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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.
This salad was my favorite so far! I loved all the seeds, and extra crunch from the vegetables. I doubled the spinach and am very glad! The dressing was super easy and exceptionally flavorful.
This was a new salad for me. I enjoyed the crunch. Some ingredients I’m not fully partial to and tried them. I also used garlic infused olive oil which made my tahini dressing taste extra flavorful. I liked trying this new dressing idea
Ooo! That sounds delicous!!
Yummy!
I loved all the ingredients together in this salad,. I used lemon-flavored olive oil to some extra brightness. It was a filling salad dinner for me & my husband.
The orange really adds to the sweet in this salad, and yes the crunch is the chick peas. I will make this again
Sweet & crunchy salad was another recipe added to our family salad rotation! I really enjoyed the orange tahini dressing which paired great with spinach. The crunch from pepitas and sunflower seeds with carrots and chickpeas made this fun! Loved it.
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Amazing dressing and the Mediterranean “feel” is perfect for this salad!
I made this last fall and several times since then. I like to crisp the chickpeas in an air fryer. The dressing is off the charts delicious!
Really good, and so different from what salads I usually make. I’ll be sure to make this one again, and again.
Tasted really great!!
Delicious. Especially nice with the sunflower and pumpkin seeds on top. We enjoyed this as a side for dinner, but would also work great as a lunch.
This salad was surprisingly tasty! I would have never thought to mix all of these ingredients together but it turned out good. Could use a little more spinach but liked the mix of everything. Will be making again!
This might be my favorite salad so far..
Loved the dressing and all the crunchy veggies 🙂
I loved the dressing. The tahini enhanced the flavor of the orange juice.
This salad is perfect as a meal! I love the crunchiness and the tasty dressing completes it well.
I loved the dressing and glad to find a good use for the tahini I have. Roasted chickpeas work well too! I didn’t use the seeds – small amount of hemp seeds only due to digestion issues.
I’m so happy that you made this salad work best for you by omitting the seeds! 🙂
Crunchy, filling & delicious! Great recipe!