Amazing, vibrant 10-Minute Curried Chickpea Salad with the best tahini dressing, packed with flavors and textures! A best seller at our restaurant for a reason. Enjoy this easy vegetarian main for healthy lunches or as a dinner side 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?
Kinda like my Mediterranean Chickpea Salad and Curried Chicken Salad, there's no cooking required so this lunch dream comes together in no time.
If you can use a can opener and chop a pepper, you can make this salad!
The low down on ingredients
- Chickpeas: Canned or cooked from dried, 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.
Let's make it!
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? And it literally has two steps!
- Blend dressing ingredients in a blender.
- Chop veggies. Combine them with drained chickpeas, cilantro, cashews, and raisins.
- Add dressing. Toss to combine and dig in!
How to store
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.
Serving ideas
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:
CURRIED CHICKPEAS FOR PRESIDENT.
Print
Vibrant 10-Minute Curried Chickpea Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
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.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 2 15oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup cashews, chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. I blended mine in my nutribullet.
- Place salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine. Enjoy room temperature or chilled.
Cassie says
Love this recipe. I am going to make it very shortly for my Piano Lessons students.
Alexis says
how sweet!
Minta says
So delicious!!
Ewa Marie says
Unbelievable! The most delicious chickpeas salad I ever had! Thanks for sharing it! I love It.
Amy @ FitnessMeetsFrosting says
So friggin good! Such an easy summer lunch!
Brittany says
Could you sub the maple syrup for honey?
Luke says
Pretty solid recipe. As a hybrid of two dishes it doesn't quite deliver either at 100% - it's not as light as bean salad or umami as curry - but by upping the lemon I was able to push it more toward salad domain.
I definitely recommend this recipe for its healthiness & ease alone!
Alexis says
I'm glad you liked it, Luke! I'm always down for more acidity so amen to the lemon.
Cheryl says
Love this recipe. I am going to make it very shortly. I was just wondering if you do anything with the aquafaba. Hope you don't drain it off. There are so many recipes for it online. Makes vegan lifestyle a lot easier
Jack @ Gyminyourhome says
This is a good way to add flavor to a chickpea dish. I would definitely be interested in seeing some similar recipes.
Michael Drabenstott says
I made this for a party this past weekend. Huge hit! Even my wife, a chick pea detractor, said it was one of the best salads she's ever had. I will use this recipe as a base to experiment with other veggies and fruit over time. Thanks!
Andy Atari says
Can I say this salad is my savior? I like to eat healthy (lots of protein and veggies) but I'm really, really, REALLY lazy in the kitchen. I'm not even giving meal prepping a go because I just don't want to do all that stuff on a Sunday when I could be lazing around listening to... um... One Direction? 😀 This meal is perfect! I'm probably going to have this 2 or 3 times a week now. Haha!
Andy Atari says
Can I say this salad is my savior? I like to eat healthy (lots of protein and veggies) but I'm really, really, REALLY lazy in the kitchen. I'm not even giving meal prepping a go because I just don't want to do all that stuff on a Sunday when I could be lazing around listening to... um... One Direction? 😀 This meal is perfect! I'm probably going to have this 2 or 3 times a week now. Haha!
Alexis says
Hmmm I haven't heard that before! Maybe one of the ingredients had gone bad?
Ani says
For some reason this dressing didn't work for me. Had a sour aftertaste, not enjoyable. Any idea what I did wrong?
Alexis says
Hmmm I haven't heard that before! Maybe one of the ingredients had gone bad?
Cooking Dad says
This just made my top 5 salads ever. The flavour combination was amazing. I did omit cilantro and doubled the green onion though.
But omg.
Alexis says
Isn't it the best?! I could eat it all day every day. SO glad you liked it!
Alexis says
It's 5 servings 🙂 The nutrition info is for 1 serving or 1/5 of the recipe.
Azure Wilson says
Is it correct that the entire recipe is one serving? Maybe I'm reading the nutrition information wrong...
Kate @mindfoodly says
This salad sounds amazing, would this feed four as a side or main?
Julie says
Alexis is this the yummy salad we had at Alchemy when we were visiting from Portland, Oregon? My husband still talks about the "best roast beef sandwich" he's ever had. 🙂
Sharon Herbitter says
I could weep with joy over this salad. I doubled it and am so glad I did. Left out the oil, 'cause that's what I do, but followed your instructions otherwise. UH-MAZE-ING.
<3
Alexis says
Awwww thank you so much!!!
Alexis says
I just use Trader Joe's curry powder 🙂 any will do!
elizabeth says
What is your favorite curry powder to use for this salad?
Thanks.
Camille says
I stopped by a vegan spot for lunch yesterday and had a delicious curry chickpea salad. I immediately started looking for a recipe to try and found your site. Made it this morning for my lunch and it's great! Can't wait to try more of your recipes, especially the salads. Lunch has been the most challenging meal of the day for me to stay on track with my eating goals. But I'm confident that if I have a few delicious salads in my back pocket, I can do it.
Tara says
Just made this salad and i keep saying "mmmm" and "damn this is so GOOD" even though i love alone and i probably sound weird right now. thanks for the great recipe!
Alexis says
You and I both, sister! You're so welcome. Glad you liked it!
Alexis says
Fabulous!!
Ruby says
Just made this for a potluck and got lots of compliments - delicious!
Wilkiany says
Humbeliavable! The most delicious chickpeas salad I ever had! Thanks for sharing it!
Malorie says
I just had this heated up for lunch topped with a runny egg and some sriracha - SO GOOD
Teri of NC says
This is over-the-top good!! Thank you thank you thank you!
Alexis says
Aww you're so welcome!
Emilie says
ERRRRRRR MYYYYYY GERDDDDDDD I'm literally shoveling this into my mouth as I type this & it is SO DELISH. I can't even. Thank you for this magic. I'm about to Instaslam my new love, aka this salad, so I'll be sure to shout you out!
Alexis says
If it got the boyfriend seal of approval, you know it's a winner!!
Sally says
I can't even with this salad! I made it last night to have for lunches this week. It's incredible! So many different flavors. So satisfying. So beautiful due to all the colors. You knocked it out of the park with this one, lady!
Alexis says
I'm so glad you whipped it up! Isn't it like a happy dance in your mouth?!
Jenni Schaffer says
Alexis, I made this salad and I'll admit, it only lasted 3 meals b/c I ate so much at each sitting. My dilemma comes in the curry. I love curry but I don't know how to pick it! Are there brands that are just too cheap to be good? (like store brands) or are they all sort of created equal? I ask because mine seemed to taste gritty.
Thanks!
Jessica says
Yum! Made it for dinner & loved it. Best part? It's easy enough for the bf to make & he loved it too. We literally high-fived each other at the dinner table after one bite. Thanks for posting & all that you do.
Adela says
I just made it and yes, it is one of the best saladas I´ve had in my life! The tahini gives the perfect texture, it´s so creamy, yet, very healthy! Thanks for sharing, it is a perfect recipe to show off with guests! How did you discover such an amazing combination? I always wonder about this things...
Sarie says
I love this salad! I think I'll be eating it everyday! I've already made it three times. Thank you!
Marissa says
This looks really scrumptious!
Kaellen says
I made this for dinner along with roasted zucchini and broccoli and it was delicious!! I live in Columbus so I need to stop by Alchemy. Thank you for the recipe!!
Jamie says
made this last night and seriously could have eaten the whole batch myself - delicious!
Alexis says
I would love a toddler to come over and make this salad for me. And do the dishes, too.
Alexis says
Bahahah you are freaking HILAIR. I die.
Alexis says
You need too!! And perhaps you should eat it on a rice cake.
Alexis says
I love me some T. Swift and country, especially with the windows down in the summer. Ahhhh perfection!
Alexis says
Thanks, Maryea! I love salads with bright colors--it makes for the prettiest pictures!
Alexis says
You most definitely need it in your life! I just finished a big bowl for dinner. Delish!
Alexis says
Awwww what a compliment! Thanks, Lauren 🙂
Alexis says
BAHAHAHA best comment ever. I'm obsessed with you.
Alexis says
Mmmm love the grated carrot addition! Thanks for letting me know you made it!
CakePants says
I just made this for dinner tonight, and it was fantastic!! I added in some grated carrot, which seemed to go together with everything else really nicely. Thanks for creating such a wonderful recipe - I'll definitely be making this again!
Angela says
Just when I thought I couldn't get more obsessed with your recipes... I make your vegan chocolate banana muffins regularly for snacks and I just made your avocado bean burgers over the weekend. And NOW I see myself making this salad very, very soon. I love anything "curried" and I clearly love your recipes lately.
I just need to take a road trip to Alchemy. I'm in Pittsburgh... not that far away, right??
Alexis says
Hahah I love your comment, Angela! I have a feeling you're going to love this salad 🙂 And yes, come to Alchemy!!
Shannon says
You are just now discovering One Direction? Where have you been?? 🙂
This salad looks beyond amazing. Ive got to go pick up some tahini!
Alexis says
I seriously feel like I've been living under a rock.