Garlicky Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

What can I add if I don’t have tahini

My favorite [savory] MB recipe.

I’m a full-time student and mother to a toddler. This is the salad I deserve. The dish has a wonderful flavor profile. I love the contrast of the smokiness of the tandoori chickpeas and the sweetness of the dressing. I found that this is one of those recipes where you can “eyeball” the ingredients and it’ll still turn out well. No substitutions. One serving kept me full for a long time and that’s all I can ask for.

Thank you for this! This is our new Thursday-night-and-Friday-lunch meal!

This sounds so amazing! I can’t wait to try it – on the list for this weekend :) Thank you!

Wow its just an amazing recipe. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe.

I literally have NEVER left a comment for anything but hot damn Dana, this salad is the BOMB.COM.

My kids will love this one – they really like chick pea recipes – which of course I am really thankful for>
Thanks for another great recipe!

Thank you for a recipe that I have now gone back to again and again.. the dressing is so good on this and other things too.

Made this today for lunch. It was just what I was looking for! I eat salads pretty frequently and was looking to switch things up a bit. This was hearty and filling with the Kale and I loved the use of the chickpeas. Some of my garlic got a bit “overly toasted” and were hard to break up so I threw everything in the Vitamix, so delish! I think I will be keeping this recipe in the rotation! I shared it on my FB page as well, I know plenty of other women that are looking for something healthy that isn’t the same old boring salad!

Every recipe I’ve tried from your website has never disappointed and now here is another one to add to my growing “favorites” list. This is so freaking good. For the chickpeas, I didn’t have the seasonings specified in the recipe but I did have some Ethiopian berbere seasoning so I used that. Super good! Thanks for another great recipe.

Wow! I love this recipe. I love this along with the bhudda bowl and Mediterranean sweet potatoes. I added sweet potatoes to this recipe as well and oh my gosh it made it so sweet and savory. You’re awesome! These recipes are so simple and easy. If you ever opened your own restaraunt, you would do so well. I would be there 3 times a week! Haha

Added some room temp cooked sweet potato, cubed, to the salad, and it was really good. The sweet potato was a nice addition.

I made this the other night with a girlfriend who recommended it- not only did was it so easy to make, but it was TO DIE FOR. The only “adjustment” we made, if you will, is we baked the chickpeas longer because we wanted them super crispy. This is going into my regular rotation. Thanks you for this deliciousness!

I found this on Pinterest and made it tonight as written. Delicious! I had leftover dressing so may have it again tomorrow. Thank you. ?

Just made for myself and my husband!! SO GOOD and I’ve never been a fan of kale.

I made this tonight and it is SLAMMIN’! The roasted garlic is so delicious in the dressing. This one is a keeper for sure. Thanks for sharing!

I don’t know if this happened for anyone else, but a bunch of the garlic exploded in my oven! Just spent about half an hour cleaning it up!

A healthy and delicious kale salad thank you! I added quinoa and roasted sweet potatoes Yummm!

So delicious!!! I spiced my chickpeas with Mexican seasoning, added cayenne and a little bit of yellow curry powder and they were delish!! Love all your recipes Dana!

Wow wow wow! This salad recipe looks so yummy that I just had to feature it in my “Sensational Summer Salads” roundup!

Kale looks nice in a blue bowl

I really enjoyed this recipe! I did about four cups of chickpeas for my family of four. I also used half as much tahini and used every bit of the lemon juice– my two lemons must’ve given me almost half a cup! I added a cut up avocado to the top and poured some extra lemon juice over the top of the whole thing. I also served with orange slices because I found myself craving them as I was tasting the salad during prep… Thanks for a delicious recipe, I have really been enjoying your blog recipes!

Really liked this recipe! I’m not usually a kale salad lover but this one was dressed well enough that it wasn’t too crunchy. It held up well the next day too for leftovers. The dressing made too much but that’s okay. It took a little while to make because I decided to make the dressing in the Vitamix so the garlic would be thoroughly processed — worked well. I’d make it again!

Love this recipe! Even my two young children are willing to take a bite!
I however didn’t use the tahini in the recipe… Instead i just took a few spoonfuls of chickpeas and added them to the dressing in the blender. Such a keeper!
Thanks for helping to make Kale our number one choice for salads!

I don’t think the recipe needs adjusting as written, but I did do a few small things different…I made homemade tandoori using the above as a base but added smoked paprika as well as regular, and small amounts of cinnamon, cloves and cayenne. I used dark maple syrup (#3) in the dressing, as well as adding bits of sriracha and garlic powder, and a few small shallots which I had roasted along with the garlic and chickpeas. A mortar and pestle worked great to combine the dressing. I’m a bit of a kale newbie so I tried with lacinato/black kale cut in thin strips. As most people say, everything was amazing! I might cut back the tahini just a bit, but I liked that amount of lemon juice. Thank-you so much!

I made this yesterday and I needed to make adjustments before it was just right for me. 1 1/2 lemons was plenty tart; I’m glad I stopped there. The raw kale was too tough to stab easily with my fork, and consequently unsatisfying to eat, so I baked it for 10 minutes, broiled it for 1-2 just to be fancy and toast some edges, and then it was just perfect enough to stab! After I poured the dressing on it was waaaay overdressed. I had to go to the store and buy another bunch of kale to add. I would use half the dressing that the recipe calls for. But even after all of these adjustments it was incredibly delicious!

Delicious and super quick recipe! The flavors are out of the ordinary and eating all that kale just feels SO healthy! Thanks for such a great dinner idea :)

Just made this. It was delicious! Thank you!

Wow. Great salad dressing. Thanks!

Just made this- SO GOOD. Made a portion for myself but then my boyfriend and his brother were jealous after they tasted mine so I ended up making 2 more salads!

Followed the recipe pretty much exactly except I had to roast my chickpeas for longer so they would crisp up nicely (about 30 min) so I had to take the garlic out earlier than the chickpeas. Also, I squeezed about half of the garlic cloves into the dressing and half right into the salad as an additional topping- it was amazing! Highly recommend.

Thank you so much for this recipe!

Awesome, awesome, awesome!!! Made this at a party I was hosting and it got so many raves reviews, I brought it to Thanksgiving dinner and the guests loved it! I got several requests for the recipe.

PS..saved the dressing and improvised with a tuna, bean and romaine salad the following day and it was delish.

LOVE the dressing!

Just tried out this recipe, and it was amazing! The dressing is PHEONOMINAL and totally made me forget I was eating kale. The only thing I have to say is that this doesn’t really make a good amount for 3 people. Definitely double up if you’re serving more than 2. Besides that, wonderful flavors, delicious!

This is fabulous. Even my 7 yo and husband who are not mad keen on raw kale liked it. 5 yo ate it but condimented with tomato sauce. I served it up with roast potato / sweet potato and some steamed brocolli to fill it out a bit more. I added some sriracha to mine. The chick peas were great. I didn’t bother with oil though – just baked them and the garlic on baking paper and it worked fine. Will def make again. This one and the white bean one were great.

Yum! I am absolutely in love with crispy chickpeas – they are so delicious. The perfect little snack for the vegan protein-chaser. I do a similar ‘curry spiced’ version of chickpeas if you want to check them out on my site :)

Oh my goodness! This looks absolutely savory & delicious! I cannot wait to try it :) Thank you for your yummy recipes!

For those of us who aren’t huge thing fans, do you have suggestions for a full or partial substitute? Thanks!

I have Garam masala spice…think I could use that instead?

I’ve always made my chickpeas this way and then separated the batch of chickpeas into smaller portions to eat as snacks. I never thought of using kale to turn this into such a beautiful dish. I’ll definitely give this a try today. Looks yummy and nutritious!

I made this (more or less) last night. It was amazing. I didn’t have ingredients on hand to make the dressing, so I used Annie’s Organic Goddess (which seems similar) instead. I also added some sliced radishes and some diced up roasted cauliflower that I had left over from something else.

I think I’m in love with kale now.

Will definitely be making this one again (and again).

Just had this for dinner–amazing and delicious!!!

This is my new favorite salad! I’m seriously considering running to the grocery store just to pick up more kale….with all 4 kids in tow….now that’s saying something! Such a great tip to massage the kale! I have tried kale in salads before and could barely get it down, but this….this is amazing. It was super soft and perfect! And the flavor was not overwhelming at all. Excited to try your other kale salads now, too!

This is the most amazing salad. It took me to freaky town and I never want to come home. I thought it looked good, but I didn’t realise I would want to eat it nine times a day. Thank you MB, great job!
Tomorrow is chocolate Quinoa bowl. Expectations are high.

This was delicious and fulfilled all of my cesar salad dreams and then some!

This was so great! And I had it all ready in well under an hour which is also such a nice treat. The only thing I did differently was use 1 Tbsp of honey just because I don’t like stuff too sweet. It was really perfect for my tastebuds. And I used garam masala for the chickpeas because I had it on hand already and Whole Foods is about a 20 + minute drive away and I wanted this salad NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for posting this and please keep em coming! :p

Amazing- great different twist on a kale salad. The chick peas are delicious! Great job!

made this for a party this weekend: turned out amazingly! dressing was delicious, and the crunchy chickpeas were a great touch.

I made your kale salad with tandoori chick peas for a family pot luck. There were no vegans or vegetarians there (and I am neither, although my daughter is vegan) but several gluten-free folks so that is what I was looking for when I found this recipe. The dinner was billed as a vegetarian’s nightmare, so you can get a flavor for the tastes of those present (including my own). The reaction to the salad was overall very positive and several people commented on how unusual it was, asked what was in the dressing, what was on the garbanzos (chickpeas), etc. We all had serious garlic breath from this salad! I will definitely serve this again, especially as a hearty salad option that can serve as the foundation dish for vegan guests when I am having them over for dinner. I gave it four stars because, even when massaged, kale is still pretty stiff and chewy. I may try mixing in different kinds of greens next time. The dressing and seasoned chickpeas, though–five stars for sure.

This recipe looks amazing! Would it be weird to use hummus instead of tahini? Also is there an oil free way to bake the chickpeas? Trying to avoid refined fats.

I just made this and was very pleased. I added grape tomatoes from Trader Joe’s and it was seriously very satisfying and filling and full of nourishing food. Thanks Dana!

Totally yummy! Made this tonight and loved it! The dressing is absolutely AMAZING! One thing…the chick peas need longer to crisp…for me 30 min worked. I made the dressing and chickpeas earlier in the day. This made it so easy to assemble at dinner time. I didn’t use all the dressing; for us we didn’t need it, plus I’ll use it in another salad creation tomorrow. This is worth making! Thanks, Dana! I tagged you in a pic on Instagram… ;)

HELP…I just made this and it is amazing! However, my husband has severe allergic reactions to tree nuts and I read that if you’re allergic to nuts you’re likely to be allergic to sesame seeds, especially tahini. I’m so bummed that he can’t have it. Is there another possible substitute?

This is delicious! I am taking it to a wedding potluck today, thanks for the great idea!

After reading the comments on how good this recipe looked, but not many comments from people who have made it… well let me even the score a bit. This recipe was AMAZING. Everything.. just everything was great and I wouldn’t change a thing. The roasted garlic/tahini dressing was my favorite part. High Fives girlfriend!!

Unfortunately, I found the salad completely unsatisfying. I spent over an hour making it, and I’m an experienced cook. Tahini takes over the dressing so basically it tastes like kale mixed with tahini. I was looking forward to the interesting spice mix, I mixed it myself per the recipe, with garbanzo beans and it the beans didn’t taste good either. I’ve made much better roasted beans with just garlic, sald and olive oil. Definitely not making it again.

Love this recipe! I’ve made it twice and both times it was delicious. However, I can’t get the consistency of the salad dressing as thick as in the pictures. Any tips?

This recipe is very good. I brought it to two BBQs and everyone loved it! I did find that some of my chickpeas weren’t super crispy but some of them were, so maybe I didn’t coat them evenly enough with oil.

Wow, great minds think alike. I was on the site looking for desert recipes and saw a pic that look exactly like something from my own kitchen. My absolute favorite lunch is my garlicky kale salad topped with buffalo chickpeas. Keep inspiring!

This is delicious! Shredding the kale and massaging it make it tender and the dressing is so tasty. I added some shredded carrots for a little extra color.

We really enjoyed this. The dressing tasted great and stood up well to hearty kale (we used Tuscan). My only complaint would be the chickpeas didn’t get crispy – they dried out but that was it…maybe I’ll add a bit more oil next time. PS – I made the Tandoori spice from the recipe, and it is a keeper!

Am I wrong to think the chickpeas needed salt and the dressing was too sweet and needs soy sauce or brags amino to balance it??????

Just made this as a side for five tonight – awesome meal! Definitely one I’m going to save <3

Hey Dana! I’ve been following your blog for the longest time but I don’t think I’ve ever commented. Anyways, I love your recipes and I can’t give this one a try! Just a quick question, I’m planning to make this to bring as lunch for the week.. would it be better to store the dressing separately? Or is it fine to mix it with the kale? Thanks. (:

fantastic recipe. We all loved it, even the kids! Healthy and really delicious. I would even serve this at a dinner party. I always modify recipes to suit my taste. In this case I used less maple syrup and more garlic for the dressing. I also added a bit of schriracha and cinnamon to the tandoori masala and tossed crumbled feta with the kale. By the way – I didn’t use your method for roasting garlic so cannot comment on its effectiveness. I always roast several heads of garlic at a time as its a staple in my house. Not sure why everyone thinks it takes so long. I use my clay garlic roaster and they’re done in 30 minutes.

Simple and beautiful, mine turned out just like your pictures :)
I added additional two raw, chopped cloves of garlic into the dressing to add an extra kick for my extra garlic loving family, perfect for us!
My chickpeas never got crunchy though, and my roasted garlic a little over done (but loved the tip about separating them to cook faster!). When i make again, i think i will remove the garlic at 20min and continue cooking chickpeas for an additional 20-30.

Thanks again!

Thanks for the recipe… I made it tonight and LOVED it!

The “quick” garlic roast worked for me and the dressing recipe is really flexible — I had the garlic and tahini, but I used fresh lime juice and white wine vinegar to brighten it up and it was amazing! (I didn’t have lemons on hand) I’ll be making this again!

I followed this recipe to a T and halfway through I heard this popping sound in my oven. The garlic cloves were exploding. So now I have no garlic and an oven full of burnt garlic. Probably should warn the readers. I’d MUCH rather spend the time roasting garlic the proper way than deal with this.

Any substitute for the tahini?

Love this recipe, I’ve made it a few times now. I’m wondering how to make a thicker dressing, add more tahini sauce? less lemon?

Thanks!

Super yummy and healthy recipe! Thank you for sharing!

I made this for dinner tonight. I’m not sure what it says about me that I would rather stuff my face with this salad than eat chocolate chip cookies if given a choice. (I seriously LOVE chocolate chip cookies.)

This salad is insanely, rediculously, delicious. It is so delicious that I almost feel guilty eating it. There is a little voice inside my head that tells me tahini is high in calories. I can happily ignore it and say rude things to it because this salad is also wicked healthy.

Is there a substitute for the cardamom? It’s the only thing I don’t have on hand. Thanks! Excited to try this!

Wow, first time i have ever massaged kale, I was a little nervous but I can’t believe how easy it was! The dressing is so delicious, too. I did the DIY tandoori mix which went well, but I have to say that I thought the chickpeas tasted dried-out and without too much flavor. I don’t know if I should’ve dried them more thoroughly before cooking or not cooked them for as long – any ideas? Thank you, love your stuff!

i just have to tell you how brilliant and inspiring this site is. thank you for sharing so much delicious beauty. <3

Hello there, isn’t tandoori masala suppose to be spicy? I’m planning on trying this recipe but wanted to Make tandoori masala in bulk bec we use this marinade on chicken a lot. Pls link. Thanks

I want to try this with steamed kale! I’m not too into cold foods (yeah I don’t know why either) and think that warm salads are entirely underrated.

This is, quite possibly, the BEST salad I have ever tasted. Hands down. The garlicy dressing alone is worth the price of admission.

I made this last night because the picture looked so good! Massaging the kale makes a HUGE difference. I cheated & used a tandoori marinade from Whole Foods (Sukhi brand) – I used 5 tbsp (to my taste). This turned out well & even my cousin (who Srirachas everything!!) agreed it was tasty. Her exact quote, “I’m into it.” :)

I am loving your website. Your recipes are amazing. I can’t wait to share some of them with my daughter and her husband. They are coming here from India on Tuesday.

I am planning on writing about your blog on mine. I thought I would say something about some of the recipes I’ve tried and then link to the recipe. May I use a picture from your blog by each one of the items?

Doubled this recipe, as I know it would be delicious. We had leftovers in these giant flat bread wraps I tried from Whole Foods. So amazing. Thank you for this recipe!

I made this salad for dinner tonight and it was dee-licious! The recipe was easy to follow and the flavors were fantastic. I had some butternut squash ravioli in the freezer that I made a few months back and they were the perfect accompaniment. I see a future for this salad in my weekly meal rotation. Thanks!

Delicious! I just devoured a plate of this wonderful salad. Love your recipes!

Made this last weekend, and it is seriously delicious (and easy, and filling). Added some roasted asparagus just for fun.

This looks off the chains girl. I want it for breakfast tomorrow! I mean… that dressing. DROOL. Do you make your own tahini ever?

I made this for dinner tonight, it was soooo good! Perfect with roasted sweet potato fries on the side :)

We have loads of baby kale just getting started in our garden, so when I saw this recipe I had to try it. It was delicious!!! The spicy chick peas added a wonderful crunch and the roasted garlic in the dressing was inspired. I added a few whole wheat croutons on top, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. We will definitely be eating this again- maybe tonight!

Hi Dana! I made this recipe last night and it was so delicious and effortless. I used 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, but would probably reduce it down to 1 next time as I prefer dressings to be on the tangier side and it was quite sweet.. The chickpeas were a perfect compliment to the richness of the dressing. Thank you for another winner of a weeknight meal, your recipes never seize to amaze me.

SO GOOD! My extremely meat-and-potatoes-type, kale-phobic boyfriend kept sneaking chickpeas and pieces of kale from my plate, too.
Substituting smooth natural peanut butter for tahini worked well, as did using un-roasted garlic and topping it with parmesan.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

This is so yummy and delicious, both kale and chickpeas are so versatile, they’re super tasty in complex salads or simply baked while seasoned with salt. The garlic tip was brilliant, such a big time saver, thanks for sharing that, Dana.

What a fantastic recipe! Roasted chickpeas have become a new household favorite, so I’m excited to try your version. Thanks for the DIY spice mix. I love making my own. Kale is wonderful for salads. I love that you can throw the dressing in ahead of time and not have to worry about a soggy salad! It’s on my list of salads for the week. Thanks! :)

Made this today and absolutely loved it – have sent you a picture on instagram. Thank you for all your wonderful ideas.

yammi
this one looks green and delicious. And I think silan (date syrup) could work wonder here instead of maple, if only for the combination with thaini.

Thanks!

For the chickpeas- what does “thoroughly dried” mean? Overnight?

“THIS WAS SO GOOD” said the girl who normally has to choke down kale.

I think I’ll make this again and again. Thank you!

I made this tonight and it is soooo good !!! I didn’t have tandoori spices so I tried and replaced it with a mix of tajine spices and it was still very good. Also your kale dressing made me think of baba ganoush (pretty much the same ingredients except for adding eggplants) so I went ahead and made that on the side and used it as a dressing as well ^^ Thanks for the recipe it was delicious and a perfectly balanced meal. Even my mom whose not a fan of kale nor chickpeas found it delicious :)

This salad was THE BOMB. Never in my life have I been able to say that I’ve eaten an entire bulb of garlic in 24 hours…until now. So good!

Kale is my new salad go to. It’s crazy to think it was once only used for garnish. Pinned and added the ingredients to my shopping list. Can’t wait to make.

This salad looks insanely delicious!!!

Made this for dinner tonight. So fantastic! I threw in a little spinach, because I love spinach. When I got home from work, I was shocked and dismayed to discover we did not have a can of chickpeas, so I had to use black beans instead. Still totally delicious!

This looks flipping amazing! Anything with garlic and I’m in! :p

Massaged kale salad with this fabulous dressing and crispy chickpeas is just what I crave! Garlic, absolutely, and the more the merrier! Thank you for the garlic roasting tip. I’ve not tried Tandoori spice but am looking forward to putting it together because I like spicy! Delicious salad, Dana! Thank you!

Ok, This is unreal…Chickpeas rock but crispy chickpeas…Get OUT…Drooling over this recipe!

Who needs chocolate when they’ve got a salad as sparking as this?

This looks really deeelish. And you’re right, when a girl wants kale, she just wants some. No need to argue. ;)
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.

Is there a substitute for the Tahini? one of our kiddos is severely allergic to sesame. This salad looks delicious!

This looks incredible. It is definitely on the menu for next week. So excited to stuff my face with these flavors.

There was a time it seemed I was eating Kale salad everyday for lunch. This is one I will have to add to my list of Kale salads, and I think I may have to give Kale scramble a try.
Thanks

Those crispy chickpeas. OMG. (insert heart-eyes emoji here)

Made this for dinner tonight – so good and filling. The dressing is awesome!! Thanks for the great recipe :)

LOVE this faster way to roast garlic and roasted garlic is one of my favorite things ever!! This salad looks incredible! Pinning it for sure!

I love the idea of roasting the garlic cloves while still intact, but having roasted garlic at the end of roasting the chickpeas! Multi-tasking in the kitchen is always welcome….as is roasted garlic!! Will for sure give this method a try :) thanks for the inspo!!!

This looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it. Do you have just a savory book. I don’t eat desserts.
Thank you.

Oh boy, I have to say I have NEVER drooled over a salad recipe before. Until now! I can’t wait to try this – it looks absolutely mouth-wateringly good!

This salad looks like a nice, warm hug!! I just love those chickpeas!

OH man. You are speaking my love language here. Kale salads are my favorite because, yes, nutrients, but they also stay good for days without getting soggy! The roasted garlic dressing needs to happen in my kitchen asap.

I also have to ask – where oh where do you get your backgrounds? Do you just have the luckiest thrift store finds?

This is all sorts of gorgeous! OMG the dressing. The. Dressing!
I’d have to try and make this with Tuscan kale, as I can’t find curly kale around here…I’m not too sure about eating it raw – it can be a little tough. I am guessing it needs lots of massaging?
Anyway I am pinning this fantastic salad! :D

Major Yumsies! Is that the Trader Joe’s Organic Tuscan Kale I see?

Yes, kale salad, any time! Dressing must be so good, but I have to roast garlic when my husband is not home, otherwise he’ll devour it before I realize its gone. A week back, I found a recipe to make crunchy chickpeas by soaking them and then baking. I’ll have to try to use cooked chickpeas, it might be easier (and faster too, right?). Thanks for the recipe, Dana!