Protein Salads

Crispy Harissa Chickpea Salad

Roasted chickpeas are the plant-based answer to croutons, but only if you get them properly dry first — that single step is the difference between crunchy and chewy. Tossed with harissa and roasted hard, they come out craggy, spicy and impossible to stop eating. A cooling herbed yogurt underneath does the work a dressing would, pomegranate seeds add pops of sweetness, and the whole thing lands somewhere between a salad and a mezze plate. It is genuinely filling, entirely vegetarian, and easily vegan with coconut yogurt.

Crispy Harissa Chickpea Salad
15 minPrep time
30 minCook time
45 minTotal time
4Servings
390Kcal / serving

Ingredients

  • 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained
  • 2 tbsp rose harissa paste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 250g Greek or coconut yogurt
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • Large handful each parsley and mint, chopped
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt and black pepper

Instructions

  1. Dry the chickpeas

    Heat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Spread the chickpeas on a clean tea towel and roll them around firmly — loose skins will come off, which is good. Get them as dry as you can.

  2. Roast

    Toss with the olive oil, cumin and a pinch of salt on a baking tray. Roast 20 minutes, shake the tray, then add the harissa, toss to coat, and roast 8–10 minutes more until crisp and dark at the edges.

  3. Herbed yogurt

    Stir the yogurt with the garlic, half the herbs, half the lemon juice and a good pinch of salt. Spread it across the base of a platter.

  4. Build

    Toss the cucumber and tomatoes with the remaining lemon juice. Spoon over the yogurt, pile the hot chickpeas on top, and scatter with pomegranate seeds and the rest of the herbs.

For a milder version try our Chickpea Feta Salad, or spoon the chickpeas over Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl. Pair with Creamy Tahini Dressing.

The EasySaladBowl secretAdd the harissa in the last ten minutes, not at the start. The paste contains sugar and will scorch bitter over a full roast, taking the chickpeas with it.

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