, I had to think quickly about what to make and this never fail quick meal came to the rescue.

I mention this as if you ever get stuck, this is the one easy healthy vegan meal you can turn to.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free and nut free.
  • Easy preparation, only one bowl is needed, no need to prepare the lime dressing separately
  • It’s a colorful rice salad packed with goodness
  • Great as a work/school lunch
  • This vegan rice salad is adaptable, you can chop and change the ingredients as you like

Ingredients You'll Need

vegetables ingredients for the rice salad
brown rice and salad dressing ingredients

Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients, and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Brown rice is easily found on the shelves of your local supermarket, or you can shop for it here (affiliate link). You will want to cook the brown rice as per the packet instructions and allow it to cool down before combining it with the other salad ingredients. 

Chickpeas aka garbanzo beans add protein to this salad and can be cooked from the dry variety or store-bought already cooked organic chickpeas (affiliate links). Drain them from their aquafaba.

Corn kernels can be freshly boiled and cut from a corn cob or store-bought. 

All vegetables (see recipe card below for the list) should be fresh and of good quality, blemish-free. These should be chopped up into small bite-size pieces. The avocado adds a bit of creaminess and the radish and red cabbage add vibrancy and crunch. Capsicum (bell pepper) can be any color you prefer.

Fresh mint leaves are best.

Lime adds a wonderful subtle hint of citrus to this brown rice salad. It should be freshly squeezed. I like to select a lime that has no blemish but can easily be squeezed, this normally signals it has a lot of juice. 

Olive oil should be a good quality extra virgin. I find that good olive oil makes a world of difference in a dressing.

Tip: Save the aquafaba (chickpea water) to make many wonderful foods such as vegan meringues.

brown rice salad in a white dish

How to Make Brown Rice and Chickpea Salad

Combine the rice and vegetables. In a large bowl, add the cooked and cooled brown rice and all chopped vegetables.

Toss the salad with the dressing. Pour over the lime juice, olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper. Combine all the ingredients and serve cold. 

Pro Tips

Brown rice can be cooked in advance and then later combined with the rest of the ingredients.

Ensure the rice is cool by immediately spreading it onto a tray. This will cool the rice quickly and stop the rice from turning mushy and cooking further.

Vegetable Chopper
Save chopping time by using this helpful tool. It will also chop vegetables uniformly.

VIEW PRODUCT
two white plates of brown rice salad

Variations

Short on time? Pre-cooked brown rice pouches (affiliate link) can be used. Once heated as instructed on the packet, allow it to cool to room temperature. 

Lime can be substituted with lemon.

Other vegetables can be substituted or added as per your liking. You may need to adjust the amount of dressing needed. Some other vegetables that would work include lettuce, kale, carrot, celery etcetera.

Types of rice - whilst brown rice is the recommended rice, white rice such as basmati, jasmine, or long grain could be used. Brown basmati rice also works well.

Dressing can be changed to suit, check out these 20+ vegan salad dressings to choose from.

round white plate with brown rice salad

❓FAQ

Can I store brown rice salad?

Yes, this salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. However, it is best consumed the same day it was prepared, as this brown rice salad uses fresh vegetables which tend to wilt when prepared and stored.

Can rice salad be made a day ahead?

Yes, this salad can be made ahead. Prepare the rice and chop the vegetables, keep them separate in the refrigerator. Add the dressing when serving or about 15 minutes before serving.

vegan brown rice in a white dish with brown serving spoons

Related recipes

If you like this vegan brown rice chickpea salad, you will also like my vegan couscous salad.

Try my glass noodle salad which is a family favorite or this spicy cucumber salad.

Another delicious salad with chickpeas is my Lebanese balela salad.

Or try this mouthwatering warm chickpeas recipe called balila.

Give this colorful vegan cobb salad a try.

Do you like the sound of this salad being paired with something else? Try my pumpkin soup without cream as a starter and finish off with our Lebanese Turmeric Semolina Cake aka Sfouf with a cup of tea or coffee.

Did you enjoy making this recipe? I would love to hear from you, leave me a comment below and give me a ★★★★★ rating. If you love sharing your vegan food pics, join the PBF community group

Brown Rice Salad Up Close

Vegan Brown Rice and Chickpea Salad

A cold vegan brown rice salad with freshly chopped vegetables and chickpeas in a simple lime dressing. This rice and chickpea salad can be enjoyed as a main or as a side, making it ideal for lunch or dinner.
Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
Course: Main Course, side
Cuisine: Australian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

  • 250 grams Brown rice cooked and cooled
  • 1 medium Tomato diced
  • 1 medium Lebanese cucumber diced
  • 1 handful Red cabbage sliced
  • ½ cup Corn kernels pre cooked from a corn cob, or organic tinned variety
  • 4 medium Radishes diced
  • ½ medium Capsicum (bell pepper) any colour is fine. diced.
  • 1 small handful Fresh mint leaves roughly chopped
  • 1 cup Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) cooked
  • 1 small Avocado chopped
  • 1 sprig Spring onion chopped

Brown Rice Salad Dressing

  • 1 medium Lime freshly squeezed
  • 4 tablespoon Olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon Black Pepper freshly cracked, or to taste
Metric - US Customary
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Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, add cold cooked rice and all chopped vegetables and herbs
    250 grams Brown rice, 1 medium Tomato, 1 medium Lebanese cucumber, 1 handful Red cabbage, ½ cup Corn kernels, 4 medium Radishes, ½ medium Capsicum, 1 small handful Fresh mint leaves, 1 cup Chickpeas, 1 small Avocado, 1 sprig Spring onion
  • Add dressing ingredients to the combined brown rice and vegetables and mix well. Serve cool.
    1 medium Lime, 4 tablespoon Olive oil, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper

Video


Notes

Brown rice can be cooked in advance and then later combined with the rest of the ingredients, it will need to be cold to be added to the salad. 2½ cups cooked brown rice = 1 cup uncooked brown rice.
 
You might also like this glass noodles salad.

Equipment

Bowl

Nutrition

Calories: 540kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Sodium: 639mg | Potassium: 817mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 979IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg

N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.


Tried this recipe?Mention @Plantbasedfolk or tag #plantbasedfolk

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Michele

    July 22, 2022 at 11:15 am

    5 stars
    The perfect summer salad!!! Lots of crunchy veggies

    Reply
  2. Eren

    July 11, 2022 at 1:03 pm

    5 stars
    this salad turned out amazing! so filling and delicious!

    Reply
  3. Suzie

    July 03, 2022 at 9:12 am

    5 stars
    This is not only colorful, but also filling and healthy salad. addition of radish and red cabbage looks really nice. Been eating it for lunch daily for a while as it is convenient, every now and then it isnt the same as I use what veg i have left

    Reply
  4. Megan

    June 05, 2022 at 9:53 pm

    5 stars
    I love everything about this salad. Beautiful and zesty, with crunch and loads of yum. Thanks Janelle.

    Reply
  5. Justine

    August 11, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    5 stars
    i love the color and the flavor. I make this now regularly for lunch and sometimes I add some protein to it.

    Reply

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Hello, I'm Janelle, a culinary enthusiast with over two decades of cooking experience and a keen interest in creating delicious vegan Lebanese recipes.

Let's cook together!

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