Crispy Chickpea Parmesan Kale Salad

I know this sounds crazy, but I’m truly addicted to this Crispy Chickpea Kale Salad. You might think that once you’ve had one kale salad, you’ve had them all, but the star of this show is, believe it or not, that can of chickpeas that you forgot about in the back of your pantry. I crisp them in the oven with melted parmesan until they become these incredible, crunchy chickpea crouton-like things that I can’t get enough of.

Since I’ve been trying to eat more vegetables this year, nothing makes that easier than having the components of a super delicious and easy kale salad already prepped in the fridge for my busy week ahead. Trust me on this one, you’re gonna love it!

Watch Me Make Crispy Chickpea Kale Salad

Table of Contents

Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make Chickpea Kale Salad
Prepping Tips
Storing
Chickpea Kale Salad Recipe

---

Ingredients and Substitutions

Chickpeas

Nothing crisps up quite as nicely in the oven as chickpeas – just make sure to properly dry them before baking! I use a can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained, but if you’re extra, you can also cook a fresh pot of chickpeas from dry.

Kale

I use the pre-shredded kale from Trader Joe’s to make this salad as easy as possible. Kale is a more hearty green that makes this salad feel more like a meal, but you could use any greens you like, like romaine lettuce or spinach.

Parmesan

Freshly grated parmesan is melted on the crispy chickpeas to form those addictive chickpea croutons I was talking about. That’s why pre-grated, shelf-stable parmesan doesn’t really work here, but you could use another hard, salty cheese like pecorino instead.

Almonds

The nuttiness really brings the salad up a notch. Make sure to buy the roasted kind, as they’re much more flavorful than raw. If you are allergic or prefer other nuts, toasted walnuts, cashews, pistachios, or sunflower seeds would also be really good in this kale salad.

Lemon Zest

Freshly grated lemon zest adds much needed brightness to this Crispy Chickpea Kale Salad. Save the zested lemon in a ziploc bag or tupperware in the fridge to juice for another recipe.

Cornstarch

When tossed with the dried chickpeas before they go in the oven, cornstarch helps the chickpeas get even crispier, which is really what we’re going for with these parmesan chickpea croutons.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is used on the oven-roasted chickpeas and in the salad dressing. Most other neutral cooking oils will work for the chickpeas, but I wouldn’t recommend anything but a high-quality oil, like olive or avocado oil, for the salad dressing.

Champagne or Red Wine Vinegar

I use red wine vinegar in this quick and easy salad dressing, but I also love using champagne vinegar because it has a little less of a bite. White wine vinegar and balsamic would also work, even if they change the flavor a little. Fresh lemon juice (from that grated lemon you used earlier) is another great option to replace vinegar in salad dressing – you just might need to increase the amount a little to make it zingy enough.

Garlic

You can grate or mince a small garlic clove in the dressing, or use garlic powder in a pinch.

Honey

Honey gives salad dressing a nice natural sweetness to balance the bitterness of the kale and the acidity of the vinegar. Maple syrup is a great substitute.

Dijon Mustard

For a little more complexity in your salad dressings, add mustard. I like Dijon because it has a smooth texture, but you could also use whole grain mustard for a different texture. If you want a stronger mustard flavor, go for something like a spicy brown mustard, or just add a little more Dijon.

Salad Prepping Tips

• Make the chickpea parmesan croutons ahead of time. Let them cool and break them up before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
• Make the salad dressing ahead of time. I often double or triple a salad dressing recipe and store it in a mason jar in the fridge for all my salads for the week. Be sure to bring the salad dressing out of the fridge to come to room temperature before dressing the salad as the olive oil will have solidified in the fridge. Alternatively, pop the dressing in the microwave for a few seconds at a time, stirring it periodically until the olive oil is liquid, but the dressing isn’t yet warm.

Storing Kale Salad

Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do with a leftover salad that’s already been dressed. Consider dressing only the amount of kale you’ll need for that night’s meal and storing the rest of the components separately in the fridge (see tips above).

More Salad Recipes