What started as a summer panzanella salad magically morphed into the most zingy, fresh, delicious, creamy summer salad on the block. We swapped bread croutons for super flavorful Crispy BBQ Chickpeas (optional but recommended), which add plenty of plant-based protein and fiber. And we skipped the greens and went straight for a rainbow of fresh chopped veggies and fresh pineapple for maximum flavor.
The dressing is shockingly simple and delicious: Just lime juice, tahini, coconut aminos, salt, and pepper. It’s magical! Zingy, savory, salty, and naturally sweet. Perfection! The marriage of these flavors is next level. Plus, just 25 minutes required. Let us show you how it’s done!
How to Make This Summer Salad
This salad is filled with fresh, crunchy, seasonal produce including corn, zucchini, red bell pepper, green beans, and radishes. Pineapple adds a naturally sweet, fruity element to take it to the next level!
The couldn’t-be-simpler dressing is made by whisking creamy tahini with lime juice for tanginess, coconut aminos for a salty-sweet element, and salt and pepper for added flavor.
The dressing lathers the veggies for maximum flavor in every bite.
All that’s left is (optionally) topping with our Crispy BBQ Chickpeas for a smoky, spicy, and seriously addictive final touch.
We hope you LOVE this summer salad! It’s:
Tangy
Crispy
Limey
Savory
Easy
& SO Fresh!
It’s perfect for prepping ahead of time and enjoying throughout the week, taking to BBQs and picnics, enjoying over greens or grain bowls, using as a taco topper, and beyond!
More Creamy Salads
- Creamy Vegan Broccoli Salad (Mayo-Free!)
- Grilled Corn Salad with Vegan Chipotle Ranch Dressing (30 Minutes!)
- Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad (German-Inspired)
- 5-Minute Green Salad with No-Mix Tahini Dressing
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Creamy Summer Salad (with Crispy BBQ Chickpeas)
Ingredients
CHICKPEAS optional
- 1 batch Crispy BBQ Chickpeas
DRESSING
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 6 Tbsp tahini
- 1 pinch each sea salt and black pepper
SALAD
- 1 cup chopped green beans, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or sub other bell pepper)
- 1 cup chopped zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or sub cucumber)
- 1 cup chopped radishes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels cut from the cob
- 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (can try subbing other summer fruit, such as stone fruit or mango)
Instructions
- If you are serving with Crispy BBQ Chickpeas, prepare those first. While they bake in the oven, start on the salad!
- In a large mixing bowl, add coconut aminos, lime juice, tahini, and salt and pepper and whisk until well combined and smooth. Taste and adjust, adding more salt and pepper to taste, lime juice for zing/acidity, or coconut aminos for sweetness/depth of flavor.
- Add in chopped green beans, bell pepper, zucchini, radishes, corn, and pineapple. Stir gently to evenly coat salad ingredients with dressing. Place your salad in the refrigerator while you finish the Crispy BBQ Chickpeas.
- Once the chickpeas are seasoned and cooled, add them to the salad. Enjoy the salad on its own or alongside other classic barbecue fare like vegan burgers and potato salad.
- Best when fresh. If preparing in advance, store chickpeas and salad separately. Store salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and chickpeas in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days.
Video
Notes
*Prep time and ingredient count does not include optional Crispy BBQ Chickpeas.
Juju says
This is the most perfect bowl I have ever tried! Its flavor is so on point its amazing! Great recipe :)
Woohoo! Thanks so much, Juju!
Heather says
I made this and the flavor is amazing. I used soy sauce instead of coconut aminos. I also only had 2 limes so I only used 1/4 cup of lime juice. I wish I had more limes. I also left out the fruit. I was skeptical but it’s delicious. It doesn’t look like the picture but it tastes really good. My BBQ chickpeas are in the oven but I’m excited!
Yay! Thanks for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Heather!
Laura D says
this was not my favorite… To be fair, I was a little skeptical when I first saw it- it just seemed like an odd combo of ingredients and flavors, but I was intrigued and wanted to give it a shot. It was ok, we ate it for dinner and my husband seemed to enjoy it, but it wasn’t good enough to want more of or to make again unfortunately. I felt really healthy eating it though lol. I make a ton of your recipes and usually love them, so this was just a miss for me.
Oh no! So sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, Laura. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Christine says
Super bright and fresh salad!
I was excited for the sauce but it wasn’t for me…suuuuper bad. Im not sure how I could’ve fixed the sauce so we just had it sauce-less
Oh no! We’re so sorry that was your experience, Christine. What brand of coconut aminos were you using? We’re wondering if that might be the issue?
Danielle says
This was delicious! I made it with mango-fantastic flavor combinations! Unlike some other reviews I found the sauce to be perfect. Although instead of mixing it all together I’m adding a bit to each portion as I eat it. The only thing that didn’t work quite well for me was the chickpeas, the spice paste didn’t evenly coat them and clumped together. Next time I would just leave out the maple syrup and toss in the spices.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Danielle! So glad you enjoyed it overall! Cutting back on the maple syrup and making sure to dry the chickpeas should help.
Syd says
I made this tonight for dinner along with the bbq roasted chickpeas. Thankfully I tasted the dressing before putting the salad ingredients in but it was not good. Something was just off, I think from the aminos, with the dressing. I made a new dressing using tahini, lime juice, water, salt, and pepper and it worked well for this salad. I ended up quickly blanching the vegetables and putting them over ice so they were still crunchy.
The bbq chickpeas were delicious and definitely “made” the dish but they were a bit too sweet for my preference so next time I will use less syrup.
Overall, good with the modifications but not to my liking as written.
Hi Syd, sorry to hear the flavor wasn’t quite right. Is it possible you were using liquid aminos instead of coconut aminos? It has a stronger flavor, while coconut aminos has a bit of sweetness.
Syd says
I used coconut aminos by the brand coconut secret. It was a new bottle so it wasn’t spoiled or anything.
Hm, we’re stumped! We used Big Tree brand, but don’t usually have any issues with coconut secret. Sorry it didn’t turn out for you!
Shannon says
This is a delicious summer salad! I doubled the recipe and it easily made enough for 8 as a fairly large side salad. We also doubled the dressing and I found it to be way too much for my taste (we only used 1/2 of it and we are people who enjoy a lot of sauce). Perfect for a BBQ potluck:)
Thank you for sharing your experience, Shannon! Glad to hear you enjoyed it overall =)
Eileen says
This looks so good! A perfect cool, fresh dish for hot summer days! I love this recipe and now I’m going to make it using the variations. Thank you for reminding me how much I love this recipe.
Eileen
Thanks for the review, Eileen! We’re so glad you like the salad!
Jennie says
I loved this salad and the chickpeas are a revelation. I did nuke my green beans for a bit. I’m making this 4 stars instead of 5 because the dressing didn’t feel right for this salad (for me at least–I’m sure others will love it). Next time I think I’ll whip up a vegan ranch dressing instead.
Hi Jennie! Thanks for the review and for sharing your experience, we so appreciate it! xo
Claudia says
Hi can I swap Tahini to other kind of nut butter? Such as cashew or almond butter?
Thank you before
Hi Claudia! We haven’t tried this without tahini but we think cashew butter would work. The flavor of almond might not be ideal. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! xo
Anna says
Hello, I have heard/ read that green beans should not consumed raw due to high lectin content? Am I missing something in the recipe?
Thank you,
Anna
Hm, there’s debate about whether lectins are actually an issue. We aren’t concerned about consuming raw green beans, but you can swap them out for more of the other veggies, if preferred!
Kat - the other 1 says
Maybe lightly steam and cool the green beans first, if that
(raw beans) is an issue for you?