I am fairly confident that I have made this chickpea curry at least 2 times every year since I became plant forward / vegetarian. And truly, there is nothing wrong with that. And while I don’t always, this time I actually put it in a tortilla like a person with a plan, and it turns out that was the move.
The filling itself is dead simple. Mash your chickpeas until about half of them give up and half of them fight back, that texture contrast is doing more work than you’d think. Whisk your curry powder, turmeric, cumin, lemon, Dijon, and a little maple syrup into vegan mayo, dump it on the chickpeas, and stir. Add in the red onion and celery. That’s the whole filling. If you want to stop here and eat it with a spoon, I’m not going to stop you.
But roll it into a tortilla with some cucumber and a little radicchio for crunch and bitterness (in a good way, I promise) and you’ve got something that survives a lunch bag, a road trip, a fridge full of other people’s leftovers threatening to touch it. Layer the greens and cucumber first, spoon the curry chickpea mixture in a line down the center, fold the sides in, roll from the bottom. If your first one looks like it lost a fight, that’s normal, the second one always looks better.
A few notes from someone who has made this more times than is strictly necessary: don’t over-mash the chickpeas, you want a bite, not a paste. Slice your cucumber thin or it’ll poke through the tortilla and you’ll be patching a hole mid-roll like it’s a tire. And keep the filling separate from the wrap until you’re actually ready to eat, because a soggy tortilla is not a personality trait anyone wants.
This one’s great for a week of lunches if you’re the type who preps on Sundays, or for the rest of us, it’s great for one lunch, today, right now, and likely made with whatever’s in the crisper drawer that’s looking a little sad. Because you can absolutely swap in whatever veggies you need into this. Either way it works!
Tag @herbyeater on TikTok and Instagram if you make it, because as always I want to see your lovely work!
Vegan Curry Chickpea Salad Wraps
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Fork or potato masher
- Whisk
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight storage container
Ingredients
- 2 cans 15 oz / 425g each chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ red onion small diced
- 2 stalks of celery small diced
- ½ cup vegan mayo about 115g
- 1 tsp curry powder about 2g
- ¼ tsp turmeric about 0.75g
- ¼ tsp cumin about 0.75g
- 1 tbsp lemon juice about 15ml
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard about 5g
- 1 tsp maple syrup about 7g
- Salt and pepper to taste
Wrap Assembly
- 4 large flour tortillas
- 1 mini cucumber or ½ standard cucumber, sliced into thin batons (about 100g)
- 1 cup radicchio leaves torn (about 40g)
- 1 cup spring mix or baby greens about 20g
Instructions
- Add chickpeas to a large bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, mash roughly — leave about half the chickpeas whole for texture. Add red onion and celery.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vegan mayo, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, lemon juice, Dijon, and maple syrup.
- Pour the dressing over the chickpeas and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, then taste and adjust — more lemon for brightness, more curry for spice.
- Lay a tortilla flat and layer on the greens, radicchio, and cucumber batons across the center third.
- Spoon the curry chickpea filling over the vegetables in an even line.
- Fold in the sides of the tortilla, then roll tightly from the bottom up. Slice in half on a diagonal to serve.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
Notes
Finely diced red onion or dried cranberries fold in well if you want extra bite or sweetness.
Leave about half the chickpeas whole rather than fully mashing for the best texture. Slice the cucumber thin so it doesn’t tear the tortilla when you roll.
Storage: Keep the filling and vegetables separate and refrigerated for up to 4–5 days, then assemble wraps fresh, as they get soggy if rolled ahead of time. Flavor improves after 30 minutes in the fridge as the dressing melds.