Fall Harvest Apple Chickpea Salad (Printable)

A fresh salad blending chickpeas, apples, walnuts, and a honey-mustard dressing for a nutritious, flavorful dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Salad

01 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 2 medium apples, diced (e.g., Honeycrisp or Gala)
03 - 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
04 - 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

→ Dressing

06 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
08 - 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
09 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
10 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine chickpeas, diced apples, walnuts, red onion, and parsley.
02 - Whisk together olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl or jar until emulsified.
03 - Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently until evenly coated.
04 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours to meld flavors.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in the time it takes to listen to three songs, no oven required.
  • The creamy chickpeas and crisp apples create a contrast that never gets boring.
  • It's filling enough to be lunch but light enough that you don't feel weighed down.
  • The dressing clings to everything without drowning the salad in oil.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the chickpeas, or the salad will taste metallic and the dressing won't stick properly.
  • Dice the apples right before assembling so they don't brown, or toss them with a tiny squeeze of lemon juice if you're prepping ahead.
  • Emulsify the dressing completely or the oil will pool at the bottom of the bowl and coat unevenly.
03 -
  • Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for three minutes to bring out their oils and deepen the flavor.
  • Use a jar with a tight lid to shake the dressing instead of whisking, it emulsifies faster and saves you a bowl to wash.
  • Taste the apples before adding them, if they're very tart, add an extra half tablespoon of honey to the dressing to balance it out.
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