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This easy Kale and Chickpea Salad dresses kale leaves in a lemon dressing before they’re topped with roasted crunchy chickpeas, avocado, and pickled onions. It’s so simple yet so flavorful! Vegan and Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Option.
One taste of this vegan and gluten-free Kale Chickpea Salad and you’ll want to make it on repeat! Hearty kale leaves are dressed in a 5-ingredient lemon Dijon dressing, then tossed with pickled red onions, creamy avocado, and crunchy roasted chickpeas. It’s the kind of side dish or lunch you’ll never get tired of.
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Kale Salad, but Upgraded
If you’re the type of person who loves eating a salad for lunch every day, allow me to introduce you to this Chickpea and Kale Salad. This is one of those salad recipes you’ll never get tired of, thanks to its mouthwatering flavors and exciting textures. A salad that’s never boring? Yes, you heard me right!
Here’s why I’ll never stop making this kale salad: the hearty and naturally tough kale leaves are massaged with a simple lemon vinaigrette to make them soft, tender, and zesty; I top them with roasted chickpeas for crunch, avocado for creaminess, parsley for an herby freshness, and my Pickled Red Onions for a mouth-puckering tang; and, last but not least, I can change up the salad toppings and dressings as much as I want.
Need a quick and easy side dish? Serve the salad as is. Want a hearty lunch that’ll get you through the rest of the day? Add some of my Crispy Tofu on top. Need an oil-free twist? Dress it with my Creamy Tahini Dressing instead!
Whether you enjoy this vegan and gluten-free kale salad in all of its tender, flavorful, and crunchy glory or mix it up with even more add-ins, I know you’ll be keeping it on repeat (just like me!).
What You Need for This Kale Chickpea Salad
This simple kale salad gets its layers of exciting flavors and textures from a mix of fresh produce and pantry staples:
- Chickpeas: canned chickpeas keep this recipe quick and easy. They’re seasoned and roasted in the oven (just like croutons), lending a lot of crunch and some sneaky plant-based protein to the salad.
- Seasonings: the chickpeas are seasoned with garlic powder, paprika, chili flakes (or ground chili pepper), and salt before they’re roasted in the oven.
- Kale: the dark green and hearty leaves of lacinato kale make this salad irresistible, but curly kale works just as well.
- Fresh Parsley: the fresh parsley is pulling its weight in this salad, instantly elevating every bite with a refreshing burst of flavor.
- Red Onions: sure, raw red onions are good here, but you can’t beat the briny pop of flavor from these Pickled Red Onions. They only require 4 basic ingredients and take 10 minutes to pickle.
- Lemon Dijon Dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, maple syrup, and salt make up the simple kale salad dressing. You can’t go wrong drizzling my Tahini Dressing over top, either. It’s creamy, nutty, and so dang good!
How to Make a Kale and Chickpea Salad
- Toss the chickpeas with the garlic powder, paprika, chili, salt, and oil in a bowl until evenly coated. Transfer them to a baking sheet, then bake until they’re crispy.
- Meanwhile, add the salad dressing ingredients to a small jar. Seal it shut and shake until it’s emulsified.
- Add the kale to a large bowl and pour the dressing over top. Massage the leaves with your hands until they soften. Combine the kale with the parsley, pickled red onion, and avocado.
- Toss the salad with the cooled crispy chickpeas and serve immediately.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Dry the chickpeas really well before getting started. After draining and rinsing, lay them on a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry. Remember: moisture is the enemy of crispy chickpeas! If they’re still wet when you add the oil and seasonings, they don’t stand a chance of drying out and becoming crunchy.
- The chickpeas may not look totally crispy when they come out of the oven. This is normal! As they cool, they’ll continue to dry out and crisp up even more.
- Massage the kale leaves. Kale is a notoriously hard-to-chew and bitter-tasting leafy green. For a soft, tender, and flavorful kale salad, we need to massage the dressing into the leaves ahead of time. You can do this with clean hands or with salad tongs if you prefer.
Serving Suggestions
I’ll typically whip up this kale chickpea salad for an easy lunch or when I need a hearty side dish to go with dinner. Either way, I always make sure to wait to add the chickpeas until right before serving the salad. This keeps them light, crispy, and airy for as long as possible.
I’m really loving this salad for my weekday lunches. One bowl usually keeps me full, but on those extra hungry days, I’ll top it with my Smoky Marinated Tofu or this Easy Baked Tempeh for more protein. Or, if I have leftover cooked quinoa in the fridge, I’ll toss it with the salad to help bulk it up.
When serving this salad as a side dish, I’ll pair it with grilled veggies, vegan meats, or Southwestern-style dishes to complement the smoky and savory flavors of the chickpeas. It pairs especially well with this Southwestern Black Bean Casserole and these Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers.
If you’re looking for more over-the-top kale salad recipes, you’ll also love this Curry Kale Salad with Chickpeas & Almonds, this White Bean Kale Salad, and this Kale & Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad!
How to Store Leftover Kale Salad
Any leftover kale and chickpea salad will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. If you plan on saving the leftovers, keep the crispy chickpeas off the salad until it’s time to eat. They can be stored in a separate container on the kitchen counter.
To make this salad ahead of time, wash and chop the kale, roast the chickpeas, pickle the red onions, and make the dressing 2 to 3 days in advance. Store the vegetables and dressing separately in the fridge, and the chickpeas at room temperature to keep them crispy.
Before serving, massage the dressing into the kale, then add the freshly cubed avocado, onions, chickpeas, and parsley. Serve and enjoy.
Substitutions and Variations
- Oil-Free Option: Omit the oil from the chickpeas and dress the salad in my oil-free Tahini Dressing instead. Only add 1/3 cup of dressing to the kale to start, then add more as necessary.
- Serve with Grains: You can easily turn this salad into a main dish by serving it with a scoop of cooked quinoa, brown rice, or the cooked grains of your choice.
- For a Protein Boost: A can of drained and rinsed white beans (like cannellini beans) can be tossed with the salad for additional plant protein. Or, top each serving with this Rosemary Garlic Tofu to turn the salad into a meal.
- Optional Vegetable Add-Ins: There’s room in this salad for both raw and cooked vegetables. Add shredded carrots, halved cherry or grape tomatoes, and/or sliced cucumbers. Or, for a warm kale salad, add roasted sweet potatoes, beets, or bell peppers.
Recipe FAQs
No, peeling the chickpeas isn’t necessary. They’ll still get nice and crispy in the oven, even with the peels on!
I recommend roasting the chickpeas because they add some crunch and sneak in extra plant protein and fiber. If you’d rather save the time, just toss the chickpeas in the seasonings before adding them to the salad. They’ll be softer this way, but still good.
Raw or cooked, it’s all good! Raw kale massaged with salad dressing becomes dreamy to eat. If you prefer cooked kale, I’d suggest trying my Vegan Zuppa Toscana or these Kale & Quinoa Vegan Stuffed Peppers.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
The Best Kale and Chickpea Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
For the Crispy Chickpeas:
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or ground chili pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Salad:
- 1 bunch curly or lacinato kale washed, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 bunch parsley stems removed and finely chopped
- 1/3 cup Pickled Red Onions or 1/4 of a small red onion, finely diced
- 1 avocado diced
For the Dressing: (Or, make my Tahini Dressing!)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 small lemon 2-3 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic crushed or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon grade A maple syrup or agave
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 415F and set a large baking sheet aside. Drain the canned chickpeas and rinse well, then transfer to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry.
- Season the Chickpeas: Add the chickpeas to a medium bowl and add the garlic powder, paprika, chili, salt, and oil. Mix well, until evenly coated, then transfer to the baking sheet.
- Bake the Chickpeas: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes, taking the tray out halfway through baking to toss the chickpeas. Set aside and let cool on the tray, where they will crisp up a little more.
- Make the Dressing: In the meantime, add the oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, maple syrup, and salt to a small jar. Seal well and shake until emulsified, then set aside.
- Massage the Kale: Add the kale to a large bowl and pour the dressing over it. Use clean hands to massage the dressing into the kale to soften it. The kale will reduce in volume by about half and become translucent when it has broken down.
- Combine: Add the parsley, pickled red onion, and avocado to the bowl. Add the cooled crispy chickpeas to the bowl if you are serving immediately; otherwise, keep them off to the side and only add as a topping so they stay crispy. Toss the salad well, until combined. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.
- Serve: Serve immediately. Store any salad leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The crispy chickpeas can be stored in a separate airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- Oil-Free: Omit the dressing and serve with my Tahini Dressing instead. I recommend adding 1/3 cup of dressing to the kale to start, then adding more as necessary.
There can’t be just 1 gram of protein in this.
Thank you for pointing this out!
My dream salad, realized! Thank you for sharing this. Salad perfection.
You’re very welcome!