Buffalo Chickpea Kale Salad
Buffalo Chickpea Kale Salad- all you need is 10 ingredients and 20 minutes to make this light yet satisfying meal! (vegan, gluten-free, grain-free + nut-free)
Salad weather is upon us! It’s been super hot and humid here which always makes me crave light and easy meals.
If you’re feeling the same way right now then you’re going to love this Buffalo Chickpea Salad. It comes together in just 20 minutes, is packed with flavor and will leave you feeling energized rather than weighed down. Because we need all the energy we can get in this heat, am I right? Phew!
This salad was inspired by Dulce Vegan Bakery which is located in the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta. It’s one of the first vegan restaurants we went to since moving to Georgia and we instantly fell in love. They have the most best homemade breakfast sandwiches and all of their baked goods are to-die-for too. If you ever find yourself in the area I highly recommend checking it out.
One of the newest items on their menu was a similar version of this buffalo chickpea salad. The base starts with a bed of massaged kale and gets topped with shredded carrot, tomatoes, avocado, finely chopped red onion, and of course, buffalo chickpeas. They also add vegan sundried tomato cheese to theirs but I left that out because I wanted to keep the recipe as simple as possible.
Once you have all the veggies and the dressing prepped (I used my hemp seed ranch dressing but you could also use store-bought vegan ranch), all you have to do is toast the chickpeas in a skillet and then coat them in your favorite buffalo sauce. Once that’s done you just assemble the salads and serve!
If you have the dressing ready to go and the kale chopped and washed ahead of time then it comes together super fast. I’m talking 10 minutes!
Perfect for a quick and healthy meal after a long, hot summer day. ;)
Buffalo Chickpea Kale Salad with Hemp Ranch Dressing
Yield: 2 large salads or 4 medium
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 bundles kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite size pieces (about 4 cups)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup of your favorite buffalo/hot sauce
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 avocados, pitted and sliced
- hemp ranch dressing for serving
Directions:
In a large bowl, add the kale. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon juice then sprinkle with salt & pepper. Using your hands, massage the oil and lemon juice into the leaves for about 10 to 15 seconds, until the kale softens a bit. Set aside.
In a large skillet, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the chickpeas and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring intermittently. Once chickpeas are lightly toasted, pour 1/2 cup of the buffalo sauce on top. Stir until evenly coated and heated through. Turn heat off.
Divide the kale onto either 2 large or 4 medium plates. Top with onion, carrots, tomatoes, and chickpeas. Finish with sliced avocado. Serve drizzled with ranch dressing and enjoy!
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by rating the recipe, leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! 
Ooh I want this! I’m craving salads right now, too. Do you have a store bought vegan ranch you recommend? Cause, you know I’m lazy lol.
I haven’t bought it from the store in forever but I’ve heard Primal Kitchen makes a good one!
This is it here: https://www.primalkitchen.com/products/vegan-ranch-dressing
I just had some great buffalo wings at my brother’s yesterday — the sauce just made them! I’m loving this vegetarian version so much and have got to try it. Those chickpeas look insanely delicious!
MyGAWD this salad looks amazing!!! I’m digging everything about this beauty… I am definitely going to try the hemp ranch dressing! Come to momma!
Your hemp seed ranch dressing sounds awesome! And I dig crispy chickpeas. I’ve never made them with buffalo sauce though!
I may be substituting homemade BBQ sauce for the buffalo sauce (I’m a wimp, haha), but this looks super tasty!
The buffalo sauce we used was actually very mild! But BBQ would be delicious too. :)
The humidity is killing me already! haha and it’s only June!! I’m such a wimp when it comes to the heat :) ANYWAY salads are the name of the game for me right now and this looks SO GOOD. Love that dressing!