Indian Chickpea Salad Recipe
This Indian chickpea salad recipe is a wonderful side dish for any Indian-inspired main course.
While I don’t claim to be any kind of expert on Indian cooking, I do truly enjoy some of the heady combinations those types of spices have to offer. I will often make a bean salad for snacks because they travel well and don’t need to be immediately refrigerated. I can pack a small container full, stick it in my purse, and run my errands. If I get hungry, I know I’ve got something healthy in my purse, and as long as I haven’t been away from the house (and fridge) all day, I feel pretty comfortable eating it.
But if eating this by itself isn’t really your thing, this will also pair well with any Indian-inspired main course. This would pair really well with a Curry Chicken, a Chicken Vegetable Curry Rollups, or even some Chicken Korma or BBQ Tandoori Chicken. Add a side of Naan and you’ve got quite a delicious Indian meal going on!
Are Chickpeas Indian?
This high-protein bean plays an important role in Indian cuisine. Its remains have been found in the Middle East and date back nearly 10,000 years. In India, it is typically used in soups, salads, and curries.
How To Cook Chickpeas
While most people cook these in plenty of water on the stovetop (which can take a long time, depending on the age of your chickpeas), I find that the easiest way to cook chickpeas from dry is in an Instant Pot.
Pressure cooking cooks beans to perfection every single time. These days, I add 2 cups of beans to 6 cups of water. Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 60 minutes (my beans have been on the shelf for a while, so they take longer to cook), and walk away until they are done. Remember to do a pressure release before opening the lid!
If you need more information or step-by-step instructions on cooking chickpeas in an Instant Pot, you can read the instructions here.
Dietary Needs
This recipe is:
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free – Make sure your individual ingredients are gluten-free to be sure.
Recipe Variations
- Cucumber
- Cilantro
- Fresh herbs – get creative! Many will work here if you stay within the Indian flavor profiles.
- Mint leaves
- Red chili flakes
- Lime juice – instead of lemon juice.
- Cooked sweet potato
- Cumin powder
- Feta cheese
- Make a salad dressing of sorts using tamarind chutney or tamarind vinaigrette
About The Ingredients
Canned chickpeas – drain and rinse. You can also cook these from dried chickpeas. It’s the equivalent of 2 cans (15 oz. each).
Fresh tomatoes – you can also use a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes.
Red bell pepper – chopped fine. You most likely won’t need a whole pepper for this.
Red onion – chopped fine. This is about half an onion, depending on the size you have.
Lemon juice – Nothing else added, just juice. You can use canned, jarred, or fresh-squeezed.
Curry powder – Easily found at most grocery stores in the spice aisle.
Ground coriander – Easily found at most grocery stores in the spice aisle.
Garam masala – Not every grocery store carries this. The best place to find it, if you have access, is an Indian food market. But some mainstream stores do carry it. Call ahead to find out if you need to.
Salt and ground black pepper – to taste
How To Make Indian Chickpea Salad
Chop the tomatoes, onion, and red bell pepper.
To a large mixing bowl, add the chickpeas.
Add the chopped vegetables to the chickpeas in the mixing bowl
Pour lemon juice over the veggies.
Add the spices.
Stir well to combine and distribute the spices as evenly as possible.
Serve as desired.
How To Store Indian Chickpea Salad
This will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing Indian Chickpea Salad
You can freeze this successfully for up to about 3 months. Just make sure you freeze it in an airtight container because any air will degrade it quickly in the freezer. A snap-on lid on a container or zipper-top bag, if you have one, will work best. Just make sure they are freezer-safe and food-safe.
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More Healthy Chickpea Recipes
Indian Chickpea Salad
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Equipment
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 good knife
Ingredients
- 30 oz. canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed – or cooked from dry)
- 2 cups diced tomatoes (you can also use a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes)
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (chopped fine)
- ½ cup chopped red onion (chopped fine)
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. garam masala
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the tomatoes, onion, and red bell pepper.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the chickpeas.
- Add the chopped vegetables to the chickpeas in the mixing bowl
- Pour lemon juice over the veggies.
- Add the spices.
- Stir well to combine and distribute the spices as evenly as possible.
- Serve as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted 1/14/2020.
Recipe updated 7/11/22.
Hello,
I used to make one of your re Iowa all the time. It was a simple chicken curry with peas. The recipe seems to have disappeared? It was a family favorite and I was wondering if you still have it listed somewhere what I’m not seeing? Thank you!
Jennifer – This one? https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-coconut-curry-turkey-chili/