Spicy chickpea salad with harissa dressing is a great salad to enjoy on its own or as a side dish for a larger main meal.

Spicy chickpea salad with harissa dressing is one of my go-to salads. It’s one of those dishes that you can enjoy either as a light lunch with perhaps some dressed greens, or as a side dish for a dinner main.
I’m one of those people who simply loves vegetables and enjoys eating salad all year round. Salad is not just a summer dish for me.
I always have a can of chickpeas in my cupboard and these are vegetables I always have in the fridge. So this chickpea and vegetable salad is one I pull together often.
Whilst I love the comfort food of winter, I do need to balance that out with lots of fresh flavours and this chickpea and vegetable salad always hits the spot.

This chickpea salad recipe is really quick to prepare, so can be ready and on the table in a matter of minutes. It is also made using vegetables that I always have in the fridge.
The addition of chickpeas in this spicy chickpea salad recipe means that it is full of protein and fibre, keeping you full longer.
This is an ideal lunch dish, or served with some grilled meat at dinner time.
How to make to make chickpea & vegetable salad?



Using a jam jar to make salad dressing!
My top tip for making any salad dressing is to use a jam jar. Simply place all the ingredients for your salad dressing into the jar and secure the lid. Then give the jar a really good shake to combine everything.
Once you’ve dressed your salad, any leftover dressing can be kept in the jar in the fridge until you are ready to use again.
Recipe substitutions:
Chickpeas:
I have used a tin of chickpeas in this recipe for speed of pulling this recipe together as I always have tinned chickpeas in my store cupboard.
However, with a bit of advanced planning you can soak dried chickpeas in water overnight. Then next day boil them in water until tender, before draining and setting aside to cool.
If you don’t have chickpeas then you could substitute with a tin of beans. Cannellini, borlotti or kidney beans would all work well with the flavours in this salad.
Vegetables:
I like the simplicty of using carrotes, tomatoes, cucumber and tomato with the chickpeas
- spring onions
- banana shallot
- avocado
- kale
- baby spinach
- red pepper
- radish
- fresh parsley leaf

Salad dressing:
This flavoursome salad dressing is made using Belazu Rose Harissa, which is my favourite. I always have a jar of this paste at home, it’s beautifully balanced and I use it in lots of dishes. However, if you can find this then substitute with another similar paste.
This harissa dressing also uses pomegranate juice for added fruitiness, but if you don’t have pomegranate substitute with cranberry juice instead for that same sharpness.
Can you make this salad ahead of time?
Salad can be make up ahead of time, earlier in the day. Then simply left in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
However, what I like to do is prepare the vegetables and dressing, but leave them in separate containers. I only dress the salad when I am ready to sit down and eat. This way the salad stays fresh and does not go soggy.
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Additional recipe suggestions:
If you enjoyed this salad then try some of our other great salad recipes, a lovely combination of main meal salads and side salads!
Main salads:
- Roast Pumpkin Salad
- Grilled Vegetables with Halloumi
- Ham, Fig & Blue Cheese Salad
- Chicken & Asparagus Salad
- Chicken Salad with Harissa Dressing
Easy side salads:
- Easy Bean Salad
- Fennel & Apple Slaw
- Italian Marinated Aubergine
- Warm Vegan Potato Salad
- Warm Potato Salad with Wild Garlic
Love salad? Then head to our Best Salad Recipes post where you will find links to all our favourite salads in one place.

Spicy Chickpea Salad with Harissa Dressing
Ingredients
Salad
- 400 g tin of chickpeas (drained)
- ½ carrot (grated)
- 2 large plum tomatoes (diced)
- ½ cucumber (skinned and de-seeded)
- ½ small red onion (finely diced)
Dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp Belazu rose harissa paste
- 2 tbsp pomegranite juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas and combine with the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Place the ingredients for the harissa dressing in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake the jar to combine the salad dressing. Check the salad dressing for seasoning and add a little more if required. [Alternatively place in a bowl and give a good whisk to combine.]
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well, ensuring that the salad is well coated. Serve immediately.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
This recipe has been shared to CookBlogShare. Click on the link to find recipes by fellow food bloggers.
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
Looks delicious, colourful and healthy too!
Lesley
Thank you Kat, it is such a simple salad to prepare, full of flavour but good for you too.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
This looks utterly delicious – harissa is a huge favourite of mine! Eb 🙂
Lesley
Thank you Eb, mine too, it adds such vibrancy of flavour to any dish its added to.
Marita
This salad looks delicious and the flavours sound great. I love easy salad recipes as I have them for dinner and cannot wait to try this one.
Lesley
Thank you Marita, this is a really tasty salad and so simple to make.
Cat
So delicious and full of flavour. The perfect salad for this time of year and alfresco eating.
Lesley
Thank you Cat, this is a flavour packed salad and ideal for enjoying outdoors, it also travels well for a picnic lunch.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist
You had me at Harissa! Such a beautiful, vibrant plate of food. Utterly delicious. Another amazing dish xx
Lesley
Thank you Kate, I love harissa as it lifts any food its added to.
Kate
Ooh all those gorgeous flavours, this sounds wonderful – definitely bookmarking it to try soon.
Lesley
Thank you Kate, this is such a simple salad to prepare but one that is packed full of flavour.
Janice
This is 100% my kind of salad and it’s absolutely delicious.
Lesley
Thank you Janice, its a recipe I make often as its so quick and packed full of flavour.
Carrie Carvalho
I love anything with Harissa and this looks so fresh and delicious! I’ll be serving this up at my next BBQ for sure!
Lesley
Thank you Carrie, me too, I’m never without a jar of harissa as it’s so versatile.
Corina Blum
This looks delicious! I’m a huge fan of harissa and often use it as part of a salad dressing. I think it must go so well with the chickpeas in this.
Lesley
Thank you Corina, I’m never without a jar of harissa as its so versatile. It’s lovely with the chickpeas and sweet carrots in this salad.