Curried Chickpea Salad
This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
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
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad
More Chickpea Recipes to Try:
- Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Sriracha Cauliflower and Chickpea Sheet Pan Meal
- Greek Chickpea Salad
- Curried Chickpea Bowls with Garlicky Spinach
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Curried Chickpea Salad
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Amazing!
Nice easy recipe that is delicious on it’s own or over salad!
This is really good and easy. I expect I’ll eat this a lot in the summer.
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Catherine. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Loved this recipe, great flavor, will make often. Thanks
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Nancy! Thanks for trying this recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Made this recipe for supper this evening and really enjoyed it. Substituted the celery with fennel heart and included olive bread with hummus as a side order as my husband has quite an appetite. We both loved the dish – the spices added a lovely delicate flavoursome dimension to the meal and I will definitely be making this again. Big thumbs up from hubby too!
This was so yummy! I didn’t have curry powder on hand so I left it out and it was still super tasty! Pinned! Will be making it again!
I made this salad for dinner last night. For the dressing I added about 2 tbsp. of sesame tahini, adjusted the curry just a bit for a more subtle flavor, no masala cuz I didn’t have any in my pantry, left the vinegar out and added more lemon juice, sub the dates with dry cranberries, added baby spinach. Result was superb! Hubby loved it!
I made the curried chickpea salad and served it with brown rice and spinach last night. It was absolutely delicious and all three of my teenagers ate every bite. Can’t wait to try more recipies!
Hooray! Thank you so much for letting me know that you enjoyed the curried chickpea salad, Stacey. It’s a favorite in our house as well. 🙂
This is delicious and so easy to make! Thanks
I made this recently and absolutely loved it! As a runner, I’m always looking for healthy and delicious lunch options and this sure fits the bill.
Yay!!! I’m so glad that you loved it, Diana.