Creamy Chopped Chickpea Pecan Salad
5 from 2 votes

Creamy Chopped Chickpea Pecan Salad | The Full Helping

It’s been a while since I whipped up some sort of chopped lunch salad—you know, the super-versatile kind you can stuff into a wrap, pile onto toast, eat with crackers, or pile onto salad—but this creamy chopped chickpea pecan salad has become an instant new favorite. Having grown accustomed to smashed chickpea salads, I’m loving the texture of whole chickpeas here, along with crisp vegetables and nutty pecans.

Creamy Chopped Chickpea Pecan Salad | The Full Helping

An additional benefit of the salad is that it’s so quick to make: the dressing is easy to whisk by hand, and unlike a lot of my favorite winter salads, there are no roasted veggies or other ingredients that demand a couple steps. You need to cook up some chickpeas first, but if you use canned or frozen, this is an almost-instant lunch or appetizer. If you serve it as the latter, it’s really nice to scoop it up in endive leaves, lettuce cups, or radicchio cups for some color contrast.

Creamy Chopped Chickpea Pecan Salad | The Full Helping

The dressing is creamy and tangy, and the apple and currants give the salad plenty of sweetness. It’s all nicely offset by the crunchy pecan pieces. Like a lot of home cooks, I’ve often used pecans in pie or banana bread or other sweets. But they’re also one of my favorite nuts for use in savory dishes, too. I love their subtle sweetness and buttery texture. I also think it’s cool that pecans are the only major tree nut indigenous to America, and that most pecans sold in the United States are still grown here.

Pecans are super nutrient dense: a handful of pecans—about 19 halves—is a good source of fiber, thiamin, and zinc, and an excellent source of copper and manganese. Pecans are also among the highest nut in those “good” monounsaturated fats, plus they provide protein, flavonoids, and plant sterols.

You can jazz up the salad with a different type of dried fruit, additional chopped veggies (like carrots or radishes), and any herbs you like. (I’m excited to try it with dill, of course!)

Creamy Chopped Chickpea Pecan Salad | The Full Helping

5 from 2 votes

Creamy Chopped Chickpea Pecan Salad

Author - Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yields: 4 -8 servings

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas 1 can, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped apple
  • 2/3 cup pecan pieces
  • 1/4 cup chopped raisins or dried cranberries or currants
  • 3 green onions tops only, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

  • 6 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise of choice homemade or store-bought
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Generous pinch freshly ground black pepper
  • Optional: chopped fresh or dried dill or parsley 1/4 teaspoon garlic or onion powder

Instructions

  • To make the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Combine all salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss them together with the dressing, mix well, and serve or store. Salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Creamy Chopped Chickpea Pecan Salad | The Full Helping

I’m excited to stuff the salad into a pita and serve it up with a side of soup tomorrow, then serve it as light bite to some friends later this week!

I so appreciate everyone’s kind words on Sunday’s post. There is so much to be grateful for, and I’ll see you for another reading roundup this weekend.

xo

This post was sponsored by the American Pecan Council. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Visit my privacy policy to learn more.

Categories: Recipes, Side Dishes, Snacks
Ingredients: Chickpeas
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: 30 Minute or Less, Meal Prep, Quick & Easy

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Recipe Rating




    3 Comments
  1. 5 stars
    This is super duper yummy but is there a typo in the amount of water in the dressing? It’s reaalllyy watery. Also – do I spy pear instead of apple in the photo? I was thinking that might be nice.

    Thanks!

    Aiden

    • Not at all, Aiden! I went ahead and made the dressing again. Mine wasn’t as watery as yours but I made another batch with half the amount of water, and it turned out even creamier, so I went ahead and changed the quantity. If you like the results, do try 1/4 water next time, and accept my gratitude for the edit.

      And to answer your question, I’ve made it with both apple and pear. I definitely prefer apple and settled on that for the recipe, but I used pear for the batch I took photos of because it was what I had that day. Both work, but I like the tart sweetness of apple rather than the more consistently sweet flavor of pear 🙂

  2. Gena,
    This salad sure seems versatile! I am imagining it over quinoa too and maybe for breakfast. (I am trying to embrace the idea of savory in the morning, slowly…)

    Looks good! Thank you.
    Libby