This Indian chickpeas salad is an easy vegan salad ready in 10 minutes or less. Protein-rich and filling, it’s perfect as an appetiser, a light meal or for an Indian potluck.
Chickpea recipes are my go-to when I can’t decide what to cook. From classic OG Indian chana masala and chickpea spinach curry to this Indian chickpea salad (kabuli chana salad), they’re always easy and reliable.
Since there’s no cooking involved, I make this salad often, with small variations each time. It’s my fresh take on a classic Indian kachumber salad. All you need are chickpeas, a few salad vegetables, lemon juice, and basic Indian spices. You can even mix in other beans if you like. It comes together in under 10 minutes.
What I love most is how filling it is. This protein-rich chana salad keeps me satisfied for hours and I usually go back for seconds.
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💛Why You'll Love This Salad (like me)
- Ready in just 10 minutes or less
- Easy to customise with additional ingredients like peanuts, mango, feta or more
- Perfect for both vegan and vegetarian diets
- This Vegan Indian salad with chickpeas makes a fantastic make-ahead mason jar salad lunch option, just like our Mexican mason jar salad.
- Perfect to add to a party spread!
👩🏻🍳Sandhya's Top Tips
- Short on time? My number #1 tip is to use a food chopper and pulse the veggies a few times instead of chopping by hand.
- Forgot to soak chickpeas? Speed things up by soaking them in boiling hot water in a casserole dish for 1 hour, then cook using my ultimate chickpea guide.
- Using home-cooked chickpeas? Make sure to drain the aquafaba well before adding.
- For convenience, canned chickpeas work perfectly. Just drain and rinse thoroughly. This protein-rich salad is ideal for hot days when you want a filling midday meal without turning on the stove.
- For the best crunch and freshness, assemble the salad just before serving.
📋Ingredients
(Detailed quantities are mentioned in the recipe card below)
- Chickpeas: Use canned chickpeas or cooked chickpeas. You can easily cook chickpeas from dried using my foolproof method.
- Cucumber: I like using English cucumbers, but mini or Persian cucumbers are great alternatives. if you are using an Indian cucumber, peel it.
- Tomato: Any variety works well, whether it’s Roma, Vine, or Salad tomatoes.
- Onion: For the best flavour, go with red or Indian pink onions. White also works.
- Carrot: Grate the carrot using the coarse side of a grater. Although this is a chopped salad, I add grated carrots because they add better texture than the chopped ones. You can add chopped too.
- Spices: I use basic Indian spices and chaat masala. Like it spicy, add chopped green chillies too.
- Olive Oil: While this salad can be made without oil, I find that olive oil adds a nice moisture.
- Lemon Juice
🔪How to Make Indian Chickpea Salad?: Step by Step
Step 1: To make the Indian chickpea salad, add the chickpeas, cucumber, onion, grated carrots, tomato and chopped coriander to a large bowl.
Step 2: Make the spiced Indian dressing and add it to the salad.
Step 3: Toss the salad together to combine.
Step 4: Serve immediately.
📖Variations
- Chickpeas Peanut Salad - Add roasted peanuts or boiled peanuts and chopped raw mango for extra crunch and flavour.
- Kachumber salad - Leave out the chickpeas in this recipe and make a spiced salad.
- Store-bought chaas mix - Sub this for chaat masala, cumin powder and black pepper.
🍽How to Serve?
For an easy Indian spread, pair it with other easy Indian curries, lentil dahl and vegetable pakoras.
It’s also delicious as a midday snack on its own, or served as a light salad alongside a heavier meal.
I sometimes turn it into an Indian chana chaat by adding tamarind chutney, green chutney, a drizzle of yogurt, and a sprinkle of sev.
❄️Storing Leftovers
Like with any salad, this spiced Indian chickpea salad is best enjoyed right away. However, if you have any leftovers, store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. I don't recommend freezing them!
Make-Ahead Tips for Diwali or Christmas
I like to prep the salad ingredients separately and then assemble the salad right before serving. This way, the chickpea salad tastes at its absolute best!
Recipe FAQ's
Yes. Canned chickpeas are ideal for a quick Indian chickpea salad. Rinse and drain well before using.
Yes. For a crunchy chickpea salad, use air-fried or store-bought roasted chana. Remove the skins for best texture.
This salad is best eaten fresh. Vegetable salads like cucumber and tomatoes release water after 24 hours. I suggest storing the cooked chickpeas and salad vegetables separately and combining them.
More Easy Vegan Chickpea Recipes You'll Love
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas drained or (420g)
- ½ cup cucumber peeled and chopped
- ½ cup tomato finely chopped
- ½ cup red onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup carrot grated
- ¼ cup coriander finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ½-1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, red onion, carrot, and coriander in a mixing bowl.2 cans chickpeas, ½ cup cucumber, ½ cup tomato, ½ cup red onion, ¼ cup carrot, ¼ cup coriander
- Prepare the dressing by adding olive oil, lemon juice, chaat masala, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and salt to a jam jar. Shake well until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.2 tablespoon olive oil, Juice of ½ lemon, 1 teaspoon chaat masala, ½-1 teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, ¼-½ teaspoon salt , ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pour the dressing over the salad mixture in the bowl.
- Toss the salad until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Serve!
Notes
Expert Tips
- My number #1 tip is to use a food chopper and pulse the veggies a few times instead of chopping by hand. Really handy when you are short on time.
- Want to cook dried chickpeas perfectly at home? You can easily make it with my recipe. Just need a bit of planning in advance.
- Using home-cooked chickpeas? Make sure to drain the aquafaba well before adding.
- For convenience, canned chickpeas work perfectly. Just drain and rinse thoroughly. This protein-rich salad is ideal for hot days when you want a filling midday meal without turning on the stove.
- For the best crunch and freshness, assemble the salad just before serving.
- Enjoy the salad within 24 hours for the best taste.
Sam says
Really simple to make this Chickpeas salad with Indian spiced dressing. I made it for the weekend and my family loved it.