Try this ULTIMATE Chickpea Salad! A healthy, vegan alternative to tuna salad that is even more delicious! Plant-based, gluten-free, nut-free and also oil-free.
This Chickpea Salad has been wildly popular with readers, so I’m posting it – a second time!
When I did the redesign of my site, I also had to convert all the recipes from that dang recipage site to a new platform. All the recipage recipes were glitchy, so it meant inputting ALL of my recipes into a new software.
Every recipe.
That was fun. #uhno
Most recipes were within blog posts, so that was somewhat easy to do. However, some recipes I added without any post, just a stand-alone recipe. With the conversion, I lost them. 😫
Getting past all that technical jabber, I am still in the process of reintroducing some of the lost recipes. (Please bear with me!)
And while this Chickpea Salad may not be new to you, it surely will be new to some of my readers. Or, it may remind you just how incredibly good it is to make again!
When I make this Chickpea Salad, I serve it as bowl food. Straight up in a big bowl of greens with other veg and the chickpea salad right on top!
Sometimes a drizzle of a tangy vinaigrette, other times, just as is. When the weather is hot, this is a lighter way to eat the salad. In colder months, you may prefer it in a sandwich, wrap, or even with grains in a bowl.
Enjoy, and please share how you like to dig into this Chickpea Salad!
Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 3-4 teaspoons tahini see note
- 2 teaspoons plain nondairy milk
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar to taste
- 1 teaspoon tamari
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kelp granules
- 1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1-2 pinches sea salt to taste
- 1 cup chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup diced apple
- 2-4 tablespoons diced green or red bell pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons diced celery optional; see note
- 2 teaspoons capers optional; see note
- Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the tahini, milk, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, tamari, mustard, kelp granules, maple syrup, and sea salt. Mash the chickpeas slightly with a fork or bottom of a measuring cup. Add to the tahini mixture along with the apple, bell pepper, celery, capers, and parsley, and mix together. Serve between slices of whole-grain bread, rolled in a tortilla, as a green wrap (using large leaves of romaine lettuce or collards), or served as bowl food with greens or whole grains.
Notes
photos by Nicole Axworthy
Mimi says
OMG YUM! I just made this and it’s amazing. I peeled the skin from the chickpeas (I know seems insane, but then they don’t give me a tummy ache). Next time I’m going to double the dressing and use it on salad – it’s that good.
Kim says
Hi Dreena,
I am allergic to tahini and all nuts. What could I substitute tahini with?
Thank you,
Kim
Dreena says
Hi Kim, if you can use pumpkin seed butter or sunflower butter, I’d try that.
Shirley says
What can they tahini be replaced with? Allergies to nuts and sesame. Thanks.
Diana says
Hello, I don’t see serving sizes on this recipe. How many people does this serve? Thank you.
Dreena says
Hi Diana, it will serve 2-3. Enoy!
Irene Raymond says
Dreena, My husband can’t have tahini or any high fat food. Any suggestions? I wonder if blended cannellini beans would work? Thanks for this and all your other recipes!! Irene
Dreena says
Hi Irene, is there a percentage of fat he can have? You could reduce the tahini, there’s not much in the total recipe, and you could reduce to say, 1 tsp – which isn’t much spread across the whole recipe. If not, I’d use a portion of the chickpeas (1/4 cup) and blend in a small processor with the milk and other wet ingredients. Get a smooth mixture, then work in the other ingredients. You might need more milk, and might want to reduce the vinegar just a touch – you can always add more after. Hope that helps.
JoAnn M Lakes says
Nice ideas!
kim says
tahini tamari, lemon and miso. “NO! Not miso!” ugh. well, I’ll just have to make it again. lol
Marcia says
Hi Dreena! I made a this yesterday. It was so delicious! I had been looking for a recipe without mayo, so this will be my new go-to!! Thanks!
Dreena says
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Marcia. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Marie Roberts says
Thank you for this oil free chickpea salad recipe Dreena! I just made it for the first time and took a sneak bite after it was all mixed together, and even before it has a chance to “marry” in the fridge, it taste absolutely awesome!! I was impressed I had all the ingredients too (well not kelp, but I did have dulse flakes which I used)
Can’t wait for the sprouted whole grain wraps I put this salad in!! THANK YOU!!!
Dreena says
Hi Marie, thanks for the feedback! Delighted you are enjoying the recipe. 🙂
Kathleen Rodriguez says
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I’ve just switched the family to a whole food, plant based diet and have been trying out some new recipes and found this one. Delicious! Had everything in hand except the kelp seeds (which I’m going to order now for the next time I make this 🙂
Dreena says
Just great, thanks Kathleen! I make the salad all the time without the kelp, so feel free to keep on without. 🙂
Saras Kathleen Rosenberg says
It’s delicious! I looked a long time for a chick pea salad recipe. Brilliant ingredients! No imitation mayo! My husband doesn’t enjoy apples, so I use pickles for him instead. (I really like the apples! Before I became vegetarian, I used to put apples in my tuna salad.) Thank you, Dreena, for this beautiful recipe.
Dreena says
Thanks for the kind feedback, glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Nichole says
I have owned this book since it was published and only tried this recipe now. I can’t believe I waited so long because it is fabulous! It really seems like time fish salad even without the kelp. I double the recipe every time because 1 cup of chickpeas is never enough.
Marilyn says
Where to find kelp granules?
Dreena says
Hi Marilyn, some natural foods stores carry them, the “maine coast seasonings” brand. If you cannot find them, they can easily be omitted (I often do myself). Here’s a link on amazon so you can recognize or if you purchase online: https://amzn.to/2s8NX8w
Danielle says
Tried this today….it was DELICIOUS!!! It’s a keeper! Thank you Dreena for all your free recipes
Dreena says
So happy to read that, thanks for the cheer, Danielle.
Maqhi says
I love this idea. The texture is so true to a sandwich filling. It will be appearing on my table very soon!
Dreena says
wonderful, hope it becomes a staple for you, Maqhi!
Jules Shepard says
This looks amazing! Looking forward to trying it out!
Elaine says
Dijon mustard is not gluten free.
Dreena says
Hi Elaine, there are gluten-free mustards. Your review is not about the recipe, rather an ingredient about which you are misinformed. Why be that negative?
Jean T-S says
How much does this make? Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for your hard work! Love your recipes!