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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 21-Day 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
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks! Winners announced each season in my newsletter.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.
This salad was so good. It was our favorite so far! We had friends in from out of town and all four of us thought it was one of the best salads and dressings we have had. The tahini citrus dressing was easy to make and will definitely be a staple in our house. I added mixed greens in with the spinach and it was perfect. Thanks so much!
I love that you’re sharing with your guests! So happy it was a win for all! 🙂
The dressing was delicious. The salad was filling. I added some mandarin segments to the salad to make it more exciting. I had some toasted garlic bread to eat with the salad.
This recipe had a good combination of a grain and greens. Perfect as a stand alone meal.
My boyfriend and I prepared this the night before and he said after eating it today for lunch how it had just the right amount of crunch.
Although this salad is delicious, the calorie count is pretty scary!
I would double or even triple the amount of spinach, and then reduce the seeds by half each. (I’d keep the dressing as is, though, . It is so good!).
Super yummy salad! Hit the spot, not too filling, and such lovely colors!
I served my salad in a wrap. So tasty! Lots of chewing but worth it when it tastes that good. Plus that dressing, oh, that dressing. Yum!
I’ve never used tahini and the dressing is so good! I used mandarin instead of orange, but it was great! I liked the rainbow of colors in the veggies and the sweet creaminess of the dressing. I’ve always liked chickpeas and the made the salad a full meal for us. I liked the crunch of the seeds and also topped with hulled hemp seeds and flaky sea salt. One of my favorites, so far!
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!