Curried Chickpea Salad

This curried chickpea salad is loaded with crunchy veggies and seasoned with yellow curry. It makes for a filling lunch served over greens and it’s great to meal prep!

I’m sure most of you have caught on to the fact that I LOVE anything curry flavored. Traditional Indian and Thai curries, of course. But I’m also obsessed with curried flavored things like this Cracklin’ Cauliflower. Needless to say I’m a curry addict and I’ll add curry powder to just about anything.

Curried protein salads like curried egg salad and curried chicken salad are my favorite and recently I decided to make a plant-based version with chickpeas!

I’m obsessed with it and so is Isaac. We’ve literally made it 4 times in the last few weeks.

Ingredients Needed for Curried Chickpea Salad

• chickpeas – the perfect ingredient to add bulk protein. I used canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), but you can cook your own if you have the time.
• bell pepper, celery, red onion – veggies that help to give this salad a great crunch.
• medjool dates – for some added sweetness.
• spinach or spring mix – the perfect base to serve this salad on.
• cilantro – to add flavor.
• cashews – an optional topping for some added crunch.
• dressing – a super simple dressing made with olive oil, lime, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, and sea salt

The thing to know about curry powder is that you don’t have to add much. A little goes a long way because it’s so flavorful. Start small and add up to your taste preference!

Notes & Substitutions

Chickpeas – Like I mentioned, I used canned chickpeas because they’re super easy to use! If you don’t like chickpeas you can substitute for another white bean like cannellini beans or Northern beans. If you use canned chickpeas there’s no cooking involved in this salad — just a bit of chopping.

Dates – If you’re not a raisin fan of dates you could swap in raisins, dried cherries, prunes or another dried fruit.

Red onion – Don’t love red onion? No worries, substitute yellow onion in it’s place.

Avocado – Want to add a little creaminess and healthy fats to your salad? Add in some chopped avocado!

How to Serve Curried Chickpea Salad

I love meal prepping protein salads because there are so many different ways you can eat them.

I love this curried chickpea salad over greens, in a wrap, as a chickpea salad sandwich and eaten right out of the container with tortilla chips. Make it a meal or just an afternoon snack… I’ve been known to do both!

To store leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5.

More Protein Salad Recipes to Try:

• Curried Avocado Egg Salad
• Almond Butter Chicken Salad
• Vegan Tofu “Chicken” Salad
• Lentil Tuna Salad

More Chickpea Recipes to Try:

• Chickpea Quinoa Salad
• Sriracha Cauliflower and Chickpea Sheet Pan Meal
• Greek Chickpea Salad
• Curried Chickpea Bowls with Garlicky Spinach

If you try this curried chickpea salad please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how it turned out. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers. 

Curried Chickpea Salad

5 from 25 votes

This curried chickpea salad is loaded with crunchy veggies and seasoned with traditional yellow curry. It makes for a filling lunch served over greens! Perfect for meal prep. 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• juice from 1/2 a lime
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 celery hearts, chopped
• 4 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (or 1/2 cup raisins)
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• chopped cashews, optional
• spinach or spring mix for serving

Instructions

 

• Make dressing: Combine all the dressing ingredients (oil, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, curry powder, maple syrup, salt, turmeric and garam masala) in a large bowl.
• Mix remaining ingredients: Add chickpeas, celery, red pepper, dates, red onion and cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine.
• Serve: Serve chickpea salad on a bed of spinach or spring mix and top with cashews, if using.

Video

Notes

Chickpeas – Like I mentioned, I used canned chickpeas because they’re super easy to use! If you don’t like chickpeas you can substitute for another white bean like cannellini beans or Northern beans. If you use canned chickpeas there’s no cooking involved in this salad — just a bit of chopping.

Dates – If you’re not a raisin fan of dates you could swap in raisins, dried cherries, prunes or another dried fruit.

Red onion – Don't love red onion? No worries, substitute yellow onion in it's place.

Avocado – Want to add a little creaminess and healthy fats to your salad? Add in some chopped avocado!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of recipe Calories: 352kcal Carbohydrates: 61g Protein: 12g Fat: 12g Fiber: 16g Sugar: 22g

Author: Brittany Mullins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: curried chickpea salad

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and share on social media using the hashtag #eatingbirdfood. I love seeing your recipe shares!