Kale Chickpea Salad (Easy Lemon Tahini Dressing)

Chickpea kale salad in a gray bowl with wooden salad serving utensils.

Kale Chickpea Salad (Easy Lemon Tahini Dressing)

This kale chickpea salad combines tender kale, fresh tomatoes and crispy chickpeas with a creamy lemon tahini dressing. Make the chickpeas in the air fryer or oven for an easy, filling salad that's perfect for lunch, dinner or meal prep.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword kale chickpeas salad, kale salad with tahini dressing, kale tahini salad, tahini kale salad

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 26

Servings

Calories 496kcal

Author Samantha Rowland

Equipment

Air fryer optional

Ingredients

1 bunch kale (about 6 cups)
1 cup sliced tomatoes cherry or grape

Roasted chickpeas

1 can chickpeas 15 oz can
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Lemon Tahini Dressing

¼ cup tahini
1 medium lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Start by making the chickpeas. Drain and rinse them. Add chickpeas to a bowl with olive oil and spices. Stir well
Air fryer - roast at 375F for 15 minutes (22 minutes for 2 cans). Let chickpeas rest for 5 minutes in air fryer basket before opening.
Oven: roast at 450F for 25 minutes. Turn off oven and let chickpeas rest in oven 15 minutes.
1 can chickpeas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Finely chop the kale - wash and dry the kale. Remove the thick stem then finely chop the kale.
1 bunch kale
Slice the tomatoes in half (or in bite size pieces).
1 cup sliced tomatoes
Make the dressing by combining the ingredients in a bowl and stirring well until all tahini is well combined. Let sit 5 minutes to thicken.
¼ cup tahini, 1 medium lemon, juiced, 3 tablespoons water, ½ teaspoon sea salt
Add kale and tomatoes to bowl. Pour dressing over the salad and toss 1-2 minutes to coat the kale well.
When chickpeas are done roasting (and cooling slightly) add them to the salad and serve.

Video

Notes

Remove the thick stems from the kale. The stems (sometimes called ribs) are fibrous and can make the salad difficult to chew. Even if you're using pre-shredded kale, check for any thick stem pieces and remove them.
Chop the kale finely. Thinly chopped kale is much easier to eat and softens more quickly once you add the lemon tahini dressing.
Let the chickpeas rest for extra crunch. Once they're done cooking, turn off the air fryer or oven and leave the chickpeas inside for another 5-10 minutes. This helps dry out any remaining moisture so they get even crispier without burning.

Nutrition