Creamy chickpea salad is a fun twist on the dense bean salad trend. It’s a healthy meal full of nutrition, amazing flavors, and textures!
As part of my weekly ingredient prep, I make a bean salad. It’s a quick and healthy meal perfect for work and school lunches. A few weeks ago, I had the idea to add yogurt to the dressing, and now we can’t get enough of this creamy chickpea salad!
With summer quickly approaching, I’m embracing simple recipes like bean and pasta salads. They’re versatile and easy to load up with your favorite veggies and toss with a flavorful vinaigrette for the perfect summer dish. You can adapt the ingredients to suit your needs if you’re striving to meet specific dietary goals!
Don’t limit yourself to the veggies I used in this recipe. Use what you like and already have. Recipes are guides, not rules. In an ongoing effort to prevent food waste, I rarely go to the store to buy one or two ingredients for a recipe. I adapt and make it work with what I already have on hand!
Creamy Chickpea Salad Recipe
Why We Love It
- It’s quick. Using ingredients most of us have on hand, this is quick and easy to make.
- Protein-packed. Beans are the main ingredient, making this an excellent source of protein.
- Healthy. This is feel-good food with plenty of fiber, healthy fats, and nutrients!
- Versatile. Change up the veggies to whatever you like or have on hand.
- Meal prep. This improves as it sits, making it perfect for your weekly meal prep.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredients in my creamy chickpea salad are straightforward, but I provide a list of substitutions that work below.
- Chickpeas. You can’t have a creamy chickpea salad without them! I used canned to keep this quick and easy, but dried and cooked would work well, too.
- Veggies. Fresh and crunchy veggies add texture, flavor, and nutrients. I’m using bell peppers and scallions. The veggies also add volume, which helps stretch the dish and lower the calories!
- Dressing. You’ll want to make extra because it’s so darn good! It combines Greek yogurt, tahini, olive oil, lemon, apple cider vinegar, fresh garlic, Dijon, and seasonings—and you want to pour it on everything.
- Fresh herbs. I use a generous amount of fresh Italian parsley, which adds a delicious, earthy, herbaceous flavor.
How to Make Creamy Chickpea Salad
This can be ready to enjoy in about 20 minutes! As always, detailed instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Make the sauce first so the flavors can start coming together.
- Add the tahini, yogurt, vinegar, lemon, garlic, Dijon, olive oil, half parsley, and seasonings to a bowl.
- Whisk the dressing until smooth, adding a teaspoon of warm water as needed to smooth out the sauce.
- Add the beans, veggies, and herbs to the sauce. (I reserve some herbs for garnish.)
- Gently but thoroughly mix all of the ingredients until well combined.
- Taste and adjust the salt, cover, and chill for at least an hour.
- Just before serving, stir it and adjust the salt and pepper one last time.
- Garnish with the remaining fresh herbs, and enjoy!
Pro tip. As shown in the picture above, I start every recipe with everything prepped and ready. The fancy French term for this is mise en place, pronounced (MEEZ ahn plahs). It translates to “everything in its place.”
Helpful Tips
- I strongly recommend letting this creamy chickpea salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. It makes a difference. The beans will start to soak up the sauce, giving all the flavors a chance to come together.
- When choosing Greek yogurt, I always recommend full-fat. The additional fat adds to the creaminess and richness of the salad. If using nonfat or low-fat Greek yogurt, add a little more olive oil for extra richness. However, if you’re watching your calories, you could leave the additional olive oil out altogether—although I don’t recommend it taste-wise.
- Having a variety of canned beans in your pantry allows you to pull together quick meals like this in minutes. Bean salads are incredibly versatile and a great way to get protein and fiber. My Italian cannellini bean salad is another one of our favorites. It’s so dang good!
Variations and Ingredient Substitutions
- Don’t like bell pepper? Use any veggies you want or what you already have on hand.
- Fresh herbs add a ton of flavor to this salad, and I use a generous amount. Today, that was fresh Italian parsley. Fresh basil, thyme, and oregano are all delicious!
- This creamy chickpea salad is loaded with protein, but if you want to add even more, we’ve added leftover cooked chicken, shrimp, and canned tuna, with great results!
- To make this dairy-free for vegetarians, use your favorite plant-based alternatives instead of Greek yogurt. You can also leave out the yogurt and add more tahini. You may need to play around with the other dressing ingredients until you like how it tastes.
How To Store & Meal Prep
- This recipe is perfect for meal prep to enjoy throughout the week. Transfer the salad to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to four days. It’s normal to see a little separation at the bottom of the boil bowl. This is normal. Just stir the salad before dishing it up!
If you’ve tried my creamy chickpea salad recipe or any recipe on my site, please leave a comment below!
Check out our vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, and low-carb recipes if you have food sensitivities! |
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Creamy Chickpea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 15- ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup diced bell peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- Creamy Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons smooth tahini
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest from juiced lemon
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic gloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon Redmond Real Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
Instructions
- Make the sauce first so the flavors can start coming together.
- Add the tahini, yogurt, vinegar, lemon, garlic, Dijon, olive oil, some of the parsley, and seasonings to a bowl.
- Whisk the dressing until smooth, adding a teaspoon of warm water as needed to smooth out the sauce.
- Add the beans, veggies, and herbs to the sauce. (I reserve some herbs for garnish.)
- Gently but thoroughly mix all of the ingredients until well combined.
- Taste and adjust the salt, cover, and chill for at least an hour.
- Just before serving, stir it and adjust the salt and pepper one last time.
- Garnish with the remaining fresh herbs, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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