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This BBQ chickpea and potato salad is the star of summer! Roasted potatoes, chickpeas and onions top crunchy veggies, lettuce with a zesty BBQ dressing. Perfect for cookouts, potlucks, and picnics!
Table of Contents
This is a delicious, summery salad topped with warm, baked potatoes, chickpeas, and onions with some barbecue seasoning. The onions caramelize in the oven along with all of those good spices.
Then, we toss them with some fresh, crunchy veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, and more red onion. You can also add in peppers and cucumber and toss it all in this delicious, tangy barbecue sauce dressing.
Add some crunchy croutons or crackers, and serve.
It’s refreshing, it’s satisfying, and it’s quick and easy to make! It just needs one pan for baking and a bowl to mix everything in.
Why You’ll Love BBQ Chickpea and Potato Salad
- hearty and healthy
- so much great BBQ flavor!
- crunchy veggies
- nut-free with soy-free, gluten-free option
More hearty summer salads
BBQ Chickpea and Potato Salad
Ingredients
For the chickpeas and potatoes:
- 15- ounce can chickpeas, drained or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or use white beans or other beans instead
- 1 1/2 cups of peeled and cubed Yukon gold potatoes, or other potatoes
- 1/2 cup sliced red onion, or more
For the seasoning:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 2 teaspoons BBQ seasoning, or use Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the rest of the salad:
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup or more chopped bell peppers, or cucumbers
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups of torn lettuce
For the dressing:
- 2 1/2 tablespoons BBQ sauce of choice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon or more salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For topping the salad:
- 1/2 cup crackers, or croutons or use seeds, such as hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (204° C).
- Chop up the potatoes and onions, if you haven’t already, and add them to an 8×10-inch or larger baking dish. Add the chickpeas and oil, as well, and toss well to coat. Then, sprinkle in the BBQ seasoning and salt and toss well to coat. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the baking dish, so that the potatoes cook faster. You can also stir the ingredients at that time.
- Once the potatoes are done to preference, remove the baking dish and let the chickpeas and potatoes cool a bit before using.
- Chop up the rest of the vegetables, if you haven’t already. In a small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients and mix really well until the garlic and salt mix in. If the mixture is too thick, you can add in 1 to 2 teaspoons of water and mix in the dressing.
- In a large salad bowl, add all of the crunchy ingredients, then add the room temperature or warm chickpeas, potatoes, and onions. Toss well.
- Add a good helping of the dressing and mix in. You want to reserve a tablespoon or so of the dressing to drizzle onto the salad later. Toss well to coat, then taste and adjust flavor by adding more salt, if needed, or more maple syrup to the salad. Then, sprinkle some croutons or crush the crackers and sprinkle all over the salad, drizzle some more of the dressing and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- roasted veggies – Chickpeas, potatoes, and onions roast up in BBQ seasoning. Instead of chickpeas, you can use white beans or other beans of your choice.
- seasoning – You’re seasoning the potatoes and chickpeas with BBQ seasoning (use store-bought or make your own!) along with a little oil and salt.
- veggies – Tomato, cilantro, red onion, bell pepper, and lettuce bring lots of freshness, flavor, and crunch to this salad!
- BBQ dressing – BBQ sauce teams up with maple syrup, lime juice, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder to make a simple but flavorful dressing!
- crackers or croutons – For topping. You can use gluten-free, if needed, or substitute seeds, like hemp or pumpkin seeds instead.
Tips
- When you add the parchment paper to the baking pan after 15 minutes, give the potato mixture a stir, so it will cook evenly.
- The BBQ chickpea and potato mixture doesn’t have to be completely cool before adding to the veggies. You just want it to cool to warm or room temperature, not piping hot.
How to Make BBQ Chickpea and Potato Salad
Preheat the oven to 400° F (204° C).
Chop up the potatoes and onions, if you haven’t already, and add them to an 8×10-inch or larger baking dish. Add the chickpeas and oil, as well, and toss well to coat. Then, sprinkle in the BBQ seasoning and salt and toss well to coat.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the baking dish, so that the potatoes cook faster. You can also stir the ingredients at that time.
Once the potatoes are done to preference, remove the baking dish and let the chickpeas and potatoes cool a bit before using.
Chop up the rest of the vegetables, if you haven’t already.
In a small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients and mix really well until the garlic and salt mix in. If the mixture is too thick, you can add in one to two teaspoons of water and mix in the dressing.
In a large salad bowl, add all of the crunchy ingredients, then add the room temperature or warm chickpeas, potatoes, and onions. Toss well.
Add a good helping of the dressing and mix in. You want to reserve a tablespoon or so of the dressing to drizzle onto the salad later. Toss well to coat, then taste and adjust flavor by adding more salt, if needed, or more maple syrup to the salad.
Then, sprinkle some croutons or crush some crackers and sprinkle all over the salad, drizzle some more of the dressing and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make homemade BBQ seasoning, combine 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, oregano/parsley, and ground mustard with 1/4 teaspoon each of onion powder, thyme, cayenne, salt, and celery seed and 1 teaspoon each smoked paprika and coconut sugar
This recipe is nut-free and soy-free if you use a soy-free BBQ sauce. It can be gluten-free, if you use gluten-free crackers or croutons, or just use some seeds as the crunchy topping instead.
This salad recipe is fantastic! It’s filling, delicious, and the different textures and temperatures of the elements make it one to remember ❤️
I needed to speed up the prep for
health reasons, so I improvised by whisking together equal amounts of
ready-made balsamic vinaigrette with BBQ sauce, and maple syrup to taste. The toppings were BBQ-seasoned peanuts, skillet-toasted hemp seeds (which I already had prepared), and a squiggle of balsamic glaze.
This salad made my taste buds sing. Thank you, Richa!
Those are some good flavor ideas!
Just made this last night, delicious! I used your Cajun seasoning. I had leftover grilled corn, so added that to the mix. I used my air fryer for the veggies, too hot to turn on the oven. Another winner!
Yum!
Loved this recipe. Always looking for interesting and different salads and this one really delivered
Yay!
Great recipe! We had it for dinner, and there’s enough of the potato/chickpea mixture left for lunch tomorrow. I’ll make up some salad greens etc. and maybe some more dressing since I used most of it.
Awesome!
This was delicious. My husband said how good it was before I could even ask if he liked it. That’s quite the compliment
Good to hear!
Made this for lunch today, I doubled the recipe to use up my potatoes…. We both enjoyed it and will totally make it again!
Yay!
My kids ask me to make this for dinner all the time. I double it for our family of 5 and (sometimes!) have enough for lunch the next day. Really good with hemp seeds on top.
smart!! 🙂
That seems so nice full and I loved that so much.
Awesome
This is my new favorite salad! I had it for dinner and then lunch the next day. What a great combination of flavors and textures. Very refreshing for summer time.
Amazing! Thank you
Winner, Winner, Chickpea Dinner! 😊 Hubby and I really enjoyed this. It turned into two main-dish servings, instead of four. 🤭 I left the peels on the potatoes; otherwise, made exactly as specified. Thanks, Richa!
🙂 awesome, thank you!