Millet Salad With Chickpeas

Millet is an ancient grain and a good source of plant-based protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is also gluten-free and easily absorbed by the body. Like my quinoa chickpea salad, and quinoa black bean salad, I enjoy incorporating grains into my salads. They add great texture and make the dish more filling and nutritious. Today, I am sharing a healthy millet salad recipe that is fresh, colorful, and super filling. It is made with fresh crunchy veggies, cooked millet, and a tangy dressing. It’s also vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. I make this millet salad almost every week because it’s that good and easy to throw together, especially if you have leftover millet in the fridge. Other Indian Millet Recipes to try from my blog

Millet Fried Rice Millet Pulao Millet Curd Rice Millet Pongal

Millet Salad Ingredients

Millet: I used foxtail millet in this recipe. You can use any millet like little millet, kodo millet or barnyard millet. Note: I did not soak the millet before cooking in this recipe. Here is the detailed recipe, How to cook millets in the Instant Pot. Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans): Canned or cooked chickpeas can be used. If using canned, drain and rinse it. I have cooked the dried chickpeas using Instant Pot chickpeas method. Vegetables: I used cucumbers, colored bell peppers, and carrots, but feel free to add other vegetables of your choice. Fresh herbs: I used only coriander leaves. You may also use mint leaves or dill. Lemon juice: Be sure to use fresh lemon or lime juice if you can, as it offers the best flavor and adds a refreshing tang. Garlic: Optional. Use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor. Olive oil: Good quality extra virgin olive oil works best. Seasoning: salt, black pepper.

How to Make Foxtail Millet Salad

Cook Millets

Cook the millets and let them cool completely. Check out the detailed recipe How to cook millets in the Instant Pot. You can also use leftover cooked millet for this recipe.

Prepare The Dressing

In a small jar, add all the dressing ingredients, such as extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Whisk well to combine.

Assemble the Salad

Add cooked foxtail millet, boiled chickpeas, cucumber, carrot, bell peppers, coriander leaves to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients. Toss well to combine. Top with your favorite nuts and seeds if desired, and serve immediately. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Make Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can cook the millets and chickpeas up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate them in an airtight container until you are ready to use. Storage: Leftover millet and chickpea salad keeps well in the refrigerator for 2 days when stored in an airtight container. After that, the flavors will start to fade.