Simple Chickpea Salad is the perfect vegan salad that can be made in 30 minutes and is combined with freshly chopped vegetables for a delightful bite.
Jump to:
What Makes This Simple Chickpea Salad Awesome?
- Chickpeas. The main reason I eat chickpeas? Simply because they are delicious. Chickpeas are soft, creamy, substantial, and just great.
- Simple. I think my mom lied to me about this Indian Chickpea Salad. She said this was junk food so I would eat it, but now that I'm older I'm not sure how it's junk food? It's chickpeas and vegetables. But I'm glad she did because I love this salad.
- Delicious. I have no idea why I don't eat it more often. This was the first time in years I've made it. I only made a little and it was gone in one sitting. I'm actually looking forward to making more!
Are Chickpeas Healthy?
- Glycemic Index. The thing to know about chana or chickpeas is that while they aren’t low carb, they do have a lower glycemic index than many other beans.
- Fiber. If you’re trying to control blood sugar surges, chickpeas, when eaten in small quantities, won’t give you an immediate sugar spike. Since they have high fiber content, they also tend to be very filling.
- Affordable. Using dried chickpeas not only gives you better, less mushy texture, but it's much less expensive and allows you to control how they're made and what ingredients are used when cooking.
How To Make A Simple Chickpea Salad
- Cook. Cook the chana or chickpeas.
- Chop. While they're cooking, chop the veggies.
- Combine. Mix the cooked chickpeas with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, salt, cayenne, and lemon juice. You eat it.
How to Cook Chickpeas
- Stovetop. Soak the beans with water that covers them up to two inches overnight. Simmer and cook for 1.5-2 hours. You have to keep an eye on them so the water doesn't boil over, so you're best off using a much deeper pot than you think you will need.
- Instant Pot. Add one cup of dried chickpeas to your Instant Pot, and three cups of water. Cook at high pressure on the BEAN setting for 20 minutes. Allow it to naturally pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes, and then do a quick release (QR) to release all remaining pressure.
Can I Use Canned Chickpeas?
Absolutely. Drain and rinse the chickpeas before using, and then use them as you would cooked chickpeas.
How to Make Roasted Chickpea Salad
Roasted Chickpeas would make a great addition to this salad. I would not recommend using ALL roasted chickpeas. Part of the beauty of this salad is the softness and chewiness of the chickpeas.
- Roasting. To roast chickpeas, it really helps to have an air fryer. Place the chickpeas straight into the air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 400F, and cook for 8-10 minutes until they are crunchy.
- Drying. Once the chickpeas are cooked, you can allow them to dry for a little bit. Drizzle with salt, and then add any other spices you choose.
Is Chickpea Salad Vegan?
This simple Chickpea Salad recipe is vegan! It's just a beautiful blend of vegetables, spices, and lemon juice to create an easy dish you're going to love.
Tips and Tricks for Chickpea Salad
- Cucumber. I used about 1/2 cup of cucumber when I made this Garbanzo Bean salad. Use more or leave it out altogether if you are not a cucumber fan.
- Store-bought. If you really want to make this chana recipe fast, buy store-bought pico de gallo and canned chickpeas and mix it all up.
- Roasted. If you use roasted chickpeas, consider using only as much as you would croutons in a salad, for a great crunchy addition.
- Slicing. I will say that my Kuhn Rikon pull chopper makes this thing a breeze. It cuts through those veggies with just a few small pulls and I do like that.
Variations for Chickpea Salad
- Indian Chickpea Salad. Cook as directed and add chaat masala as the seasoning.
- Avocado Chickpea Salad. Replace the cucumber with half a cup of sliced avocado.
- Meats. Add 1 cup canned tuna, add 1 cup rotisserie chicken or canned chicken, or add 1 cup steamed shrimp. This makes for delicious chickpea salad sandwiches!
Want More Chickpea Recipes?
- Coconut Chickpea Curry - delicious and simple!
- Morrocan Chickpea Soup - warm and tasty!
- Chickpea Soup - the ultimate comfort food!
- Chickpea Brownies - you'll never believe it!
This delightfully simple Chickpea Salad is a dish you will make again and again, and you'll never get tired of it. It's so easy and has so many variations - what's not to love? Make sure to pin on Pinterest or share on Facebook so you don't lose the recipe!
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below! Just click on the stars in the recipe card to rate. Don't forget to pin this recipe for later!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (164 g) Dried Chickpeas, soaked in hot water for an hour
- 3 (3 ) Bay Leaves
- 3 cups (750 g) Water
- 1 cup (14 g) Red Onion. chopped, finely minced
- 1/2 cup (74.5 g) Tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup (8 g) Cilantro
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper, adjust to taste
- 1/4 cup (61 g) Lemon Juice
- 1/2 cup cucumber, optional
Optional Ingredients to vary the flavors
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Chaat Masala
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Amchoor, (dried mango powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) kala namaak, (volcanic black salt with a slightly sulphuric smell)
Instructions
FOR THE STOVETOP
- Soak the dried chickpeas overnight in water that covers them by at least two inches.
- Cook them on low for 1 1.2 - 2 hours, then drain.
- Meanwhile chop onions, tomatoes, and cilantro finely.
- Drain the chickpeas and mix chopped vegetables and all other ingredients. Mix well and taste, adjusting as needed. You want a good mix of tangy, salty, and spicy.
FOR THE INSTANT POT
- Put the chickpeas in your Instant Pot along with 3 cups of water.
- Add the bay leaves and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes on the BEAN setting.
- Allow it to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, and then release all remaining pressure.
- Meanwhile chop onions, tomatoes, and cilantro finely.
- Drain the chickpeas and mix chopped vegetables and all other ingredients. Mix well and taste, adjusting as needed. You want a good mix of tangy, salty, and spicy.
Tips and Tricks for Chickpea Salad
- Cucumber. I used about 1/2 cup of cucumber when I made this Garbanzo Bean salad. Use more or leave it out altogether if you are not a cucumber fan.
- Store-bought. If you really want to make this chana recipe fast, buy store-bought pico de gallo and canned chickpeas and mix it all up.
- Roasted. If you use roasted chickpeas, consider using only as much as you would croutons in a salad, for a great crunchy addition.
- Slicing. I will say that my Kuhn Rikon pull chopper makes this thing a breeze. It cuts through those veggies with just a few small pulls and I do like that.
Variations for Chickpea Salad
- Indian Chickpea Salad. Cook as directed and add chaat masala as the seasoning.
- Avocado Chickpea Salad. Replace the cucumber with half a cup of sliced avocado.
- Meats. Add 1 cup canned tuna, add 1 cup rotisserie chicken or canned chicken, or add 1 cup steamed shrimp. This makes for delicious chickpea salad sandwiches!
Get support & connect with our community on Facebook!
Nutrition
Don't forget to check out my other Best-selling Instant Pot Cookbooks!
Indian Instant Pot, Keto Instant Pot, Instant Pot Fast and Easy, Healthy Instant Pot & Vegetarian Instant Pot.
This post was originally published on June 25, 2017, at 11:17 AM.
Patti M Glover
Made this with the chaat masala. Delicious! Wasn't able to rate it though, stars were not working.
Patti M Glover
Hi Urvashi!
Do you use all of the Indian spices you mention at the same time or is the recommendation for just one of them.
Thank you!
URVASHI PITRE
You use one or two not all
Josee
I love all of Urvashi Pitre recipe so far! Although it is not the fastest alternative, consider sprouting the chick peas. It is easy to do, it reduces the carb content, and improve the digestibility and nutrients within the bean. I sprout the chick pea until I get 1/4 inch sprout, then I cook it for 20 min in the instant pot. I would not recommend sprouting it any longer because it changes the texture of the chickpea from the reduced carb. Thank you again Urvashi for the great recipe! Josee
Sarah Spelbring
I've made this recipe so many times now! We love it on a bed of lettuce when trying to cut back on carbs. When being decadent, it is delicious scooped up with tortilla chips, like a delicious salsa! I consider this a staple and we must always have a batch in the refrigerator. Sometimes I have a couple spoonfuls to stave off between meal hunger pangs. Once I forgot the bay leave - don't do that, they really add to the savory flavor.
Mark
Hi Urvashi -- I have two general questions that are not about this recipe but couldn't figure out where else to contact you. I got both your cookbook and an Instant Pot after reading the New Yorker article -- like probably a thousand or so other people. I'm very much enjoying both, thank you. And the question is: during the release times, should it be set to Keep Warm or to Off?
Also, I got the Ultra -- for most cooking, you'd work with the Ultra setting as opposed to the Pressure Cook setting, yes?
thanks again -- Mark
shalini
Found this recipe from your book. Tried this last weekend. So easy to make, so tasty. Thank you!
Beth-Anne Lipin
I love the idea of the Chana Salad, but I am confused about the cooking time for the dried chickpeas. Without soaking them for hours, most recipes (including the Instant Pot recipe book) says to cook them for 35-40 minutes. You suggest 20 minutes. Is this an error?
URVASHI PITRE
You know it’s not. But. One thing I’ve discovered is that it depends on how old the chickpeas are. The safest way to do this, is to soak the beans and hot water for one hour. Chickpea stew cooking 20 minutes especially because for this one you don’t want the mushy. You want the whole pea to keep it structure
Beth-Anne Lipin
Thank you.........I will try it! And..........I made the Lemon Meyer Chutney and it was delish!
Devi
Probably could decrease time even more by using canned garbanzo beans yes? would you still cook it under the bean setting if using that? Also wondering if you have a punjabi chole recipe. Thanks!
Cindy
Can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing.
URVASHI PITRE
you're welcome! The Instant Pot makes is easy to make the chickpeas quickly which is a little dangerous for me 🙂
Carol Paine
I'm making this today as soon as the beets are out of my instant pot. I'm assuming steps two and three should be reversed.
URVASHI PITRE
Indeed! Thanks for the catch, I fixed it. Do LMK how it works for you.