Use fresh ingredients to make a simple and delicious chickpea tahini salad in 10 minutes—a perfect side dish, light lunch, and great for weekly meal prep. Complete the meal by pairing the Mediterranean side salad with al faham chicken or Adana kebab.
Key Ingredients
I could eat a salad every day and never get tired of it—this chickpea tahini salad is no exception! It’s an easy-to-make recipe you can throw together using what you have.
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) are a great source of plant-based protein. I use canned chickpeas, but dried chickpeas work just fine– make sure to set aside the time to soak the chickpeas and cook them before using them in the salad.
- Vegetables: Vegetables are an excellent addition to the salad. Some of my go-to veggies are red onions, juicy Roma or cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and chopped parsley.
- Dressing: Prepare a quick lemon tahini dressing using creamy tahini sauce, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, kosher salt, and coarse black pepper.
Additions and Substitutions
Tahini chickpea salad is super versatile! Use this recipe as a starting point, and don’t be afraid to mix things up—just toss in what you have, and you’re good to go!
- Swap the beans. Not feeling chickpeas? Try Northern beans, navy beans, butter beans, or Cannellini beans.
- Add fresh herbs. Skip the parsley if it’s not your thing—use dill, basil, or mint instead.
- Sweeten the salad. Stir a spoonful of honey or maple syrup into the dressing for a touch of sweetness. Or toss in fresh fruit like diced strawberries, mangos, or blueberries.
- Try a different dressing. Tahini has a nutty richness that pairs perfectly with chickpeas, but if you’re in the mood for something else, swap it out for blackberry vinaigrette, avocado green goddess dressing, or miso vinaigrette.
- Experiment with mix-ins. Load it up with chopped kalamata olives, green onion, baby spinach, bell pepper, or leafy greens. Crumble feta cheese, goat cheese, or Gorgonzola cheese over the top. You can also stir in a little couscous, quinoa, bulgur, or hard-boiled eggs to make the salad even more hearty.
How to Prepare Dry Chickpeas
If you’re starting with dried chickpeas, you can use them in this salad. Just be sure to soak and cook them before tossing them in the salad.
- Soak one cup of dried chickpeas (about 3 cups of cooked chickpeas) in a large mixing bowl overnight.
- Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a large pot. Cover the chickpeas with water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, or you can pressure cook them in the Instant Pot for 12-15 minutes, depending on how long you soaked the chickpeas.
How to Make Chickpea Tahini Salad
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Drain and rinse the chickpeas in a colander. Transfer them to a salad bowl or serving dish.
Step 2: Use a sharp knife to dice the vegetables and add them to the chickpeas.
Step 3: Whisk tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Pour it over the salad and stir to combine.
If you enjoy tahini chickpea salad, try one of these salad recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Serve the simple salad dish with savory meals like Moroccan meatballs or roasted chicken. The side perfectly complements kabobs and other grilled meat entrees such as kabob koobideh, joojeh kabob, or grilled chicken drumsticks.
You can also use the vegetables as a filling for sandwiches, falafel gyro, Middle Eastern protein bowl, or spoon it over a buttery grilled sweet potato.
More Tasty Pairings:
- Butter Bean Hummus
- Vegetable Crudite
- Piyaz
- Pita Bread or Pita Chips
What To Do With Leftovers
- Can I make this recipe ahead of time? Add the dressing to the bottom of a mason jar, followed by chickpeas. Top them with the tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Finish the mason jar salad with fresh parsley. Pour the contents of the jar onto a plate when you’re ready to eat and enjoy!
- Refrigerate: Store the leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Repurpose: Use the salad as a filling for spinach protein wraps, pitas, or sandwiches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do canned chickpeas need to be cooked?
Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas before adding them to the salad since they are pre-cooked.
More Salad Recipes:
Chickpea Salad
- Small Bowl
- 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ medium red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
- 2 Persian cucumbers, finely diced
- ½ cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tahini paste
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- lemon juice, one lemon
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas in a colander. Transfer them to a salad bowl or serving dish.
- Use a sharp knife to dice the vegetables and add them to the chickpeas.
- Whisk tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Pour it over the salad and stir to combine.
TW
Sunday 12th of June 2022
I could eat this every day. I didn't have parsley, so I made it with mint instead.
Tressa Jamil
Sunday 12th of June 2022
Oh, I have totally done that too! The mint lends a nice freshness to it.