Did you ever try making a salad in your air fryer?
Speaking about my personal preferences, I am a big salad fan. But unfortunately, that is not the case for all people, starting with my husband. For that reason, I am always in search of new fun, and interesting ways of introducing salads and veggies. And to this day, this delicious air fryer green squash and chickpeas salad is my absolute favorite!
I never tasted a richer salad like this air fryer salad. It is full of flavors and most importantly textures that you don’t usually find in normal raw salads.
I know you might the thought of air frying a salad weird at first. But please trust me on this one! once you try it, you will never have your salad any other way.
Air frying your salad is so good on so many levels, but most importantly you will never have a soggy salad anymore! even the leftovers the next day taste so good and still have the crispiness.
What differences you will notice in the air fryer Green squash and chickpeas salad?
- extra crispy
- deep roasting flavor
- super crunchy
- different texture with each air-fried ingredient.
- a super delicious smoky after taste
I will sure share with you more air fryer salads combination in the future. But today air-fryer salad is worth a place on your dinner or lunch table. It can even be a perfect vegan balanced lunch or dinner meal. You can even add some extra boost of protein to it like feta cheese, chicken or fish also.
But please let me just introduce a little bit to the different levels and layers of texture in this amazing salad.
First, you have a bed of crunchy kale chips. I always used my air fryer to prepare kale chips as a quick healthy snack. Kale is one of those rare leaves that hold well and taste better after roasting.
After this, I added a layer of sweet and chewy roasted butternut squash with crispy roasted edges. The butternut squash adds an extra boost of fiber and potassium while keeping your blood sugar in check because it has a very low glycemic index.
Next, I added a layer of crunchy roasted chickpeas. With the curry seasoning, it adds an exotic nutty deep flavor.
and last but importantly not least, that extra layer of crispiness of roasted almonds and quinoa. Guys, do not miss that layer. Seriously, it adds a super delicious smoky roasted aftertaste flavor with an addictive crunch with each bite.
And finally the sauce. I used tahini as my dressing base for an earthy flavor and creamy texture. and added a little bit of vinegar and tamarind for a sour combination with the sweetness of the dates. It is a simple but delicious dressing that complements all the spices used in roasting those different layers of this salad.
Hope you love this air-fryer kale salad as much as I do because it is:
flavorful
comforting
rich in textures
smoky
savory-sweet
healthy and packed with nutrient
vegan
gluten-free
and SO delicious!
quick to make in less than 30 minutes
and require less than 10 ingredients
So, let’s do it!
If you like unique salad recipes make sure you try my other healthy and delicious salads like my famous lean green salad or super delicious glazed halloumi salad and my new Lebanese fattoush salad rolls.
Air fryer Green squash and chickpeas salad with tahini dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 cups kale roughly chopped
- 2 cups butternut squash diced into bite-size (see notes)
- 1 can (400g) chickpeas , washed and drained (see notes)
- 1 tbsp sweet Aleppo pepper see notes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt or any salt you like
- 1 tbsp curry powder
For the crunchy topping:
- ½ cup chopped almonds
- ¼ cup quinoa not cooked
- 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
For the tahini date dressing:
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar see notes
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- ¼ cup dates pitted and chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup warm water maybe more to loosen up the dressing
Instructions
For air frying the salad: (see notes)
- Start with the butternut squash because it takes more time. Preheat your air fryer to 200 C°.
- peel the butternut squash, scoop the seeds from the inside, and cut them into cubes. Pour in a deep mixing bowl and season with the sweet Aleppo pepper, salt to taste, and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Toss to coat all the squash cubes. Add to the air fryer basket and cook for 12 minutes or until crispy with golden brown roasted edges.
- After the squash is done, roast the chickpeas: in the same bowl we toss the squash in before, add the chickpeas and add the curry powder along with ½ tbsp of the oil and salt to taste. Add to the air fryer and roast for 8 minutes at 200 C°. shaking a couple of times.
- After the chickpeas are done time to roast the kale: just add them also to the same bowl you mixed the squash and chickpeas before and add some salt and massage the kale in the remaining sauces in the bowl. if it isn’t enough you can add ½ tbsp of oil. Add to the air fryer and roast for 3 minutes at 170 C °. Shake and check on it every minute so you won’t burn it.
- At the end prepare the almond quinoa topping: in an air fryer safe pan, pour your chopped almonds and quinoa, drizzle ½ tbsp of olive oil and ¼ tsp of salt. Mix until everything is coated with the oil and salt. Roast in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 180 C°
Make the sauce:
- while the vegetables are cooking in the air fryer, prepare your sauce. Just add all the ingredients into a blender or with a hand mixer blend until smooth. Keep adding warm water and mixing until you have a runny honey consistency.
Assemble:
- lay your kale at first as a base then top it off with the squash then the chickpeas. Sprinkle the crunchy almonds and quinoa on top and drizzle your sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Butternut squash: you can replace the butternut squash with sweet potato or pumpkin instead
- Chickpeas: I usually buy dry chickpeas and cook them in my smart pot at home and store them in the freezer to use. So, you can do the same or use canned ones.
- Aleppo pepper: there is a sweet and a spicy version of this spice, you can use one of them or a mix of both. Aleppo pepper is named after the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. It comes from a burgundy chile also known as the Halaby pepper. Once ripened, the peppers are semi-dried, de-seeded, and coarsely ground. It has a slow-building heat with earthy, cumin-y undertones and a little hit of fruity tang—and yes, it’s as delicious as it sounds. If you cannot find it you can replace it with smoked sweet paprika and chili flakes to taste. Or any chili pepper of your liking or even normal sweet paprika.
- White wine vinegar: you can use any kind of vinegar you have on hand to give the required acidity
- dressing consistency: if you make the sauce ahead of time, it will thicken with time but that is totally normal because of the tahini, just loosen it up again with some warm water before drizzling and serving.
- Air frying time: the time of air frying the ingredients depend on one brand to another. In this recipe, I am using my instant vortex plus air fryer. Check on your ingredients always a couple of minutes earlier so you don’t burn the veggies. And depending on the brand you might want to add the cooking time until you have a crispy roasted finish.
- Make ahead: you can prepare all the ingredients separately ahead of time, along with the dressing, and store it separately. But I recommend roasting your veggies before serving to maintain the maximum crunch. The sauce can be prepared 5 days ahead of time and stored in a glass jar in the fridge. For the veggies, you can prepare them the night before and store them in the fridge but they won’t keep the same texture and crunch.
- leftovers: you store any leftovers in the fridge and enjoy them within 48 hours.
- Air fryer safe pan: You can use any ovenproof dish or mold in the Air fryer, whether it is made of glass, ceramic, metal or silicone. I used this specific one if you like to check it.