This Crispy Chickpea Taco Salad is tossed with a homemade chipotle dressing and ready to rock your salad bowl!
My taco salad obsession is going exactly nowhere, folks.
I’ve been giving every taco in my arsenal the TS touch for weeks now, so I can get my taco fix while still hitting my health and fitness goals.
My Black Bean Taco Salad has been dominating my cravings lately and we’ve been making it so much that I straight up ran out of both canned and dried black beans.
CHICKPEAS TO THE RESCUE!
Now you could totally go for the drain, rinse, and devour method here, but the flavor explosion from roasting the chickpeas in taco seasoning first is too glorious to skip!
You can either use your go-top remade seasoning mix or use the recipe below to whip up your own sassy spice blend with chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and paprika.
For a little kick of heat, throw some ground cayenne pepper in the mix too!
To get the garbanzo beans super crispy, we’ll first roast them in a little avocado oil and salt. Once they’ve crisped up, and while still warm from the oven, toss them in the taco seasoning blend and mix it all up.
Now we’re ready to top our taco bowls!
Taco Salad Toppings + Mix Ins
For these chickpea taco salads, I started with a bowl of crisp chopped romaine lettuce and topped it with sweet corn, sliced jalapeños, diced red onion, creamy avocado, crushed tortilla chips, grated cheddar cheese, and juicy ripe tomatoes. YES!
Once all the goodies are in place, I topped it all off with the star of the show, taco seasoned roasted chickpeas, and a drizzle of a zesty chipotle vinaigrette for the dressing.
You could also use my beloved ranch dressing here or the creamy salsa dressing from my black bean taco salad.
Want to customize your bowl even further? Here are some more tasty taco salad topping ideas:
- fresh cilantro
- chopped green onion
- black beans
- pico de gallo
- jarred or homemade salsa
- guacamole
- salsa verde
- avocado salsa verde (yessss!)
- black olives
- pickled jalapeño peppers
- shredded cabbage or slaw
- sour cream
- tortilla chips
Crispy Chickpea Taco Salad
Let’s get our garbanzo on! Here’s the recipe:
Crispy Chickpea Taco Salad
Ingredients
CRISPY TACO SEASONED CHICKPEAS
- 1 can chickpeas (15 oz)
- 1 TBSP avocado oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp paprika (smoked or regular)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional – add a little extra for spicy chickpeas)
HONEY CHIPOTLE DRESSING
- 3 TBSP red wine vinegar
- 1.5 TBSP honey
- ⅓ cup avocado oil plus a little extra to taste, if desired
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 1 small/medium clove garlic , peeled
FOR THE SALAD
- 2-3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 1 jalapeno , thinly sliced (optional + spicy)
- 1/4-1/2 cup sweet corn (canned or steamed from fresh/frozen)
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup crushed tortilla chips
- 1 avocado , peeled and chopped
- lime wedges to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- First roast the chickpeas! Preheat oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rinse and drain chickpeas then pat dry. Lay spaced out on lined baking sheet and drizzle with avocado oil and salt. Mix to evenly coat. Set timer for 25 minutes, toss em in the oven, and move on to prep the rest of your taco salad. Once crispy, remove chickpeas from oven and add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Mix well to coat.
- While the chickpeas roast, make dressing and prep salad ingredients so that once the chickpeas are ready you can add them to the salad and dig in.
- To make the chipotle dressing, combine all ingredients in a blender or small food processor and blend/process until smooth and emulsified.
- For the salad, finely chop romaine, tomateos, and onion. I like to chop mine up real well so there is a little of everything in each bite. Thinly slice jalapeño. Steam or saute corn if needed. Add veggies to a large bowl and toss with grated cheddar and crushed tortilla chips.
- Lastly, add hot and crispy chickpeas and fresh avocado and enjoy right away. The whole salad can be tossed with dressing or you can dress each one indivudulally. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this chickpea taco salad recipe, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
So delicious! I’d eat it everyday. How long would you say the dressing lasts?
So glad you enjoyed it Carolyn! Homemade dressing typically keeps the same as regular leftovers I believe? 3-5 days or possibly a bit longer!
Simply beautiful and bursting with flavor. This crispy taco salad is sure to cure any taco cravings.
I’ve been eating a lot of salads for quick and easy meals and this one was a great addition!
Love that dressing! It took this salad over the top.
Thank you Allison! I’m obsesssssed with it!