The Asian Chickpea Salad, a fresh, healthy, gluten-free, and plant-based vegan entree or side salad with a delicious and easy to make hoisin dressing. Perfect for lunch, meal prep, or feeding a crowd.
Looking for something bold and full of flavor that’s still healthy and not high in calories? This Asian-inspired Chickpea Salad is brimming with flavor in an easy to toss together fresh dish. It has just what you’re looking for: great texture, flavor, heartiness, and perfect for a quick and tasty lunch.
I first published this Chickpea corn salad recipe in 2012. I had taken the salad to a family holiday potluck. I’ve also served this salad at bridal showers and baby showers. I’ve updated the information about the recipe as well as the photos. The recipe itself I have kept as it was, as it’s still super delicious!
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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask. The comments can be easily found using the orange circle on the lower left, then Join the discussion!
Be sure to check out some of my other out-of-the-ordinary healthy and delicious salads like Wild Rice Salad, Shaved broccoli salad, and Tofu with broccoli and blue cheese salad.
Can I make variations to this recipe?
This salad is made with hearty veggies and pantry staples, and can be served as a chopped salad, lettuce wraps, or Buddha bowl.
Feel free to customize it as well by tossing in cooked quinoa, rice, additional veggies like snap peas, mung bean sprouts, or shredded carrots.
Also, feel free to peel the cucumbers if you want. I have a family member who always wants the cukes peeled because otherwise she says they give her heartburn.
What to make for lunch?
This recipe is ideal for lunch boxes, quick dinners, or taking to a family potluck. I always like to have a healthy option at a potluck.
It makes a tasty main dish for me as a vegetarian, and it makes a wonderful side dish for the meat eaters.
If you have vegan or gluten-free guests, this fits the bill for them as well.
Brown bag it with a whole wheat pita or some whole wheat crackers for serving. Simply spoon the salad into a half pocket of the pita bread, and you have a great sandwich! It can also be served as a wrap with some lettuce and maybe a little creamy tahini dressing, like I serve in my Hummus Salad.
Healthy lunch ideas
Full of healthy, feel-good ingredients, and packed with tons of flavor, this wholesome salad is filled with high fiber, protein-packed Garbanzo beans, vitamin C rich red peppers, and corn that provides fiber and some protein.
This is a healthy meal you can make in 20 minutes or less.
Other great chickpea recipes
Chickpeas are such a great vegetarian resource. I love making them into all kinds of meals. Try my Vegetarian Chile Verde Stew, Nacho Roasted Chickpeas, and Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas.
Can this be made ahead?
Yes, this can absolutely be made ahead. It’s perfect for meal prep or for parties because you can serve it cold from the fridge.
I like to make it a day ahead, keeping the dressing separate in a small jar.
Just pour the dressing on, and toss to combine when you’re ready to serve.
It’s awesome that you can just take it out of the fridge and serve it; no need to worry about having enough oven space to heat it up at a crowded family dinner. Which makes it perfect for a party or holiday gathering.
Or, toss it all together and have awesome leftovers that you can quickly pull from the fridge. If you toss it all together, the veggies do lose some of their bright colors as they soak up the dressing. It still tastes great though.
The Hoisin chickpeas salad will keep in the fridge for about 3 days. Make sure it’s tightly covered in there.
Vegan lunch ideas
This Asian Salad isn’t the only great vegan lunch idea I’ve got on the blog. Be sure to check out some of my favorites: Thai Basil Pasta, Miso Tahini Pasta, Asian Fusion Bowl, and Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew.
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Asian Chickpea Salad Recipe
Asian Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic-chili paste
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (15 ounce each)
- 1 medium cucumber chopped
- 1 red pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn defrosted
Instructions
- Combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and garlic-chili paste in a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or in a small bowl. Shake or stir to combine. Set aside.
- Combine remaining salad ingredients in a large serving bowl. When ready to serve, drizzle with dressing and gently toss to combine. Serve with a slotted spoon.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
I’m loving the Asian spin on this salad, it’s delicious. And the recipe was easy to make. I had it for lunch for a few days.
Do you have the nutritional information for this please?
Stephanie, thanks for asking. I’ve added the nutritional info for this recipe. Have a great day!
This sounds delicious and perfect for the coming hot weather. In fact, it might be lunch today!
Love chickpeas so this was a must make for me. What a great plant-based option! I love the flavor and it’s great at a party! Thanks for the easy recipe!
So colorful and tasty, my new favorite easy salad! I made it for a picnic in the park and it was perfect!
I love how few ingredients are in this! It was so easy to throw together and tasted so fresh. It was great for a potluck I went to.
This Asian Chickpea Salad is healthy and delicious! I loved it, served it over lettuce wraps with tzatziki, and my family thought it was great.
Love all the flavors and textures in this! It’s the perfect weekday lunch. And it was easy to make, which is also perfect for lunches!
Oh wow! This salad was such a delicious and very tasty salad. It went perfectly with our dinner the other night! My hubby and I enjoyed this recipe. I’ll be making this again for sure!
I love it! Packed full of amazing flavors!
Today’s a hot day and the perfect time to try this salad for lunch. Delicious! My husband said he’d like this for lunch every day, so a definite win in this house!
Made this for a family party and it was perfect for lunch on such a HOT Labor day weekend. It was a hit and people happily took some of the extra home for later.
One note — for anyone that truly needs gluten-free (as 3 of our guests did), seek out Tamari gluten-free soy sauce, as well as gluten-free hoisin. I made my own, using the Tamari sauce.