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This colorful and crunchy chickpea salad is full of Mediterranean-inspired flavor. I love loading up my salads with vibrant ingredients that are visually appealing, nourishing and filling.
I originally created this recipe for my Plant-Based Cleanse. It is one salad that always surprises people, so if you’re on the fence about salads loaded with toppings, I’m ready to change your mind.
Ingredients in Chickpea Salad
I love using Mediterranean-inspired flavors and ingredients since the Mediterranean contains blue zones, places on Earth known for longevity. You can definitely add in the vegetables of your choice, or add even more cucumber, pepper or carrot to this chickpea salad. Chickpeas are also called garbanzo beans, so look for either name on the label. Drain and rinse well before using.
The Key to the Perfect Dressing
To brighten up the veggie-fest that is this crunchy salad I created a Citrus Tahini Dressing. The tamari and apple cider vinegar brings the zing while the orange sweetens. The tahini wraps it all up in a creamy package.
Depending on how thick your tahini is, you may need to add a bit of water to ensure this dressing is perfectly pourable. Use coconut aminos if you need a soy-free option in place of the tamari. The dressing tastes great yet also adds extra healthy fat to my chickpea salad.
Crunchy Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach fresh
- 1 cup chickpeas canned (drained and rinsed)
- ½ carrot diced
- ½ cucumber diced
- ¼ cup red bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup raw pepitas
- ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Whisk together Citrus Tahini Dressing ingredients. Add extra olive oil or water if dressing is too thick.
- Place spinach, chickpeas and veggies on a plate. Pour dressing on top and sprinkle with seeds.
Notes
- Swap spinach with the leafy greens of your choice.
- Feel free to load this salad up with as many veggies as you want.
- Chickpeas add healthy protein, swap with black beans if you aren’t a fan of chickpeas.
- Swap seeds with chopped cashews and almonds.
- Swap tahini with the nut butter of your choice (though texture + thickness will change depending on the nut butter used).
- Use coconut aminos instead of tamari to make this soy-free.
Nutrition
Chickpea Salad FAQs
They can be! Chickpeas are a wonderful plant protein, healthy fat and high in fiber. They are loaded with nutrients, like manganese and folate, so they are filling as well as nutritious.
Nope! Chickpeas should be cooked before eating. Canned chickpeas are already cooked, just rinse well before using.
I paired chickpeas with spinach, carrot, red bell pepper, cucumber, pepitas and sunflower seeds and topped it all with a bright tahini dressing. It’s loaded with protein, healthy fat and 100% plants.
Interesting dressing. I like it, but I don’t know that I will repeat it super regularly. I am enjoying the variety of flavors in this challenge, though. Thank you!
This was a beautiful looking salad, but the taste seemed bland. Need lil more “wow”.
This chickpea salad was so easy to make. I really like the dressing which would be delicious on other salads as well. The combination of flavors had a nuttyness with the tahini and chickpeas. I would make this again!
Absolutely amazing. A great combination of flavors and loved the dressing again!
Great salad and really filling!
Fun salad dressing.
Love the dressing
Pretty good. This salad was really easy to make and was pretty tasty.
Pretty good. This salad was really easy to make and was pretty tasty. The combo of the chickpeas and the Tahini was a bit much for me, but was otherwise good.
Enjoyed this salad
First time adding chick peas and loved it
Looking forward to tomorrow’s salad
I am at my daughter’s place and brought my cooler of salad supplies to keep my 10 day salads going and every one loves them
Way to try new things!
So pretty, I love all the great colors, and the fresh taste. Pepita s really give it a nice crunch.
Day 5: Sweet & Crunchy Salad
This salad is delicious! I used spring mix vs spinach since that’s what I had. I love the different textures and the dressing is my favorite. It was sooo good! Definitely a keeper! I wasn’t too sure about the Tahini as I tried it before and didn’t like it. I had a different brand this time and it’s delicious!
Way to give tahini another shot!! You RAWK!
I think I reviewed the wrong recipe yesterday, since I am off by one day in the challenge! This is the one with a dressing that is not our cup of tea. Loved the nuts…not a fan of the chickpeas, but love them made into hummus.
This salad was delicious! Very filling without being heavy! I will make it again for sure!
Tasty and different. Slows my intake down because I need to chew so much. 🙂 that’s a good thing.
The Sweet and Crunchy Salad is heaven in a bowl and the dressing is to die for!
The garbanzos are at the heart of this delicious spinach salad, with sweet crunchy veggies making this a meal to dive into, while still feeling light and clean.
I love the way the dressing ingredient blend perfectly into their own flavor, not overly influenced by the tahini which is often so distinct. Nice!
Love this!