Y’all know I love chickpeas. They’re easy to prepare, versatile, cheap, and full of fiber and other goodies! Chickpea salads have become one of my favorite easy preparations for chickpeas, especially now that it’s mid-summer and a million degrees out. Today I made a light and tangy Curry Chickpea Salad, that you can eat as a wrap, stuffed into a pita, or piled on top of a fresh green salad. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and makes a super tasty lunch!
What Kind of Curry Powder Should I Use?
There are so many different types of curry powder out there and they all have a unique flavor. I haven’t yet met a curry powder that I don’t like, so I can’t suggest one over another, but I’ve tried a few different brands such as Sharwoods, 365, Spice Islands, and Simply Organic. If you want to try making your own curry powder at home, here is a great recipe for curry powder from Hari Ghotra, along with a ton of great info about curry powder, its origins, and ways it can be used.
How to Serve Curry Chickpea Salad
As I mentioned in the intro, there are a few different ways to eat this Curry Chickpea Salad. I stuffed it into a pita with some lettuce for the photos here, but I’ve also wrapped it up in a tortilla to make a wrap sandwich. You can also scoop it on top of a green salad, or smash up the chickpeas and dip into it with crackers or vegetables.
I didn’t smash the chickpeas this time, but I often do to create a different texture in the salad. It really just depends on what texture you prefer or how you plan to serve it.
What Else Can I Add?
Chickpea salads are fun because you can add all sorts of other ingredients to make it fancy, if you have them. I think a grated carrot or diced red bell pepper would add a nice texture and the sweetness would work well with the curry flavor. Finely diced celery would also add a nice crunch, as would some slivered almonds. A few raisins would add a fun pop of sweetness. And lastly, if you can’t do red onion, sliced green onion would be a nice mild option to use in their place.
Curry Chickpea Salad
Servings 2 1 cup eachIngredients
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt* ($0.35)
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.03)
- 1 tsp honey ($0.06)
- 1.5 tsp curry powder ($0.15)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($0.55)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro ($0.17)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion ($0.07)
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing first. Stir together the yogurt, Dijon, honey, curry powder, and salt. Set the dressing aside.
- Rinse and drain the canned chickpeas. Chop the cilantro and finely chop the red onion. If you'd like to soften the flavor of the red onion, first slice it and then let the slices soak in cold water for about five minutes. Drain the onion, then finely chop.
- Combine the chickpeas, chopped cilantro, chopped red onion, and the prepared dressing in a bowl. Stir to combine. If you prefer, you can slightly mash the chickpeas to create a different texture. Taste and adjust the salt or other ingredients to your liking. Serve cold.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love chickpea salads? Try my Scallion Herb Chickpea Salad, Pesto Chickpea Salad, or Sriracha Chickpea Salad Wraps.
How to Make Curry Chickpea Salad – Step by Step Photos
First, make the yogurt curry dressing. Stir together ⅓ cup plain yogurt, ½ tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, 1.5 tsp curry powder, and ⅛ tsp salt. You can use regular-style or Greek-style yogurt, keeping in mind that Greek yogurt will make a very thick dressing.
Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of chickpeas. Finely dice ¼ cup red onion and chop about ¼ cup cilantro. If you want the onions to have a softer flavor, you can slice them first and soak in cold water for about 5 minutes before finely chopping.
Pour the prepared dressing over the ingredients in the bowl.
Stir until everything is combined, give it a taste, and then adjust the salt or other ingredients to your liking. At this point, you can either leave the chickpeas whole or smash them up a bit. It’s up to you!
Today I left my chickpeas whole, but if I were going to serve them with crackers for scooping I’d probably mash them up a bit so the chickpeas don’t roll off the crackers. :) Enjoy your quick, cold, no-cook lunch!
This was very tasty, and certainly cheap & quick. I didn’t think it was very filling, though, and awkward to eat as a sandwich. May try bulking it out next time (zucchini? tomatoes? quinoa? chicken?).
Delicious, fresh-tasting, easy! I made as written and added the suggested raisins.
I’m a student on a tight budget cooking for two. This was a good recipe because it was very cheap, and I had everything in my pantry minus the cilantro and pita (which isn’t necessary, but welcome). Also, I don’t know how to cook and this was a wicked easy meal. I would say it is a little underseasoned, but that does not matter too much as it is so easy to adjust. I added more curry and salt and threw in some paprika. I was worried that this would not fill me up, but it did. Good for a summer day after work where turning the oven on seems like the worst thing ever. Also, it made a minimal number of dishes.
This is such a nice change to eating chicken salad! The only change I made was I roasted the chickpeas first. I will definitely be adding this to my meatless days. Once again, you’ve given us a wonderful recipe Beth ♥️
This was great! Tasty and fast! I had it in a tortilla with some lettuce.
I wanted to love this, but it was gritty and bitter. I used Penzeys sweet curry spice. Any idea what I can do to get it better?
It’s hard to say without being there to taste it myself, so I’m not sure what was making yours gritty or bitter. Unfortunately, I’ve never tried Penzy’s curry spice, so I’m not sure if that’s the culprit. Sometimes bitter flavors can be mitigated by adding a little sugar, though.
Mine was bitter, too, and I got none of the tang from the yogurt or sweetness of honey. I haven’t had issues with this curry powder being unpleasant in other dishes, but I wonder if the amount was too much and overpowered the other ingredients. I generally love BB recipes, so this one was a surprise.
So tasty, it immediately won itself a spot in my regular lunchtime rotation. I never have yogurt on hand so I just make it with mayo (and celery instead of onion for the crunch factor) and it turns out great every time.
I enjoyed making this tonight. I plan to eat only vegetarian meals this month (need a break from meat!) and this was one of the recipes on my list. I added more salt, chopped celery, and pomegranate (because it’s in season). I can’t wait to eat it tomorrow for lunch as a pita sandwich. The salad itself is tasty and healthy.
I found this to be a little bitter too, which is strange because my curry powder is fresh and not bitter tasting. I will try another curry powder next time as well as try soaking the red onions. It was still good! I added a bit more honey.
This recipe was the first of yours I’ve made and I’m very pleased. So simple and tasty. How long will this keep in the fridge?
Probably 3-4 days because of the delicate fresh herbs, but it can depend on several factors, so your mileage may vary. :)
This is one of my favorite summer salads. I eat it on top of a cooked Trader Joe’s garlic naan and topped with half an avocado. So delicious! Thanks, Beth!
I really wanted to like this recipe but for some reason it just didn’t “pop” and I even added grated carrot, chopped celery, toasted slivered almonds, and some dried cherries and berries mix. Also a generous grind of black pepper.
On the plus side it’s definitely healthy.
Mine was bitter. I ended up just adding more honey…but what do you think the culprit was? The kind of curry I used? Thanks!
Hmmm, yes, it could have been your curry powder. Try tasting a little of the powder straight out of the bottle to see if it tastes bitter to you.
Oh yum. I love chickpeas, and I love this recipe! I can’t tell you how many chickpea recipes I’ve tried where someone is presenting them as tuna substitutes…..and I’ve been disappointed by all of them. This recipe is delicious. I used Madras curry powder, which has a little bit of heat. It was perfect. Too bad the “pita” breads I bought at Costco were “pita-ful” and had no pockets. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll be making it again….and again…and again…..
So delicious!!! I added a tiny dash of lemon and sliced cherry tomatoes and it was great. Thank you Beth, your recipes have made me love cooking so much more than I did.