This beautiful beet chickpea salad with carrot, celery and red onion is healthy, vegan, and easy to make in less than 15 minutes with just a handful of simple ingredients.

Beet, carrot and chickpea salad on a plate with a fork.

Recipe Features

  • quick and easy – you’ll need less than 15 minutes!
  • vegan, nut-free, oil-free and gluten-free – perfect if you have dietary restrictions
  • nutrient-packed – this salad is rich in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals

What You’ll Need

  • veggies – gather up a couple of large beets, 4 carrots, a red onion and some celery, everything will be left raw, no cooking needed!
  • chickpeas – you can use canned or cooked from scratch, you’ll need 1.5 cups or a 15 oz can
  • dressing ingredients – the dressing is made with dijon, maple syrup, vegan mayo and vinegar, we’ll cover substitutions in the tips section

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1. Prepare all the veggies and add them to a large bowl. This involves grating the beets and carrots and dicing the celery and red onion.

Raw grated beet in a glass mixing bowl.
Chopped onion, carrot and celery in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 2. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and add those to the bowl with the veggies.

Chickpeas and beets in a glass mixing bowl.

Add the dressing ingredients, mix everything up, and enjoy right away!

A beet and chickpea salad in a large glass mixing bowl.

Tips and FAQs

  • A medium grate is best for the beets and carrots. You don’t want them too large or they’ll be tough, and you don’t want them too fine or the salad will be soggy. A box or handheld grater works just fine here.

Do I have to use mayo?

I would recommend using vegan mayo in this recipe because it adds the perfect tangy flavor. However, you can try using tahini in its place if you’re really not into it. You can also use regular mayo if you’re not vegan.

How long will this keep?

The finished salad will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Does it have to be refrigerated?

Yes and no. Store it in the fridge but if you’re taking it to a BBQ or picnic it will be fine if kept relatively cool for a couple of hours. As long as it’s not sitting out in the sun for hours it will be ok.

2 plates of beet, chickpea and carrot salad.

You also might want to grate up some extra beets for these quinoa beet burgers.

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Beet, carrot and chickpea salad on a plate with a fork.
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Beet Chickpea Salad

This raw beet salad with chickpeas is packed with flavour and nutrition! Enjoy for a light meal or healthy side dish.
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 4
Author: Deryn Macey

Ingredients

  • 2 medium to large beets peeled and grated (about 3 cups grated or 300 g)
  • 4 medium carrots peeled and grated (about 2.5 cups or 250 g)
  • 1/2 a red onion diced (about 1 cup diced or 130 g)
  • 1 15 can chickpeas drained and rinsed (285 g or 1.5 cups)
  • 3 ribs celery about 1 cup chopped or 130 g
  • 1 tbsp 15 mL dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp 30 mL vegan mayonnaise
  • 1.5 tbsp 22 mL maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp 30 mL apple cider or red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Peel and grate the beets and carrots, diced the red onion and celery and add them all to a large salad or mixing bowl.
  • Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the veggies.
  • Add all of the dressing ingredients and mix well to thoroughly combine.
  • Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
  • Serve right away or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

I would recommend using vegan mayo in this recipe because it adds the perfect tangy flavor. However, you can try using tahini in its place if you’re really not into it. You can also use regular mayo if you’re not vegan.
The salad should be stored in the fridge but if you’re taking it to a BBQ or picnic it will be fine for a couple of hours if kept relatively cool. As long as it’s not sitting out in the sun it will be ok.
A medium grate is best for the beets and carrots. You don’t want them too large or they’ll be tough, and you don’t want them too fine or the salad will be soggy.

UPDATE NOTE: This recipe was originally published on May 3, 2014. It was updated with new photos and text on May 12, 2020.