Buffalo sauce makes everything better and this spicy, savory buffalo chickpea salad is here to prove it. With a vegan chicken patty and toasted chickpeas, plenty of fresh veggies, fiery buffalo sauce, and a tangy vegan avocado Ranch dressing to cool it down, it's the kind of salad you want to eat on repeat. It's bold, wicked flavorful, and will make you want to eat salads forever.
What is Buffalo Chickpea Salad?
This recipe is a fun take on classic chickpea salad, but with a buffalo wing flavor.
It's made by combining chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, and a vegan chicken patty in spicy buffalo sauce.
As the salad sits, the ingredients soak up all that flavor and you get a range of different textures with every bite.
To mellow it out, serve with creamy avocado Ranch and enjoy!
Why you’ll love this Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Salad
- Game-changer for meal prep - just make a batch once and enjoy all week!
- The salad is served warm, which is a nice change of pace compared to all the cold salads out there
- Packed with fresh, crunchy veggies, sweet corn, and salad greens but you mostly taste that delicious sauce
- Great way to scratch those buffalo wing cravings without eating any meat
- Hands-down one of the easiest ways to eat more veggies without even knowing it
- Relies on simple ingredients and ordinary pantry staples for mega flavor
Ingredients for Buffalo Chickpea Salad
This salad is all about striking the perfect balance between the hot, spicy chickpea mixture and cooling it down with loads of fresh veggies. Every bite has tons of texture and slightly different flavors thanks to all those veggies. Be sure to use the freshest vegetables you can find for the very best flavor and texture.
- Spring mix salad greens - These are some of my favorite greens and they have a really mild flavor that won't get in the way of the chickpea salad. You can definitely substitute crispy romaine or your favorite greens, if you prefer.
- Frozen corn - I love using frozen corn in salads because it thaws in just a few minutes, adds a nice sweetness, and really helps mellow out spicy flavors. Feel free to use fresh corn instead.
- Fresh veggies - We're going to load up on veggies here to mellow out the heat and add lots of texture. I like to use Persian cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, celery, and sliced red onion.
- Chickpeas - These are the bulk of the salad, offering plenty of plant-based protein and fiber.
- Vegan chicken patty - I like to add a plant-based chicken patty to get that classic chicken texture. It really makes the salad taste and feel more like real buffalo chicken, and don't require much extra effort since it can bake with the chickpeas.
- Extra virgin olive oil - Coat the chickpeas and chicken patty generously to help them crisp up in the oven.
- Salt
- Frank's Red Hot buffalo wing sauce - Look for a butter-free buffalo sauce to get that classic buffalo flavor without the dairy.
- Avocado Ranch Dressing - Since the salad has such a nice heat, mellow it out with a cooling, creamy dressing. My vegan avocado Ranch salad dressing is a great alternative to traditional Ranch or blue cheese dressing and is made with vegan yogurt, maple syrup, lime juice, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and fresh cilantro or dill.
How to Make Buffalo Chickpea Salad
Part of why I love this salad so much is because of how quickly and easily it comes together. While the chickpeas and chicken patty are roasting away, make the dressing and assemble the salad ingredients. Mix everything together and you're done!
- Preheat oven to 400.
- To a sheet pan add chickpeas, oil, salt and toss. Spread out into a single layer. Add the chicken patty.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Then add the hot sauce, toss until chickpeas and chicken are coated.
- Bake for 5 more minutes. Once done chop the chicken patty in bite sized pieces.
- Make the dressing by adding to a high speed blender avocados, lime juice, water, maple syrup, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Blend until smooth and creamy. Next add in the chopped cilantro and Italian seasoning and mix by hand.
- To a large platter add the lettuce, tomato, corn, celery, tomatoes, onion, buffalo chickpeas and chicken.
- Serve immediately with the dressing.
Storing Suggestions
This salad is typically served with the chickpeas and chicken warm. If you'd like to meal prep it or store the leftovers, I recommend putting the saucy chickpea chicken mixture in an airtight container and store the greens and fresh veggies separately.
To serve, warm the hot ingredients in the microwave then add to the salad. The leftover buffalo chickpea salad will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Tips for Making the Best Buffalo Chickpea Salad
- Make a sandwich or wrap. This saucy salad mixture would taste amazing wrapped in a tortilla or nestled between two buns. Feel free to get creative with how you serve it!
- Add more veggies. Feel free to always add more veggies. I'm not going to stop you! This recipe would also work great with diced bell pepper, minced carrots, green onions, diced jalapenos, and more.
- Add cheese. If you can't eat buffalo sauce without blue cheese, no worries. You can now buy vegan blue cheese crumbles at many grocery stores!
FAQs
I really like the extra texture you get from the chicken patty and it makes the salad even more satisfying. But if you aren't into that, you can easily make the salad with just the chickpeas or your favorite plant-based chicken alternative.
This recipe can easily be scaled up if you want enough for a crowd or to have leftovers in the fridge.
Not necessarily. When warm, the flavors are much brighter and bolder and the chicken patty has a better texture. But, you can definitely eat it cold if you prefer.
Other Delicious Vegan Chickpea Salads
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Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 8 oz spring mix
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 2 Persian cucumbers diced small
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsp red onion chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
For Chickpeas:
- 15 oz can of chickpeas drained
- 1 vegan chicken patty
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 tbsp Red Hot buffalo sauce butter free
For Dressing:
- 1 avocados peeled and pits removed
- ½ cup plain unsweetened vegan yogurt
- ½ cup water plus more if needed for drizzling
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped, or substitute dill if preferred
- ⅛ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- To a sheet pan add chickpeas, oil, salt and toss.
- Spread out into a single layer. Add the chicken patty.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Add the hot sauce, toss until chickpeas and chicken are coated.
- Bake for 5 more minutes.
- Once done chop the chicken in bite sized pieces.
- Make the dressing by adding to a high speed blender avocados, lime juice, water, maple syrup, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the chopped cilantro and Italian seasoning and mix by hand.
- To a large platter add the lettuce, tomato, corn, celery, tomatoes, onion, buffalo chickpeas and chicken.
- Serve immediately with the dressing.