Fall Kale Salad With Creamy Tahini Dressing & Crispy Chickpeas

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This hearty Fall Kale Salad With Tahini Dressing & Crispy Chickpeas is more than satisfying enough for a dinner entrée and makes a lovely, healthy addition to any holiday spread. Better yet, it’s made with fewer than 10 inexpensive and easy-to-find ingredients!

action shot of a hand pouring a drizzle of creamy tahini dressing on top of the fall kale and chickpea salad.

While the holiday season is often lauded as a time for excess, I always love to add some lighter dishes to the menu. Some of my favorite swaps include fresh orange jalapeño cranberry relish instead of super sweet canned cranberry sauce, shingled spicy sweet potatoes instead of sweet potato casserole, or healthier Greek yogurt mashed potatoes instead of normal mashies.

This simple kale salad recipe is another staple around the holiday season. Between the creamy tahini & roasted garlic dressing, the satisfyingly crunchy, slightly spicy roasted chickpeas, and the tender, lemony kale, each bite is packed to the brim with yummy flavor. As a bonus, it’s naturally gluten-free and vegan, making your menu more inclusive.

So, whether you’re looking for a simple, plant-based main dish or a veggie-packed side dish you can feel good about, this kale tahini salad is here for you. Oh, and BTW? You’re gonna want to make the tandoori chickpeas just to snack on—they’re legit craveworthy.

closeup shot of the corner of an oval white serving platter filled with chickpea and kale fall salad with two wooden serving spoons.

Jump to:

Why You’ll Love This Tahini, Kale & Chickpea Salad Recipe
Ingredients & Substitutions
How To Make Kale Tahini Salad With Crispy Chickpeas
Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
Expert Tips
Serving Suggestions
Storage Instructions
FAQs
Fall Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing & Crispy Chickpeas
💬 Reviews

Why You’ll Love This Tahini, Kale & Chickpea Salad Recipe

Simple & Satisfying - All told, you need just 9 basic ingredients to make this delicious salad. It’s also a snap to throw together—it’ll take just 15 minutes of active time!
Plant-Based Protein - Crispy, crunchy chickpeas are some of my favorite things to snack on, and they do a bang up job of acting like protein-packed croutons in this wilted kale salad. TBH, I make them all the time just for munching—they’re like bar nuts, but better.
Inclusive & Customizable - Right from the start, this kale tahini salad recipe is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free, so nearly everyone can get in on the yums. It’s also easy to make your own—swap in a different spice mix, go seed-free with a zesty lemon dressing, or add a sprinkle of feta cheese. Read on for more ideas below!

overhead shot of a table with a large white oval serving platter with massaged kale salad on a white table; the kale is dark green and the chickpeas have a rich reddish gold hue from roasting.

Ingredients & Substitutions

As promised, you don't need a ton of stuff to make this chickpea kale salad. Here's what to grab:

Canned Chickpeas - a.k.a. garbanzo beans. While I love making beans from dried (they’re usually cheaper and almost inevitably tastier), canned ones make this easy salad weeknight-doable.
Olive Oil - Stick with regular for roasting and save your fancy cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil for the creamy tahini dressing. Only have extra virgin? Swap in high smoke-point avocado oil to roast the chickpeas.
Tandoori Spice Mix - You’re welcome to use a store-bought seasoning blend, or make your own. The recipe card below has you covered if you want to make your own—it’s the same seasoning I use in my Dutch oven turkey breast recipe and works beautifully with my Mediterranean baked feta with chickpeas.
Whole Garlic Head - Not gonna lie—I usually buy pre-peeled garlic as a shortcut because I use a LOT of garlic. 🤫 But, to make roasted garlic, make sure to reach for whole heads. While you’re at it, grab like 3 extras—roasted garlic is so simple to make and you’ll wanna put it on everything.
Tahini - This Middle Eastern & Mediterranean staple is made by processing sesame seeds into a thin nut-butter-like consistency. Most stores keep it either near the nut/seed butters or in the international aisle. You can also make your own by blitzing sesame seeds in a food processor.
Fresh Lemon - For the brightest flavor, fresh lemons always beat bottled lemon juice. As a bonus, you also get the zest! In a pinch, you can try swapping in bottled, or use another acid like red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar instead. You can also freeze whole lemons for juicing/zesting later!
Maple Syrup - A touch of sweetener helps pull the tahini salad dressing together. I love maple’s fall-flavored undertones, but you could just as easily use neutral agave or floral honey.
Kale - There are a bunch of kale varieties to choose from, all unique. If possible, I recommend choosing less tightly ruffled varieties like pink-stemmed red russian kale or dark green lacinato kale (a.k.a. Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale, or dino kale). Curly kale can be eaten raw, but some folks find it more bitter and don’t like the texture as much. Can’t find a non-curly variety? Check in the clamshell section—baby kale is also great for eating raw without much massaging.
Hot Water - The key here is to use hot water—we need the warmth to prevent the tahini from seizing. It’s better to heat your own water in a kettle or on the stove rather than taking it hot from the tap.
Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper - Fine sea salt will also work great!

whole kale leaves, garbanzo beans, tandoori spice blend, tahini, maple syrup, 2 fresh lemons, 1 head of garlic, and two pinch bowls of salt and pepper measured out for making a fall salad.

How To Make Kale Tahini Salad With Crispy Chickpeas

Step 1: Roast Chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl, toss the drained chickpeas with olive oil and tandoori spice mix. Spread the seasoned chickpeas on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan (for easy clean up). They'll need to roast in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. I like them crunchy when they are done, but feel free to roast to your preference. We're going to roast the garlic at the same time. Push some of the garbanzos to the side and place your garlic foil packet on the baking sheet once it's ready.

crispy chickpeas on a parchment-lined sheet pan with a small foil packed filled with a whole head of garlic prepped for roasting.

Step 2: Prep Garlic For Roasting. To roast garlic, cut off the top of the head to expose all cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, then wrap in foil. Roast for 45 minutes in the same oven as the chickpeas. Cloves should be soft to the touch and golden brown when done.

3 heads of garlic that have had the tops lopped off to expose the cloves in a piece of foil.

Step 4: Make Tahini Dressing. Remove all roasted garlic cloves from skins. Add remaining salad dressing ingredients together in a sturdy glass or small bowl, then blend with an immersion blender. (You could also use a small food processor if you prefer.) Add hot water as necessary to thin the dressing to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.

blender cup filled with creamy roasted garlic and tahini salad dressing after blending.

Step 5: Massage Kale. Tear the kale leaves into small pieces, then finely chop the kale stems. Add torn and chopped kale to a large bowl and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. Using clean hands, massage the kale for 5-6 minutes to soften. When properly massaged, the kale should lose about 30% of its volume.

hand rubbing massaging raw kale by rubbing a leaf on top of a bowl of more kale.

Step 6: Toss with salad dressing, then top with the chickpeas. Season with a final pinch of salt and fresh crack of pepper if needed. Enjoy!

white oval serving plate with fall kale salad topped with crispy chickpeas and a creamy drizzle of tahini dressing with two wooden serving spoons on a white table surrounded with a wooden bowl of chickpeas, a halved lemon with an old fashioned white lemon reemer, a small white pitcher filled with more tahini dressing, and a white tulle fabric.

Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations

Sesame-Free. Can’t do sesame seeds? Try using sunflower seed butter instead. Can’t do any nuts or seeds at all? Instead of making a creamy dressing, swap in Ina’s zesty lemon vinaigrette instead.
Extra Quick Salad - Don't have much time? Take a shortcut or few! Get chopped kale pieces instead of whole; use a store-bought spice mix (I love Spicewalla’s tandoori seasoning) OR make it even easier by using store-bought crispy chickpeas; swap in your favorite bottled salad dressing.
Air Fryer Chickpeas - To shorten the roasting time, let your air fryer help. Place the seasoned chickpeas in a single layer in an air fryer basket. Air fry at 375-385ºF for about 11-15 minutes depending on your machine and preferred level of doneness.
Chickpea Seasonings - Even on days when I have absolutely zero intentions of eating a salad, these roasted chickpeas are one of my favorite go-tos. I eat them by the handful, use them to top bowls of yummy cauliflower potato leek soup, or add crunch to really anything. Don’t feel limited by tandoori—try using chili or taco seasoning, your favorite BBQ rub, ranch seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, you name it! You could also keep it simple with salt and pepper. Or go sweet with cinnamon sugar! Seriously. Have fun.
Fall Harvest Salad Add-Ons - Feel free to take this fall salad next level with extra goodies. Roasted cubes of butternut squash, thin slices of honeycrisp apples, candied pecans or crunchy almonds (preferably sliced and toasted), goat cheese or feta, toasted sesame seeds, crunchy sunflower seeds, sharp red onion or tangy red onion pickles—this is your canvas. Paint yourself a bounty!

closeup shot of a tahini kale salad with crispy chickpeas on a white oblong serving platter.

Expert Tips

An Argument for Aquafaba. If you're into vegan baking, save that chickpea liquid—it’s a convincing egg substitute. I love using it for making vegan meringues, mayo, and more. You can also add it to soup like vegetable broth for body, or use it like pasta water for finishing sauces.
Oil Knowledge. There are some oils that can be used for cooking/roasting, while others should be treated more gently. Extra virgin olive oil sometimes has a low smoke point, ranging from 350º-410ºF. For health reasons, I prefer to stick with high smoke point oil for roasting. Virgin olive oil smokes at 410ºF, refined at 470ºF. For even higher, stick to avocado oil (520-570ºF). Canola oil (400-450ºF) works well, too and is an inexpensive heart-healthy choice.
Make Extra. If you've never made roasted garlic before, now's the time. Spread it on toast like butter, mash it up with butter for the best garlic bread, or add to any number of veggies, dressings, meats, whatever. Like with time-consuming caramelized onions, I recommend you make a few extras even if just to freeze them for later. (P.S. This is a great way to use up garlic that might be on its way out.)
Think Dr. Pimple Popper. To get the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins, don’t try to peel them. Instead, squeeze them out—it’s SUPER satisfying.
Waste Free Kitchen. While many recipes will tell you to de-stem the kale and just use the leaves, you’re losing out on the benefits nutrient-dense kale stems bring to the table. Just finely chop the stems and toss ‘em in. While they’re a bit stringy in long pieces, when they’re small, they’re crunchy and yummy!
Tearing vs. Cutting. I recommend tearing your kale leaves rather than chopping them with a knife. (Save that for the stems!) Why? The craggier edges have a more pleasant texture and are prettier to look at. My husband Joe also swears they’re less bitter when I tear them—I honestly can’t tell the difference flavor-wise. 🤷🏼‍♀️

45 degree angle shot of a plated fall kale salad with chickpeas and a creamy roasted garlic and tahini dressing drizzled back and forth across the top.

Serving Suggestions

I’m perfectly happy to mow down an enormous bowl of this vegan kale and chickpea salad all on its own. That said, it also pairs very nicely with a number of different flavors—feel free to bulk it up with the protein of your choice, like my Italian lemon chicken.

Or, use it as the base to stretch my sheet pan chicken sausage dinner—you could even swap in that recipe’s creamy maple dijon dressing if you like. Both options work beautifully!

I also love serving this fall salad as a side for my Thanksgiving menu. While it’d be excellent as part of a spicy menu of harissa maple sweet potatoes, tandoori roasted turkey breast and citrusy jalapeño cranberry relish, you don’t have to go full-theme.

To make it more adaptable to a classic, not-so-hot-on-spicy audience, try using poultry herbs (thyme, sage, rosemary, etc) and salt for roasting the chickpeas. The maple, roasted garlic & tahini dressing has enough crossover flavors with a regular turkey dinner that it’ll be right at home either way.

flat lay shot of a round white dinner plate with a serving of fall kale salad garnished with extra crispy chickpeas and tahini dressing with a silver fork to the side, on a table with the serving platter filled with the rest of the salad.

Storage Instructions

The roasted garlic tahini dressing for kale salad should last about a week in the refrigerator.
The massaged kale is also super sturdy, so this is a great recipe for meal prep. But, if possible, keep the chickpeas separate—they’ll lose their crisp if you add them with the dressing. Tossed kale salad will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
The tossed salad also makes for an excellent stir fry. Add a bit of sesame oil at the end to highlight the tahini flavor.
The chickpeas have a tendency to become a little stale over time and are best the day they are made. That said, they'll last for 3-4 days at room temperature in a sealed container or zip-top bag—longer with the aid of a silica packet. To recrisp, warm in a 200-250ºF toaster oven or oven, or dry pan over low heat.

45 degree angle closeup shot of chickpea tahini fall salad showing the contrast of dark green with the reddish gold of the tandoori chickpeas and pale tan hue of the garlic tahini dressing.

FAQs

What's the deal with "massaging" kale? How do I do it correctly?

If you're familiar with kale, you know that it can be kind of tough when it's raw. To make a really good kale salad, you should massage the leaves with olive oil, salt, and an acid like lemon juice before dressing it. This will help to soften the tough leaves and make them more receptive to being dressed.

If you’ve never done it and are having a Moira moment, don’t fret. “Massaging” is more literal than “folding.” Get in there with your hands, then squeeze and rub the leaves between your fingers and palms. It’s a great opportunity to ground yourself in a physical experience, especially if the holidays make you anxious. Don’t be afraid to overwork it—kale can handle quite a bit of handling.

Got a papercut? Do yourself a favor and wear gloves—the salt and lemon will sting like a MF.

Can you eat kale raw in a salad?

You sure can! Just remember to massage it first for the best results.

Do you cook kale for kale salad?

While we don’t in this particular tahini kale salad, you certainly can! After massaging, a hot (bacon?!?) vinaigrette would be super yummy to cook it ever so slightly. You could also sauté it first, but make sure to drain any liquid before tossing.

two hands setting down a serving platter of chickpea kale fall salad on a white table with lemons, tahini dressing, and chickpeas in bowls and pitchers around the outskirts.

If you tried this yummy recipe for kale salad, please rate and review it below. I'd love to know how it turned out for you!

You can get more tasty recipes delivered straight to your inbox if you sign up for my email newsletter. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook if you're feeling social! Till next time, friends. I hope you stay happy, healthy and well fed.