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Curried Chickpea Salad

Published Jun 21, 2021 · Modified Jun 21, 2021 · 153 Comments

Amazing Curried Chickpea Salad with the best tahini dressing, packed with flavors and textures! Enjoy this for healthy lunches all week by itself or in a wrap. Vegan and gluten free.

In my next life, I'd like to come back as this salad. I mean why be a dolphin or Oprah or Harry Styles when you could be THIS?

The stupendousness of this simple salad stems from the fact that you needn't cook anything to make it appear in your kitch. If you can use a can opener and chop a pepper, you can make this salad. I mean the directions literally have two steps. That's one less than three. I have faith in you.

Spring has gone and sprung all up in these curried chickpeas. It may be raining in Ohio as I type this, but between my new obsession with One Direction and eating this foodgasmic concoction right out of the serving bowl, I'm like 104% content.

Those colors! GAH.

Let's all just stare at that picture for one more moment. Okay. Now go ahead and listen to "Stockholm Syndrome" and "Change Your Ticket."

Can you tell that this is one of those posts where the recipe is so freaking tasty that the post could never in a million years do it justice? I know you're not supposed to have a favorite recipe nor a favorite child, but we all know they exist.

I don't want to hurt my other salads' feelings or anything but in all honesty, this bad boy is up there with my favorite recipes of ALL TIME in the HISTORY of my blogging LIFE. All eleven years of it.

CURRIED CHICKPEAS FOR PRESIDENT.

Key Ingredients and substitutions

Chickpeas: canned or cooked from fresh, you do you! Just be sure to drain and rinse them since they're the star of the show.
Cilantro: Fresh herbies for color and delish flavor.
Green onions: I love the flavor of green onion but red onion would be a good stand-in if you have that on hand.
Bell pepper: Delivering color, crunch and a pop of flavor. Any color works but I like red or orange here. You could also use carrot or celery.
Raisins: I definitely don't love raisins, but they're SO good in this salad. Dried cherries or cranberries work great, too.
Cashews: Mmmmm salty, buttery, crunchy cashews. I prefer them here but almonds or pepitas would do!
Tahini: The makings a of a creamy sauce sans mayo. Woot woot!
Maple syrup: Sweetness balances the acid in the dressing. You can sub honey or agave.
Spices: Curry powder and turmeric make for a lusciously flavorful sauce that's healthy to boot.

Storage tips

Dare I say this salad gets better with age? It'll last up to five days in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

You can prep it ahead by keeping the dressing separate and combining everything just before serving.

What to serve with curried chickpea salad

By itself or in a wrap, this salad is enough on its own! That said, it's delish served alongside some other recipe faves like black bean burgers, grilled fruit kabobs, summer quinoa salad, or grilled sweet potatoes.

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