Indian Chickpea Salad

Delicious, flavoursome & refreshing chickpeas salad loaded with cucumber, tomatoes, onion and bell peppers. It is easy to make, protein packed, absolutely filling & a healthy option for lunch or dinner.

This simple chickpeas salad is wholesome, nutritious and is especially a great option for summers when we want to have something filling but nothing too hot. It is

Vegan
Vegetarian
Gluten Free
High Protein
Kids Friendly

Ingredients to make Chickpea Salad:

Chickpeas: Also known as garbanzo beans or chana, a cup (164 g) of boiled chickpeas has 14.5 g of protein, 12.5 g of fibre & 269 calories. To make this salad, you can use canned chickpeas or raw chickpeas (by soaking and pressure cooking then first).

Veggies: Combined with vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes & red onions this salad is an absolute power house of nutrition. A mix of green, red & yellow bell peppers add pop of colour & flavours to the salad.

I generally try to add a mix of all three bell peppers in this salad but feel free to add optionyou have. Some baby spinach , boiled potato cubes, steamed broccoli florets or roasted beet cubes can also be added to this chickpea salad.

Seasoning: The salad is seasoned with salt, crushed black pepper, roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder (paprika) & fresh lemon juice. You can even use other spices or seasoning of your choice like cayenne pepper, dijon mustard, chilli vinegar or chaat masala.

Olive Oil: A generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil makes the salad more palatable but if you are looking for a weight loss zero oil recipe then feel free to skip it.

Seeds / Nuts: To add crunch, you can add some toasted sesame seeds or crushed roasted peanuts. Some baked or air fryer bread croutons can also be added for adding crunchy texture to the salad.

Fresh Herbs: Addition of fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley or coriander makes the salad even more refreshing. Instead of cilantro you can also use few fresh mint leaves or garlic chives.

Variations:

You can customise this chickpea salad by adding vegetables, seasoning or other ingredients of your choice like-

Pasta: You can add cooked pasta to it like bow tie, penne, orzo, macaroni or colored pasta .

Quinoa: To make this chickpea salad more nutrient dense, you can add quinoa to it. (You can checkout the procedure of cooking quinoa in this quinoa patty recipe).

Feta / Goat Cheese: Some crumbled feta or goat cheese can be sprinkled on top of the salad for adding creamy tangy texture.

Hope you would like this healthy easy chickpea salad recipe. More recipes with chickpea :

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

Boiled Chickpeas- 2 cups
Cucumbers (chopped)- 1 cup
Red Onion (chopped)- 1/2 cup
Tomatoes (chopped)- 1/2 cup
Bell Peppers (chopped)- 1/3 cup
Garlic cloves (grated)- 2 to 3 (small)
Lemon Juice- 2 tsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- 2 tsp
Crushed black pepper- 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder- 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder / Smoked Paprika- 1/4 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp (to taste)
Chaat Masala- 1/2 tsp (optional)
Chopped Cilantro or Coriander- 2 tbsp

(Deseed the tomatoes before chopping. If you like spicy salad, add 1 or 2 finely chopped green chillies or jalapeños.)

Directions:

Step 1:

If you are using canned chickpeas, drain & rinse them first and proceed to next step.

If you are using uncooked raw chickpeas, then boil them in pressure cooker or instant pot. Rinse well (pic 1) & soak them overnight or for at least 5-6 hrs (pic 2). In a pressure cooker, add 1 cup soaked chickpeas, 2-3 cups of water & 1 tsp salt (pic 3). Pressure cook for 3 whistles & them simmer down for 20 minutes.

Switch off the flame & let the pressure release on its own. Transfer the chickpeas to a colander to drain out all the water(pic 4). Let the chickpeas cool down.

Step 2:

In a large mixing bow, add cooked chickpeas, veggies, cilantro (or coriander), grated garlic, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and all the spices.

Step 3:

Mix gently so that seasoning is evenly distributed in entire salad. Garnish with fresh herbs or toasted sesame seeds before serving. Enjoy this yummy protein packed salad as it is or as side dish.

How to store chickpea salad?

Store this salad in an airtight container or if you are storing in a bowl then cover with a cling wrap in fridge. Covering is important as onions can sometimes leave its odour in fridge.

I won’t recommend storing it for more than a day as veggies start to lose their crunch. However you can boil the chickpeas and store them for a couple of days without adding veggies and use it to make salad whenever you want.

More easy salads recipes:

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(8 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)