Tahini Chickpea Salad

Tahini chickpea salad is the perfect lunch! Make a sandwich with it and pack it up for lunch at the office or school. Top a pile of greens with it and serve it as a salad. Place it in a bowl alongside crackers and cut veggies and serve it as a snack. This super easy recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Tahini Chickpea Salad

Chickpea Salad is one of my go-to dishes for lunch. I like to mash up chickpeas, add whatever veggies I might have in the fridge – such as celery and carrots – add some seasonings, and mix it all together with vegan mayo. It’s perfect on a sandwich, in a wrap, and on top of a garden salad.

As much as love slathering everything in mayonnaise (and I really do love it), I like to mix things up a bit. I often use tahini dressing instead of mayo in recipes. It’s great on sandwiches, and I mix it in with cabbage and carrots to make coleslaw. I absolutely love the way it compliments the chickpeas in this chickpea salad. In my book, chickpeas and tahini is up there with peanut butter and chocolate when it comes to beloved flavor combos. 

What is Tahini?

Tahini is one of my favorite condiments. It’s a paste that’s made from ground hulled sesame seeds. It’s what peanut butter is to peanuts. Tahini is used a lot in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking and can usually be found in hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva.

On its own, tahini can taste a little bitter. Something magical happens when it’s mixed with lemon and garlic though.  When tahini is mixed with water, it thickens. If you’re making the tahini dressing ahead of time, it will thicken as it sits in the fridge, so more water might be needed.

Store any open unused tahini in your refrigerator, as it can spoil quickly when left out at room temperature. It will last for months in the fridge, though.

It’s a good source of magnesium, potassium, and iron, and it’s one of the best sources of vegan calcium. It’s also loaded with protein and vitamins. 

I often buy the Whole Foods 365 brand of Tahini, but I also really like Seed & Mill and Soom.

How to Make Tahini Chickpea Salad

This salad couldn’t be easier to make!

• First you mix together all of the tahini dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick you can add a little more water.
• Next you mash the chickpeas.
• You add the celery, carrots, scallions, and parsley to the chickpeas and stir to combine.
• Finally you gently fold in the dressing.
• Place your salad in the fridge for about 2 hours to allow all of the flavors to combine.

How to Serve your Tahini Chickpea Salad

You can serve this salad in several ways!

• It’s great in a sandwich or wrap.
• You can use it to top a salad.
• Serve it as a snack with crackers and cut veggies. 
• Just eat it out of the bowl with spoon! (Just kidding. Sort of.)

How to Customize Your Chickpea Salad

I will admit that even I don’t always follow my recipes to the letter. It’s easy to mix things up and make this recipe your own.

• Want to give your tahini a spicy kick? Add a shake or two of red pepper flakes!
• If you’d rather use 3 stalks of celery and 1 carrot, go for it! You can’t can’t “break” this recipe.
• You can mix up the veggies you use. It’s just as good with scallions and red bell pepper as it is with carrots and celery.

Tahini Chickpea Salad

Dianne

This tahini chickpea salad is the perfect meal for warm days. I love to make it for lunch, but it would also make a great light dinner! It’s a great dish for picnics and potlucks, too.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 309 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas or one 14-ounce can
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 2 scallions sliced
• 2 carrots diced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, apple cider vinegar, water, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt until smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a little water, a tablespoon at a time. The consistency should be simliar to mayonnaise.
• In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork or a potato masher. Add the celery, scallions, carrots, and parsley and gently mix to combine. Gently mix in the tahini dressing.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, to allow the flavors to combine. Serve on a sandwich, in a wrap, on a fresh salad, or with crackers and cut veggies.

Calories: 309kcal

Tried this recipe?Tag @diannewenz on Instagram!

More Chickpea Recipes You Might Enjoy Include:

• Garlicky Roasted Chickpeas
• Avocado Chickpea Salad
• Asparagus and Chickpea Salad with Vegan Buttermilk Dressing
• Chickpea Waldorf Salad

More Tahini Recipes You Might Like Include:

• Tahini Kale Salad with Garlicky Chickpeas
• Mocha Tahini Shake
• Easy Pease Lemon Tahini Dressing
• Tahini Noodles

Originally posted April 17, 2017. Updated August 29, 2021.