Lemon tahini courgette salad is a delicious and easy to make vegan side dish that’s ready in 20 minutes! This spring-inspired raw salad features crisp slices of courgette, sweet cherry tomatoes, tender artichoke hearts, and protein-packed chickpeas tossed in a light lemon tahini dressing!
Do you say “courgette” or “zucchini?”
I usually say “zucchini” but I was recently watching a Laura Clery video and her British husband said that zucchini is actually called a courgette. I didn’t know that! Did you? I just like the way courgette rolls off the tongue, it sounds so much better than zucchini! Don’t you think so?
No matter which way you slice it, courgette or zucchini, is delicious in salads and I have the perfect spring-inspired recipe for you to try!
This raw courgette salad recipe features juicy cherry tomatoes, tender artichoke hearts, protein-packed chickpeas and it’s tossed in the most delicious lemon tahini sauce! The creamy lemon tahini dressing is one of my favorites, I put it on my daily salad, it’s delicious drizzled over roasted asparagus, and it’s even great as a dip for veggies.
This salad can be your main course or you can pair it with lentil sloppy joes or quinoa pizza for a healthy and filling vegan dinner. It’s also a tasty option to bring to a picnic or summer BBQ because there’s no egg-based mayo in the creamy sauce, so you don’t need to worry about it spoiling quickly.
I prefer to enjoy this zucchini salad cold because I try to eat as many raw vegetables as possible, but if you prefer the flavor of roasted artichokes and zucchini, this salad is delicious roasted too!
5 Reasons Why You’re Going to Love This Salad
- You can enjoy it as a side dish or main course.
- It’s extremely easy to make! Chop some veggies, drain a can of chickpeas, whisk together the dressing and throw it all in a bowl…that’s it!
- This recipe is ready in 20 minutes!
- You can enjoy the salad hot (roasted) or cold (raw).
- The salad is naturally high in fiber and protein!
Can You Eat Courgette Raw in a Salad?
Yes, you can eat courgette raw in a salad, you don’t need to cook it before you eat it. Raw zucchini is absolutely delicious and safe to eat raw.
Can You Eat Courgette Skin?
Yes, you can eat courgette skin, it’s 100% edible! I never remove the skin from zucchini before I eat it because it’s extra fiber and the vibrant green color is lovely.
How to Make Courgette Salad – Step by Step Instructions
First, you’re going to slice and quarter the courgettes, halve the cherry tomatoes, and roughly chop the artichoke hearts.
Next, rinse and drain the canned chickpeas. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, chickpeas, and artichokes to a large bowl.
Lastly, add the tahini, dijon mustard, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk it together until the dressing is smooth and creamy. Add a splash of water to thin the sauce to your desired preference.
Pour the sauce over the vegetables in the bowl and toss to combine until everything is coated evenly. Garnish with lemon zest.
You can enjoy this courgette and bean salad immediately or you can pop it into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes if you prefer it cold.
Can You Make the Salad in Advance?
I prefer to make this salad the day of so the cut zucchini and cherry tomatoes have the best fresh texture.
However, you can make this zucchini salad one day before you want to serve it if you need to, but I wouldn’t make it any earlier than that. Wait to dress the salad until right before you serve it.
Zucchini has a high water content so if it is cut and stored in the fridge it will lose its fresh, crispy texture rather quickly. Also, the juice from the halved cherry tomatoes will make the salad a little watery if prepped too far in advance.
Can You Freeze Leftovers?
I do not recommend freezing this salad because the zucchini and tomatoes will be soft and mushy once they’re defrosted.
Ways to Adapt this Recipe
- Courgette Pasta Salad: This raw salad recipe makes about 6 hearty servings, but you can stretch it even further by cooking 8oz of cooked gluten-free noodles (I love these chickpea noodles, I think they taste the closest to flour noodles) and mixing it with the zucchini salad. If you do this, I recommend that you double the dressing recipe so you have enough to coat the noodles. Also, reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta water to thin the sauce to your desired preference.
- Roasted Courgette Salad: You can enjoy this salad raw or roasted. If you prefer it to be hot, please follow the recipe card instructions to make the salad and then follow the roasting instructions below.
Roasting Instructions
If you prefer the flavor of roasted vegetables instead of a raw salad, you can follow the instructions to make this salad and then put it in a large 9×13 casserole dish, cover it with parchment paper or foil and then roast it at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Notes & Substitutions
- Courgette Substitution: Instead of courgette, you could use cucumbers.
- Chickpea Substitutions: Instead of chickpeas, you could use great northern beans, pinto beans, or cannellini beans.
- Artichoke Substitutions: Instead of artichokes, you could use hearts of palm or water chestnuts.
- Cherry Tomato Substitutions: You can substitute grape tomatoes or chopped Roma tomatoes.
- Tahini Substitution: If you don’t have tahini, you can use any nut butter 1:1 in its place. I prefer almond butter or sun butter over peanut butter for this recipe. If the substitute nut/seed butter is thick, you will need to add a splash of water (up to 1 tbsp) to thin the sauce.
Success Tips
- You can make this courgette and chickpea salad one day in advance, but I recommend to prep the salad right before you want to enjoy it for the best fresh flavor.
- If your tahini is very thick, add a splash of water (up to 1 tbsp) to thin the sauce. This is the organic tahini that I use and love. The texture is perfect for dressing, it tastes delicious and it’s not bitter at all like some tahini’s taste.
- Use fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes will not taste the same in this salad. However, you can use canned artichokes and chickpeas because it won’t impact the flavor.
- Gently squeeze each artichoke heart to release any excess juice out before you add it to the salad so it won’t make your salad watery.
- Garnish the salad with fresh lemon zest for extra flavor.
- Store leftover salad in the fridge for 1-2 days, do not freeze it. Try to enjoy it quickly because the zucchini and tomatoes will soften and the sauce gets a little watery.
More Vegan Zucchini Recipes You’ll Love!
Zucchini Avocado Grilled Cheese
Low-Carb Zucchini Mushroom Pizza Bites
30-Minute Vegetable Barley Soup
Creamy Courgette Soup (recipe coming soon!)
Lemon Tahini Courgette Salad
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small Bowl
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 medium courgette sliced and quartered
- (2) 14 oz cans artichoke hearts (in water) roughly chopped
- (1) 14 oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
Dressing
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp himalayan pink sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- First, slice and quarter the courgettes, halve the cherry tomatoes and zest the lemon. Before you roughly chop the artichoke hearts, gently squeeze each one over the sink to release any excess juice.
- Next, rinse and drain the canned chickpeas. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, chickpeas and artichokes to a large mixing bowl.
- Add 1 tbsp tahini, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk it together until the dressing is smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water (up to 1 tbsp) to thin the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the vegetables in the bowl and toss to combine until everything is coated evenly with the dressing. Garnish with a little bit of lemon zest.
- You can enjoy the salad immediately or you can pop it into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes if you prefer it to be cold.
Notes
- You can make this salad one day in advance, but I recommend to prep the salad right before you want to enjoy it for the best fresh flavor.
- If your tahini is very thick, add a splash of water (up to 1 tbsp) to thin the sauce.
- Use fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes will not taste good in this salad. However, you can use canned artichokes and chickpeas because it won't impact the flavor.
- Gently squeeze each artichoke heart to release any excess juice out before you add it to the salad so it won't make your salad watery.
- Garnish the salad with fresh lemon zest for extra flavor.
- Store leftover salad in the fridge for 1-2 days, do not freeze it. Try to enjoy it quickly because the zucchini and tomatoes will soften and the sauce gets a little watery.
