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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.
I enjoyed this salad and all the veggies in it. The dressing was ok. It did pair well with the veggies.
I forgot to rate. Sorry.
Love this salad. Hearty with a great mix of flavors.
Love using chickpeas for more than hummus! Mahalo for the recipe.
Agreed. Chickpeas are wonderful!
I LOVE this salad! It’s a very similar take on a salad I got hooked on last summer, and I love the addition of the sunflower seeds and pepitas for extra crunch. I’m also a huge fan a tahini dressings, so this was a winner for me.
We were pleasantly surprised we really enjoyed this salad, I did make some changes to suit our tastes, I roasted the chick peas, and because we are not huge fans of tahini, I halved the amount in the dressing.
I really enjoyed this salad. The combination of flavors was great. I added some sliced peperoncini peppers and a bit of the vinegar they come in and that took it to the next level. Thanks for the recipe!
Don’t like the tamari in the dressings, overpowering, salty
Loved this salad! I wouldn’t have thought to combine these ingredients, but was pleasantly surprised at how well they work together. The crunch of the veggies and seeds and the protein packed chickpeas added to the overall goodness. The citrus tahini dressing was sooo good and the perfect dressing for this salad.
Great salad! With the crunchy veggies, I think it’ll be great as a make ahead mason jar salad for busy summer days. Can’t wait to make it again!
Good solid chickpea recipe. Modified a bit to use some of the ingredients I had in hand, but really liked the citrus in the dressing. Might take an added step to roast the chickpeas in the future, for more crunch.
Love Love Love this salad
Thank you
One for the recipe book
Hooray! I love when recipes get added into the regular rotation!
I was hesitant but it all came together. I did not have pepitas so subbed chopped almonds.
Great sub! Almonds would totally work perfectly in this salad!
We love everything on this recipe and no leftover today!
Remember this from the first 21 day fresh start I did many years ago. I love the wholesomeness of this salad. Filling and satisfying. Yummy
Day#5. I knew I would like this salad. But . All the textures and flavors together are so good!!! The dressing is absolutely delicious.
This is good! Never combined all of these things before. We liked the dressing too. Thanks! (Had to add a little purple onion- I may be addicted to garlic & onion LOL.)
A very flavorful addiction. 😉