Indian Chickpea Salad

This Chickpea Salad is loaded with crisp, cool cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, protein-packed chickpeas, and fresh herbs. Dressed with simple refreshing, tangy lemon juice, and aromatic Indian spices.

This healthy, vegan, salad is easy to make and comes together in under 10 minutes. It's great for summer and hosting parties and barbecues!

We like chickpeas at home. We enjoy chickpeas in dishes like Chana Masala, Air Fryer Chickpeas for a quick snack, or Hummus to enjoy as a dip. We also like to add them to salads like this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad or Moroccan Chickpea soup

This Indian-style chickpea salad is a satisfying and healthy option for lunch or dinner. Chickpeas are packed with protein, and this chickpea salad leaves you feeling satiated for hours. It's a great choice if you're looking to shed some weight too.

I also, love to serve this garbanzo bean salad as a tea-time snack (Indian chaat recipe) with some papadi or toasted papad.

This garbanzo bean salad is super easy to assemble. You can use leftover boiled chickpeas or use a store-bought can to make this salad in just 10-minutes.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love this Garbanzo Bean Salad?
• Ingredients for Chickpea Salad
• How To make Chickpea Salad?
• Tips for delicious Chickpea Salad
• Storage Suggestions
• Variations to Chickpea Salad Indian:
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Indian Chickpea Recipes
• Indian Chickpea Salad

Why You’ll Love this Garbanzo Bean Salad?

✓ It’s easy to make and is ready in 10 minutes

✓ It’s high in protein, keeps you full for hours

✓ It is oil-free, dairy-free, which means fewer calories

✓ It’s packed with refreshing flavors and textures.

✓ Naturally vegan, and gluten-free

✓ Loved by all - perfect for picnics, potlucks, and entertaining!

Looking for more protein-packed Vegan Recipes? Check out this collection of Indian Vegan Recipes

Ingredients for Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas: Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans or chana in Hindi, can be used canned or cooked. If using canned, make sure to drain and rinse them first. You can also cook dried chickpeas in an instant pot or pressure cooker.

Cucumber: I used small Persian cucumbers, but English cucumbers will do too.

Tomatoes: Choose firm, ripe tomatoes. You can use either Roma or cherry tomatoes.

Radish (optional): Sometimes, I like to add some radish to the salad. Today, I used around 3 baby radish pink.

Onion: I used red onions as they're great in salads. They add a nice color, crunch, and sweetness to this dish.

Herbs: Cilantro, is a choice of herb for Indian-style salads. You can add parsley, or mint for variation.

Lemon or Lime juice: I used lemon juice. Lemon or lime, both will do. If you don't have lemon or lime juice, you can add some tamarind pulp, works great!

Seasoning: table salt, black salt (pink Himalayan salt), red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder (for color), and Chaat masala. This Indian chickpea salad is known for its tangy, flavor, that comes from the chaat masala. If you don’t have chaat masala, you can add some amchur powder (dried mango powder).

How To make Chickpea Salad?

This chickpea salad comes together in 4 easy steps:

• Prepare the chickpeas: Drain and rinse the cooked chickpeas.
• Chop: Cut the veggies - cucumber, tomatoes, radish (optional), and onions.
• Combine: In a bowl, combine the boiled chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, radish (optional), onions, cilantro, green chili, table salt, black salt, red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, chaat masala, and lemon juice. Toss well and serve!
• Enjoy: This salad is great for a quick lunch or as an evening snack. You can refrigerate it if you prefer it cold.

Tips for delicious Chickpea Salad

This Chickpea salad is versatile and can be prepared in many different ways. Add veggies, and seasonings to your taste.

Increase or decrease the amount of green chili or red chili powder to your liking. Use mild chili or skip it if you prefer so. When, I make this salad for my kids, I simply skip the chili and use black pepper instead.

Add lemon or lime juice to taste. If you like it more tangy, add more, or less as you prefer.

If you prefer cooking chickpeas at home, you can refer to the post - How to cook chickpeas?

I prefer using a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot to cook dried chickpeas. However, if you cook them in the pan, the cooking time will be almost double. It can take somewhere from 1:15 to 1:45 minutes in an open pot.

Storage Suggestions

This Indian chickpea salad tastes best when consumed fresh. You can refrigerate it for up to 1 day in an airtight container. Skip the salt, if planning to refrigerate. Salt causes veggies lose moisture, and turn soggy. Add salt, just before serving.

You can make this salad ahead of time. Combine everything in a bowl, and keep refrigerated. Just before serving, add salt, mix, and serve.

Variations to Chickpea Salad Indian:

Greens and vegetables: You can add any vegetables of your choice – radish, spinach, arugula, mix greens, bell pepper, lettuce, peas, etc.

Fruits: Apple, pomegranate, grapes, or any fruit of choice, makes a nice addition to this salad.

Avocado: Adding avocado gives this salad a creamy texture.

Cheese: I like to add homemade paneer, fresh mozzarella or feta cheese, for added protein.

Nuts: Almonds, peanuts, or any nuts of your choice. Add nice crunch and nutritional value to this salad.

Quinoa Chickpea Salad: Make it a meal by adding cooked quinoa or millet.

Indian Chana Chaat: Turn this salad into yummy Indian chana chaat. Add some boiled potato or roasted sweet potato, and toss in some whisked yogurt, sweet tangy chutney and green chutney for a lip-smacking chaat. Don't forget to garnish the chaat with sev before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Indian Chickpea Recipes