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.
5-Minute Spicy Chickpea Salad
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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
Can I use another kind of bean for this salad?
Sure! We’d suggest northern beans as a substitute.
Can this salad be meal prepped?
Yes! We’d recommend storing this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
How can I make this vegan?
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
Scale
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
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- 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!
Filed Under: All Recipes Dairy-Free Healthy Legume Lemon Lunch Plant-Powered January Quick and Easy Sandwiches Vegetarian Winter
January 21, 2021
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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OMG, this is a fantastic idea for an easy recipe! And you can bet I’m not skimping on the Everything Bagel seasoning.
This looks delicious and the site refresh looks SO good! It’s beautiful.
Thank so much, Rachel!
Hello! I’ve no idea what the bagel seasoning is, I’m in the UK what would be a good alternative? Can’t wait to try!
The recipe that I found online calls for 1Tbsp. each of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion flakes and garlic flakes, along with 2tsp. of Kosher salt. Mix well.
Hi Rebecca! Everything bagel seasoning is a mixture of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, minced dried garlic and onion, and salt. Here’s a recipe to make your own: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/everything-bagel-seasoning/
I absolutely love Avocados, because they make me feel full and inspire me to not overeat. On some occasions, I blend an Avocado in the blender with Pineapple, Banana, and sometimes add Pomegrante. This helps me have extra energy throughout the day and stay on track with healthy eating. Chickpeas are also a good form of protein and fiber.
I would probably want to add some diced celery or red onion for some crunch – but can’t wait to try!
Love the idea of adding in celery and red onion! We hope you enjoy the salad!
I was completely skeptical but since I’m doing meatless January and wanted a quick lunch, I gave this a try. So glad I did! Such a quick, easy and delicious recipe. I added more siracha than called for. Had it on toast with half an avocado and healthy shakes of everything bagel seasoning. Definitely keeping this one in the rotation!
My daughter and I sub in mashed avocado for the mayo and add chopped celery and onion.
Great additions and love the mashed avocado substitution! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, Anita!
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!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Heather! Thanks for the comment!
Does not show serving size- 263 calories is a lot!
Tried this as a post-workout snack and loved it! Super creamy with a good kick to it too. I added lots of lemon juice and salt. I think this will become our new hummus!!
Awesome, Kaitlyn! So glad you enjoyed it!
This looks so good! I am going to try it with avocado and a little salsa as well and use it as a dip of sorts with tortilla chips.
Love that idea!
This came in at the perfect time and I made it on day one! The 3 key ingredients are always something I’ll have on hand so that ensures I’ll make this again & again.
I halved the recipe and that made 4 open-faced sandwiches. I used less mayo & more sriracha. One was enough for my lunch. I topped them with the bagel seasoning, slivered almonds & mixed greens. It’s not beautiful but it’s easy, tasty & filling. Recommend!
We love recipes using pantry ingredients! So glad you enjoyed it, Sue!
I was a skeptic – I was honestly prepared to dislike/not want to eat this, but I needed a meal fast before a zoom meeting! I usually only like chickpeas in hummus or roasted (to help with the texture)…so color me impressed.
This was delish! The toddler was sleeping so I didn’t even use the food pro – I mashed the chickpeas with my hands and a fork! In the end, I added chopped celery and stone ground stout mustard to the base recipe.
Will definitely make again for quick and easy sandwich filling! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Rose! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
This food is so good and so yummy. Thank you for posting this recipe.
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!
I love hummus and this looks like another amazing thing to do with chickpeas. Can’t wait to 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!
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
My new favorite lunch! So, so tasty and easy!
Glad to hear that, Kindy!
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!
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!
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!
Made this for lunch today and it was fantastic! I will definitely be making this weekly.
So glad you enjoyed it, Regan!
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!
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!
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!