Curried Chickpea Salad is a plant-forward salad packed with flavors & crunch in every bite. It’s a no-cook recipe that can be made in one-bowl and adjusted to meet everyone’s palette and lifestyle!

I am a sucker of all things chickpeas for many good reasons! You will always find a can or two in my pantry because they are so versatile for soups, stews, sandwiches, salads, and more, they provide a wide variety of nutrients, and are super affordable. Back in 2016, I even wrote a blog post about 5 Things You Can Do with Chickpeas + shared my go-to Lunchbox Chickpea Salad which is still my favorite, four years later. Recently though, I have been making this Curried Chickpea Salad at my cooking demonstrations and it’s LOVED by the crowd. Using relatively new-ish ingredients like curry powder, chickpeas, and tahini is risky at demonstrations but I am happy to report that most people are interested & excited to try it.

I hope you will find Curried Chickpea Salad to be just as delightful. It is mildly spiced with curry powder while yogurt adds a tang and creaminess to the salad. A handful of fresh veggies, nuts, and dried fruits gives both flavor, boost of vitamins, minerals and texture to the salad. I love that you can make Curried Chickpea Salad ahead of time and use it for lunch for the week.

Curried Chickpea Salad

Serves : 4-6

Ingredients

• 2-15 oz. canned low-sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked)

• 1 cup diced carrots

• 1 cup sliced green onions

• 1/2 cup chopped dates (raisins or cranberries can be used)

• 1/2 cup toasted cashews

• ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt (thinned tahini or vegan mayo can be used for vegan)

• juice of one lemon (may need more if you use tahini)

• 1 tablespoon curry powder

• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• In a large mixing bowl, add chickpeas with carrots, green onions, dates, cashews, yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder, garlic powder. Mix everything well to combine.

• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Serve immediately or can be covered, refrigerated for 3-4 days. If the salad feels dry, add a few tablespoons of water to loosen the consistency.

Serving suggestions : Serve it as a salad, smash the chickpeas and make into a sandwich or with pita pocket, or on a bed of leafy greens.

Fun fact: The juice from a can of beans, aquafaba has properties similar to those of egg whites and can be used for making meringues, marshmallow, and mayonnaise.

More Lunchbox-friendly Salads:

• Everyday Lentil Salad

• Sprouted Mung Bean Salad

• Black Bean & Mango Salsa (You can totally eat this as a salad)

• Soba Noodle & Edamame Salad with Soy Dressing