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I needed a quick lunch idea and made this today for lunch! Really easy and yummy! I halved the recipe to 1 can of chickpeas so enough for 2 lunches. I served it over toasted english muffin with avocado and sprinkled everything bagel seasoning on top. Delicious!
Heather
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Nutritious and easy spicy chickpea salad, all creamy and textured and salty and jazzed up with a kick of lemon and freshly grated garlic – this is where we’re at today.
On toast. In a wrap. On greens. With crackers. By the spoonful. So many ways to eat it!
AND HEY YOU CAN MAKE IT IN FIVE MINUTES! This is officially the greatest day ever.
Chickpea salad is a new thing for me. It’s been around, I’ve seen others make it, I’m not its inventor. But now that I’ve tried it (and found it extremely useful for real life), I’d like to share with you my basic, blank canvas, life-is-getting-real version.
It’s chickpeas, mayo, and sriracha. That’s it.
I mean, yes, add some salt, add some fresh lemon juice and freshly grated garlic (yummy) if you can spare the extra thirty seconds, but really, at its core, this chickpea salad only asks you for three ingredients.
Chickpeas, mayo, and sriracha.
WE GOT THIS.
I have a complicated relationship with chickpeas – sometimes they are lovely and sometimes they are just… not very good to eat. Like, when you open a can and just throw them on a salad? Meh. Nah.
That being said, I really enjoy chickpeas that have been stewed (hi there), whipped (hello), roasted (okay yes), marinated (double yes), and now, hmm, what should we call this method?
Mashed? Partially mashed?
It doesn’t sound inspiring, but texturally it is wonderful. What happens is that the chickpeas go around in the food processor a few times just enough so that they’re not in full-chickpea-form anymore, but they’re broken down into little delicious chickpea bits that melt into a mayo-and-sriracha mixture that will ultimately resemble, like, a classic tuna or chicken salad. Except… chickpeas.
Throw some avocado and microgreens on there, double down on your Everything Bagel seasoning, and voila. Your spicy chickpea salad masterpiece.
Creamy, dippable, plays well with all kinds of extras but also kind of a meal on its own, this is my new favorite VERY DOABLE way to save the lunch day.
Watch How To Make This Recipe:
Common Questions About Chickpea Salad
Sure! We’d suggest northern beans as a substitute.
Yes! We’d recommend storing this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
We’d recommend using vegan mayo to make this recipe completely plant-based.
5-Minute Spicy Chickpea Salad
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 5–6 servings 1x
Description
A truly delicious superhero chickpea salad! Chickpeas mixed up with creamy mayo, fresh lemon, and a squeeze of sriracha. Serve with crackers, on a bed of greens, or dare we say, with the forever addicting everything bagel seasoning.
Ingredients
Chickpea Salad:
- two 14-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2–4 tablespoons sriracha
- lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste
For Serving:
- toast or crackers
- avocado
- greens
- everything bagel seasoning
Instructions
- Pulse the chickpeas through the food processor until chunky. Transfer to a bowl.
- Mix in the mayo and sriracha. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
- Serve on toast with avocado, greens, and everything bagel seasoning. Or in a wrap. Or in a bowl. Or with crackers. You get the idea.
Equipment
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → - Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chickpea salad, vegetarian salad, vegan salad, lunch prep recipe, meal prep recipe
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of healthy chickpea recipes. Check it out!
You have garlic in the pic. Where does it go in the recipe? Looks good though can’t wait to try it.
Avocado is out of the budget at the moment BUT this was still delicious on and filling without it on sliced toast. I’m not a sriracha fan so I opted for cholula instead.
Simple and so good! I’ll be adding this one to the lunch rotation. Thank you!
OMG – 5*! So delicious! I’m kind of blown away at how simple and tasty this is. I’m already thinking about variations – perhaps some harissa instead of sriracha.
Delish! And easy. And flexible. You could add some diced veggies. You could substitute sour cream or cream cheese for part of the Mayo. You could even add diced ham if your husband needs to see a little meat in it. 😀 But I loved it made just like the recipe says.
Delish! And easy. And flexible. You could add some diced veggies. You could use part sour cream for the Mayo. You could add diced ham in case your husband wants to see a little meat in it. 😀 But I love it just the recipe says.
Super easy and delicious! And literally only took five minutes. I made this with mayo with avocado oil, lots of siracha and am very pleased. Will be making this again!! Thank you for sharing!
This was fantastic! I can’t believe I haven’t seen this before- it will definitely be added to the lunch line up.
So glad you enjoyed it, Samantha!
This was not a winner for me and I love chickpeas. All I could taste was Mayo even after extra seasoning. IF I were to make it again I cut the Mayo in half and add fat free Greek yogurt for creaminess.
How long does this keep?
We’d recommend eating it within 3-5 days.
Sorry to hear that, KG. We appreciate the feedback!
Delicious! Such a quick, easy lunch idea that doesn’t leave you feeling stuffed or heavy. A keeper!
Really good as a lunch recipe. Super quick!
Glad to hear it, Katie!
i have been coming to this site for years and love the recipes. i was wondering if youve tried amy keto recipes? i just started looking into trying keto and wanted to know how you liked it?
https://bit.ly/2Lz5gwl
So good. Easy to half this recipe and have lunch for two days. Loved it over a bed of spinach with everything bagel seasoning sprinkled on top. Thanks!
So glad you liked it, Jacqueline!
We love this Spicy Chickpea Salad.
But today is Super Bowl Sunday and we needed a Vegan Buffalo Dip, so I altered the recipe a bit:
Ingredients:
1/2 med onion
1-2 celery stalks
1-2 carrots
2 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup vegan mayo
1/2 cup Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce
juice of 1/2 lemon
Chop the onion, celery, & carrots in the food processor. Add the remaining ingredients puree until desired consistency.
Great with crackers, celery, & carrots as appetizer. Serve on toast, or as a sandwich, or as a wrap.
Enjoy!
Please feel free to share!
Sounds amazing, Theresa!
Unfortunately this was not a winner for me. I love so many recipes from Pinch of Yum and this fell flat. I love all of the ingredients separately and thought it’d be wonderful but there is a lack of crunch and acid, probably needs some lemon and iceberg lettuce. I’d treat it like a tuna sandwich because of its mush consistency and probably less mayo to begin with.
Sorry to hear that, Amanda. We appreciate the time you’ve taken to share your feedback with us!
Made this for lunch today and it was fantastic! I will definitely be making this weekly.
So glad you enjoyed it, Regan!
What an easy lunch idea! I had a batch of chickpeas that were sauteed with turmeric which added an extra punch of flavor. I also subbed avocado for mayo, and sprinkled some hemp seeds on top.
Sounds delightful, Mimi! Thanks for the comment!
I was pleasantly surprised by this! It’s delicious! Great quick, easy, protein packed, cheap lunch. I’ll be making it again for sure! Did you know that Heinz now makes “Mayoracha”–combination mayo and sriacha? It’s perfect for this as well as for the Spicy Crunch Bowls that I also loved!
Mayoracha –Love it! Thank you for the tip! It’d definitely be perfect on these bowls!
Although I have tried, I have not been a fan of chickpeas but this has changed my mind. This is so tasty. If I hadn’t made the recipe to know what’s in it, I think it could pass as “tuna” salad. It had a similar taste to me. I love it. Will definitely make it again. I think I’ll add some celery for crunch and see how it goes.
We’re so happy to hear that, Amy! Other commenters have added in celery for some crunch, and loved it!
My new favorite lunch! So, so tasty and easy!
Glad to hear that, Kindy!
It’s such a great recipe. I will definitely try this.
I saw some nice recipes on Amazon store also which I think others should try too.
You can check it out here : https://amzn.to/2NBIrsH
It’s for those who love keto recipes. So try it out
So yummy! This made for a delicious easy lunch. I had it over toasted English muffin bread with avocado slices, some mixed greens and everything bagel seasoning. I could eat this everyday!
Love hearing that, Kiersten! So glad you enjoyed it!
I love hummus and this looks like another amazing thing to do with chickpeas. Can’t wait to try it out 🙂
Just had this for lunch and it was awesome! Forgot to get chickpeas at the store so I used white kidney beans I had in the pantry. Topped with bagel seasoning, arugula, and pickled red onions for some color and crunch. Very yummy and satisfying vegan lunch!
Sounds amazing, Lauren!
This food is so good and so yummy. Thank you for posting this recipe.