🥗🙌 Roasted Curried Cauliflower Chickpea Salad is an EASY, healthy, lettuce-less salad with roasted curried cauliflower and chickpeas as the STARS! Topped with raisins, pistachios, cilantro, and a DELISH tangy Greek yogurt dressing, it’s quick, nutritious, and great for meal prep!
Why You’ll Love This Curry Roasted Cauliflower Salad
When the weather is colder, I crave warm veggies like my oven roasted cauliflower. However, when temperatures are warm, this cold curried chickpea salad is my jam.
- This easy, healthy, lettuce-less salad with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas that are tossed in Madras curry powder and ginger are the stars of the show.
- To add texture and crunch to the salad, I added chewy raisins and salted pistachios. I used a raisin blend (from Trader Joe’s), but you can use regular (black) raisins if that’s what you have on hand, or go with all golden. If you’re not a raisin fan, simply omit them.
- The dressing is an easy, whisk-together number comprised of Greek yogurt, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. The natural tanginess and cooling nature of the Greek yogurt balance the heat from the curry powder and ginger, and it’s a perfect complement.
- Add cilantro for herbaceous freshness and a pop of green color, and you’ve got yourself a satisfying salad that’s naturally vegetarian (vegan if you omit the dressing and/or substitute the Greek yogurt – I recommend Veganise), gluten-free, and ready in 45 minutes.
Make this dish for lunches, as a meal prep recipe, or as a light meatless dinner!
Ingredients and Notes
This recipe is loaded with different flavors and textures, but the ingredient list is simple!
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) – Rinse and drain them well before you begin
- Cauliflower Florets – Use a whole head of cauliflower, or save time with pre-chopped florets
- Olive Oil – Avocado oil also works well
- Spices – Yellow Madras curry powder, ground ginger, kosher salt, and black pepper. The intensity of curry powder varies. So, start with a small amount, and add more to taste
- Dressing – Greek yogurt (I use 0% fat!), olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, black pepper, and curry powder. Feel free to swap the honey with maple syrup, if preferred
- Salad Add-Ins – I love adding golden raisins (any kind works), shelled pistachios, and fresh cilantro for an extra pop of flavor and texture
How to Make Curried Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
- Roast the cauliflower and chickpeas – Arrange dry chickpeas on one side of a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, and the cauliflower pieces on the other. Season with oil and spices, and roast at 425F until the cauliflower is tender, flipping a few times to ensure even roasting.
- Make the dressing – In the meantime, whisk all the dressing ingredients in a bowl.
- Combine the salad – Transfer the roasted cauliflower mixture to a platter. Sprinkle the remaining salad ingredients on top.
- Toss – Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients, and gently toss to combine. You likely won’t need all the dressing! Save leftovers to use with other roasted vegetables throughout the week.
- Serve – Enjoy warm as a side dish or main course.
What to Serve with Curried Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
Recipe FAQs
This salad is best served right away while the cauliflower and chickpeas are still warm. However, you can store the salad (undressed) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Add the dressing just before serving, and enjoy cold. Or, gently warm the cauliflower mixture first.
As written, the recipe is not vegan. However, you can easily make it so by using maple syrup instead of honey and opting for plant-based yogurt for the dressing.
For the best results, leave space between each cauliflower piece when roasting. Then, serve your curried chickpea salad while the vegetables are still warm.
Absolutely! For a heartier dish, try adding leftover poached chicken, grilled shrimp, tempeh, or tofu.
Curried Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Cauliflower and Chickpeas
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry (I use no-salt added)
- 1 medium/large head cauliflower, trimmed into bite-sized florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons yellow Madras curry powder, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Dressing and Salad
- 6 ounces Greek yogurt, I used 0% fat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- curry powder, optional and to taste
- ½ cup raisin medley, black, golden, yellow, or your favorite raisins
- ½ cup shelled salted pistachios
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, finely minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup; set aside.
- Cauliflower and Chickpeas – To a baking sheet lined with foil (for easier cleanup) add the chickpeas to one side and pat them dry with paper towels. To the other side add the cauliflower. Evenly drizzle everything with the olive oil, evenly sprinkle with curry powder, ginger, salt, pepper, and using your hands, toss very well to coat evenly.
- Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until cauliflower is as tender as desired; stir chickpeas and flip cauliflower once or twice while baking to ensure even roasting. While the food roasts, make the dressing.
- Dressing and Salad – To a small bowl, add the Greek yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, and whisk to combine. Taste, check for seasoning balance and desired consistency, and if necessary add more salt, pepper, oil, honey, etc. to taste; set aside.
- After cauliflower and chickpeas are done, transfer onto a serving platter, evenly sprinkle with the raisins, pistachios, cilantro, and evenly drizzle with the dressing, to taste. You likely won’t need all the dressing and extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. Cauliflower and chickpeas are best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Do not dress the whole salad if you are intending for planned leftovers and instead dress when you plan to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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