Chickpea tahini salad

This delicious Chickpea tahini salad is packed with flavor, healthy ingredients and a creamy tahini dressing. Super easy to make in about 15 minutes and full of plant-based protein from the chickpeas. This salad makes a healthy side dish, or a light and satisfying lunch or dinner.

Chickpea tahini salad is natrually vegan and gluten-free. It makes the most amazing side dish, I like to keep a bowl in the fridge and grab a little throughout the week. Since it keeps well in the fridge for a few days, it makes a great meal-prep! 

Mixing in chickpeas to a salad is great, because they are a cheap, healthy, low in calories and fat, a great source of plant-based protein, fiber and nutrients.

This Chickpea salad with tahini dressing uses canned chickpeas. They are a great choice because they are a big timesaver. You can of coarse cook your own chickpeas, just follow the package instructions and let them cool down to room temperature before adding to the salad. 

If you are looking for more plant-basted, protein packed salads, try this Red Lentil Salad, Lentil and chickpea salad, or this Moroccan chickpea salad.

Ingredients

To make this easy chickpea tahini salad recipe, all that’s needed are just a few simple ingredients. Take a look at the ingredient list below.

For the full recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card below.

• Chickpeas, this recipe uses canned chickpeas because they are a great time saver. Homemade works great too. Soak and boil them following the packet instructions, careful not to overcook them so they go mushy. Let them cool down to room temperature before adding to this salad.
• Red onion, another option is pickled red onions
• Cherry tomatoes, this recipe uses red cherry tomatoes but any color, or a mix of colours is also a great choice. A large tomato can also be used, I recommend deseeding it before chopping it in bite sized pieces.
• Seedless cucumber, (also know as English or Persian cucumber). It doesn’t need to be peeled or deseed, everything can be eaten.
• Green bell pepper, or any color pepper of your choice.
• Herbs, This salad has a combination of cilantro and flat leaf parsley. Use both or only one of your preference.

Dressing

• Tahini paste, use a good quality or homemade.
• Lemon juice, freshly squeezed always tastes better.
• Olive oil, virgin olive oil taste great in this dressing.
• Maple syrup, to balance the acid from the lemon juice. Other liquid sweetener also works.
• Garlic, this recipe calls for one garlic clove. If you are a garlic lover, use two.
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• Water, to adjust the thickness of this tahini dressing. Add more or less depending on the texture of the tahini used.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Making this Chickpea tahini salad is fast and easy. Just follow the step-by-step photos below. 

For the full recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card below.

Add all the ingredients for the dressing, except the water, to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and lighter in color. Add water a little at the time.

In a salad bowl, add all the chopped vegetables, chickpeas and herbs.

Gently stir everything together.

Pour over the dressing and gently mix.

Top the salad with some sesame seeds and more chopped herbs.

Hint: Start by adding about half the dressing, then topped with additional dressing. Stir the salad before serving since the dressing will run to the bottom of the salad bowl.

Substitutions and variations

• Bell pepper – instead of a green bell pepper, you can use red, yellow or orange. A mix of the colours also looks beautiful and tasted great.
• Spicy – To add some spice to this chickpea tahini salad, add some chopped fresh chilli or top with some dried chilli flakes. A little hot sauce mixed in the dressing also tastes great.
• Herbs – This salad uses chopped parsley and cilantro. A mix of the two or just parsley can be used. Some fresh basil is another great option.
• Tomato – Cherry tomatoes in a variety of colors can be used. Or a large tomato, deseed it before chopping it in bite sized pieces.
• Veggies – Add some extra veggies to this tahini chickpea salad. Some great options are finely chopped carrot, chopped zucchini or some shredded cabbage. 
• Grains – Adding some cooked and cooled quinoa, couscous, farro, or barley to this chickpea salad will make it more of a full meal.
• Onion – This recipe calls for sliced red onion, but any onion of your choice can be used. These pickled red onions also tastes amazing.

More healthy salads to try that are packed with plant-based protein, Tuscan bean salad, Lentil and chickpea salad or this Indian chickpea salad.

Storage

This chickpea salad with tahini dressing can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge, it makes a great meal-prep. Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Like with all salads, the vegetables will become softer and release liquid after being mixed with the dressing. Make sure to stir the salad well before serving.

A great option to keep the veggies fresh and crisp, is to prepare the ingredients, but wait to mix them with the dressing until ready to serve.

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5 from 2 votes

Print

Chickpea tahini salad

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

This delicious Chickpea tahini salad is packed with flavor, healthy ingredients and a creamy tahini dressing. Super easy to make in about 15 minutes and full of plant-based protein from the chickpeas. This salad makes a healthy side dish, or a light and satisfying lunch or dinner.

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

Tahini dressing

• ¼ cup tahini paste
• 3 tablespoons water, more if needed
• 1 lemon, juiced (about 3 tbsp)
• 2 tablespoons virgen olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad ingredients

• 2 cans (400 g, 14 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ red onion, sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatos, halved
• ½ seedless cucumber, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

Tahini dressing

1. Add all the ingredients, except the water, to a small bowl and whisk well until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, slowly add about a tablespoon water at a time until smooth and pourable. Set aside.

Salad

1. In a salad bowl, add all the chopped vegetables, chickpeas and herbs.

2. Pour over the dressing and gently mix. Top the salad with some sesame seeds and more chopped herbs. Enjoy!