9 Chickpea Recipes: Salads, Curry, Stew and Hummus

Chickpeas can become a creamy dip, a roasted topping, a substantial salad or part of a warm curry. These nine chickpea recipes show how the same ingredient changes with the preparation. Choose by the texture and kind of dish you want, from hummus made with dried chickpeas to bowls, salads and stews.

How to choose your recipe

For a warm dish, compare the roasted eggplant curry, sweet potato peanut stew and cauliflower-tahini bowls. For a salad, the choice is more specific than simply adding chickpeas: feta and olives, goat cheese with cucumber and tomato, bread in a panzanella, or kale, beet and avocado with crisp chickpeas. Hummus serves a different purpose as a dip or part of a spread. Check whether the recipe starts with dried or cooked chickpeas before beginning.

Explore the recipes

1. Roasted eggplant and chickpea curry

Roasted eggplant and cooked chickpeas in a tomato-coconut curry with spinach and lime.

1

Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Curry

Roasted eggplant cubes and chickpeas in a tomato-coconut curry sauce with ginger, spinach, and lime. A meatless dinner for four.

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2. Sweet potato peanut stew with chickpeas

Sweet potatoes and cooked chickpeas in a tomato-peanut broth with ginger and spinach.

2

Sweet Potato Peanut Stew with Chickpeas

Chunky sweet potato and chickpea stew in a tomato-peanut broth with ginger, spinach, and lime. A one-pot meatless dinner for six.

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3. Roasted cauliflower and chickpea tahini bowls

Roasted cauliflower and chickpeas over quinoa, with fresh vegetables and lemon-tahini sauce.

3

Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Bowls with Lemon Tahini

Warm roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, and red onion over quinoa with fresh cucumber, tomatoes, and a lemon tahini sauce. Four generous meatless bowls.

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4. Chickpea salad with feta and olives

Chickpeas, peppers, red onion, feta and olives with a caper-mustard dressing.

4

Chickpea Salad with Red Onion Feta and Olives

Chickpea salad with red onion, feta, bell peppers, black olives and a caper-mustard dressing.

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5. Chickpea, cucumber and tomato salad with goat cheese

Soft chickpeas, cucumber, tomato and goat cheese, finished with a portion of roasted chickpeas.

5

Easy Chickpea Cucumber Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese

This chickpea cucumber tomato salad combines juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, fresh herbs and creamy goat cheese in a lemon-cumin dressing. A small portion of the chickpeas is roasted for contrast, while the rest stays soft and absorbs the dressing. The mistake to avoid is mixing watery vegetables with salt too early; add the final seasoning shortly before serving so the salad stays fresh rather than soupy.

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6. Tomato panzanella with crispy chickpeas

Choose the roasted-chickpea variation of this tomato-and-bread salad; chickpeas are optional in the source recipe.

6

Easy Tomato Panzanella Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

This tomato panzanella salad turns ripe tomatoes, sturdy day-old bread, marinated red onion, basil, and roasted chickpeas into a fresh, substantial summer meal. It works because the bread absorbs the lemon-Dijon dressing and tomato juices without losing all its structure; the mistake to avoid is using soft sandwich bread or letting the salad sit for hours. When it is ready, the croutons should be juicy at the edges but still pleasantly chewy in the centre.

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7. Kale, beet and avocado salad with crispy chickpeas

Kale, beet, avocado and roasted chickpeas with a blended carrot-ginger dressing.

7

Easy Kale, Beet and Avocado Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

This kale, beet and avocado salad combines massaged greens, raw grated vegetables, creamy avocado, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and oven-roasted chickpeas with a smooth carrot-ginger dressing. The dressing gives the salad body without mayonnaise, while the chickpeas add enough crunch to make it satisfying for lunch or as a colourful side dish.

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8. Creamy hummus from dried chickpeas

A smooth chickpea dip whose preparation begins with dried chickpeas.

8

Easy Creamy Hummus From Dried Chickpeas

This hummus recipe is based on my YouTube video, with a few adjustments since publication. In the video, I used dried chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, olive oil, paprika, and my Issou spice. After looking back at the proportions, I prefer to make one important adjustment: more tahini and a little cold water or cooking liquid during blending. That is what gives the hummus a smoother texture instead of a heavy chickpea paste.

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9. Chickpea and bean salad with harissa dressing

Chickpeas, beans and peppers with a creamy harissa dressing.

9

Easy Creamy Chickpea Salad with Beans, Peppers, and Harissa Dressing

This creamy chickpea salad is a cold summer-style bean salad made with chickpeas, mixed beans, diced bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and a quick creamy dressing with mustard, cumin, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and harissa. It is different from a classic three-bean salad because the dressing is creamy instead of sweet and vinegary, and the cumin-harissa seasoning gives it a warmer, slightly spicy flavor. I make it when I want a fast barbecue side dish, a protein-rich cold lunch, or a colorful salad that can sit on the table without feeling heavy.

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Before you start

• Check whether the recipe calls for dried, cooked or canned chickpeas; they do not begin at the same stage of preparation.
• For recipes that make chickpeas crisp, follow the drying and roasting directions before adding them to the dish.
• Choose the dressing and accompanying ingredients together: feta and olives, goat cheese, tahini and harissa create different flavour profiles.
• Keep the hummus and salad roles in mind when planning a meal: some recipes are dips or components, while others are built around a bowl, curry or stew.

Frequently asked questions

Which chickpea recipes are served warm?

The eggplant curry, sweet potato peanut stew and roasted cauliflower bowls are the warm options in this selection. Follow each recipe for the preparation and serving instructions.

Can I use canned chickpeas for every recipe here?

Check the individual recipe. Most of these dishes begin with cooked or canned chickpeas. The hummus is written for dried chickpeas, with soaking and cooking steps, and also provides a canned-chickpea adaptation. Follow that version rather than making a direct dry-to-canned swap.

For more menu ideas, explore our more salad and vegetable ideas.