Vegan Curry Chickpea Salad

The recipe is my vegan version of curry chicken salad and it can be made in advance.  It works great for meal prepping.  I'm a big fan of chickpeas, they go well with various flavor profiles and are so versatile.  Use them as a sandwich filling in my vegan chickpea tuna salad with no mayo, the base of baked buffalo chickpea dip, or in butternut squash chickpea curry.  

For easy vegan meal ideas that require no cooking, try a hummus cucumber sandwich, vegan avocado toast ideas, or vegan toast ideas.

Ingredient notes

Please see the recipe card below for exact measurements.

Chickpeas - Cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are the salad's base and hold flavors well. Instead of canned, 1 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas can be used. For more chickpea-inspired dips, try smoked paprika hummus.

Vegan mayo or vegan sour cream - Vegan mayonnaise or sour cream works well and makes the chickpea salad creamy.  I haven’t tested it, but plain unsweetened yogurt or oil-free hummus will probably also work well in this vegan curry chickpea salad.  If the yogurt is super tangy, you can try leaving out the lemon juice.

Red bell pepper - The red bell peppers and finely diced red onions are delicious additions and add a nice crunch to the salad.

Diced red onion - Finely dice the onion to not have large chunks. They add a nice flavor and crunchy texture but can be left out if needed, or use green onions instead.

Curry powder and garlic powder - Add curry powder and garlic powder for flavor. If your curry powder has some heat to it, add the sriracha to taste.

Lemon juice - The fresh lemon juice adds a little tang to the recipe. If you substitute the mayo with yogurt, skip adding the lemon juice.

Maple syrup - The vegan curry chickpea salad recipe calls for a touch of maple syrup for a little sweetness to complement those sweet red bell peppers.  

Sriracha - This is a hot, sweet, sour, and salty condiment with garlic undertones.  There’s not an excellent substitution for it, but in a pinch, you can try cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, Frank’s Red Hot, or even sambal oelek (chili paste).  Start with less, then add more if needed.  Adding more is easier than trying to fix it if you put in too much. This can be skipped if you don't want to add any heat to the dip.

Instructions

Start by draining and rinsing the canned chickpeas.  Then add them to a medium bowl and mash them with the back of a fork or a potato masher.  Mash all of them or leave some whole to suit your texture preference.

Chop your red bell pepper and red onion, then add them to the chickpeas. Next, add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine. If you like it spicy, add a teaspoon of sriracha for a little kick.  Season to taste with a little more salt if it’s needed.

Tips for preparing the vegan chickpea curry dip

• Everyone has a different cap on spiciness, so if you don’t like it hot, start with ½ teaspoon of sriracha then step up to 1 teaspoon if it’s not enough.  If that’s still not enough kick for you, add more.
• Dice the red bell pepper and red onion small not to have large chunks.
• Use a fork, potato masher, or pastry cutter to mash the chickpeas.  A food processor also works, but blending too much will create a hummus texture, not a chunky chickpea dip. 

Variations and substitutions

• The red bell pepper can be substituted with diced or shredded carrots.  
• The red onion can be substituted with green onion.
• Adding chopped fresh cilantro would also probably be a nice addition.
• Try a few raisins for sweetness instead of maple syrup.

Storage

Store leftover vegan curry chickpea salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  

Serving suggestions

There are so many different ways to serve vegan curried chickpea salad, but here are a few suggestions.

• Serve it with crackers 
• Use it as a dip for fresh veggies
• Make it into a sandwich
• On a croissant
• Make it into a curry chickpea salad wrap with match stick carrots and lettuce
• Stuffed into pita bread
• Lettuce cups
• On top of a bed of greens for a salad

Related recipes

More oil-free dips

As always I hope you enjoy this vegan curried chickpea salad recipe! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.