Indian chickpea salad, also called chana chaat, is a quick salad made with cooked chickpeas, chopped vegetables, herbs, and chutneys. Green chutney adds fresh flavor and heat, while tamarind chutney makes the salad sweet and tangy.
There is no cooking needed once the chickpeas are ready. Just chop, mix, and taste before adding salt, as the chutneys may already have enough. If you enjoy simple bean-based meals, you can find more ideas in my Indian chickpea recipes.
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Two Chutneys Bring Chaat Flavor in 10 Minutes
In my kitchen, I meal prep Indian green chutney and Indian tamarind sauce as part of my weekly vegetarian meal prep. Once those two sauces and cooked chickpeas are ready, I only need to chop the vegetables and mix everything together. This small habit makes the salad especially useful on busy weekdays.
I also cook chickpeas from scratch using my Instant Pot chickpeas recipe. I usually cook a larger batch and use the chickpeas for this salad, Indian chickpea masala curry, or chana pulao during the week. This makes one batch of chickpeas useful for several quick meals.
Happy Cooking!
-Sravanthi
How to Make Chana Chaat Salad
Step 1: Add the cooked chickpeas to a wide bowl or plate. Add the onion, tomato, green chili, cilantro, and mint.
Step 2: Add the coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, and red chili powder, if using. Spoon in the green chutney and tamarind chutney.
Step 3: Mix well so the chutneys and spices coat the chickpeas evenly. Taste before adding salt, as the chickpeas and chutneys may already have enough. Add salt only if needed.
Step 4: Top with pomegranate arils. Add a few extra mint and cilantro leaves or sliced green chili if you like, and serve.
Serving Tips
Serve this salad on its own or use it as part of a bigger meal. Here are a few ways I usually serve it at home.
- With rice: Serve alongside South Indian yogurt rice, Indian lemon rice, or Indian spinach rice.
- As a wrap or roll: Use it as a filling for a chapati wrap or rice paper rolls.
- As a quick plate: I spread Greek yogurt on a plate, spoon the salad over it, and serve with toasted bread. You can also spoon the salad over a baked sweet potato for a more filling meal.
- With roasted sides: Add Indian spiced roasted paneer, Indian spiced oven-baked tofu, or Indian spiced roasted vegetables for a more filling meal.
- With patties: Serve with pumpkin black bean patties or mushroom potato patties. The fresh onion and tomato pair well with the warm patties.
Recipe
Indian Chickpea Salad (Chana Chaat)
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Ingredients
- 1½ cups chickpeas cooked
- ¼ cup onion finely chopped
- ½ cup tomato chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves chopped
- 1 green chili finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Indian green chutney green sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamarind chutney sweet tamarind dipping sauce
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder optional, for extra heat
- ¼ teaspoon salt only if needed after tasting
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate arils for garnish
Instructions
- Add the cooked chickpeas, finely chopped onion, tomato, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, and chopped green chili to a mixing bowl.1½ cups chickpeas, ¼ cup onion, ½ cup tomato, 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, 1 tablespoon mint leaves, 1 green chili
- Add the Indian green sauce and tamarind chutney.1 tablespoon Indian green chutney, 1 tablespoon tamarind chutney
- Sprinkle the coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, and optional red chili powder over the chickpeas.½ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- Mix everything gently until the chickpeas and vegetables are evenly coated with the chutneys and spices.
- Taste the salad first. Add the salt only if needed.¼ teaspoon salt
- Garnish with pomegranate and serve immediately.1 tablespoon pomegranate arils
Notes
TESTED TIPS FROM MY KITCHEN
- Quick tamarind chutney. Mix 1 teaspoon tamarind paste, 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black salt, and ¼ teaspoon cumin powder with 1 tablespoon water. Add it as needed to the salad. Tamarind paste varies in sourness, so taste and adjust the sweetness and salt.
- No green chutney? Add more chopped cilantro and mint. You can also use my avocado cilantro sauce for a creamy variation.
- Using roasted chickpeas. Replace plain chickpeas with Indian spiced roasted chickpeas. They are already seasoned, so reduce or adjust the added spices and salt. Serve the salad right after mixing to keep some crunch.
- Adjust the spice level. The green chili and green chutney already add heat. Add the red chili powder only if you want the salad spicier.
- Meal prep shortcut. I make green chutney and tamarind chutney as part of my weekly vegetarian meal prep. Once the chutneys and cooked chickpeas are ready, I only need to chop the vegetables and mix the salad. This makes chana chaat especially useful on busy weekdays.
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Nutrition
If you make this Indian Chickpea Salad (Chana Chaat), leave a comment and tell me how you served it. Did you use it with yogurt, in a wrap, or beside rice? For more simple everyday combinations, browse my vegetarian lunch ideas.
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More Chickpea Salads to Try
Have more cooked chickpeas to use? Try one of these salads, or browse my Indian chickpea recipes for more ideas.
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