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Charred corn, tomato and peach salad with crispy chickpeas
youryum.com/recipes/charred-corn-tomato-and-peach-salad-with-crispy-chickpeas · serves 4

Crispy chickpeas make the fruit salad dinner

Sweet late-summer produce with chickpeas roasted until their edges crackle. The salad stays fresh while the chickpeas bring the substance.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free
  • high-fibre
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 19 August 2026
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Corn peach tomato salad topped with crisp spiced chickpeas
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Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Total
40 min
Serves
4
Per serving
338kcal
Effort
Easy

A salad becomes dinner when there is something in it that needs chewing. Here that thing is a tin of chickpeas, dried properly, seasoned with cumin and left in a hot oven until their skins split and their middles turn dense. They are not pretending to be croutons. They are the reason this bowl keeps you going until breakfast.

The chickpeas need to cool for a few minutes before they meet the peaches. Hot chickpeas on soft fruit make a warm, wet patch at the bottom of the bowl. Keep them separate until you sit down.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

For the chickpeas

For the salad

Equipment

  • Large roasting tray
  • Large frying pan

Method

  1. Dry the chickpeas

    Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Tip the chickpeas onto a tea towel and rub them until the skins loosen and the surface feels dry. Pick off the skins that come away easily. Do not spend half an hour chasing every one; dry is the goal, not perfection.

    Hands drying chickpeas on a tea towel beside corn and ripe peaches

  2. Roast until the skins crack

    Toss the chickpeas with oil, cumin, paprika and salt on the roasting tray. Spread them out, leaving gaps. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking once, until the skins are split and the outside is crisp. They will not be brittle like a snack straight from a packet; they firm up as they cool.

    If they are still pale at 20 minutes, keep going. Chickpeas forgive an extra five minutes. They do not forgive a crowded tray.

  3. Char the corn

    While the chickpeas roast, heat a dry frying pan over high heat. Add the corn kernels and leave them alone for two minutes before moving them. Stir once the underside has picked up colour, then cook for another three or four minutes.

    Kernels jump when they hit the pan. A splatter guard is useful; a lid traps steam and defeats the point.

  4. Make the dressing in the bowl

    Put the lemon juice, zest, olive oil and a pinch of salt in the serving bowl. Whisk with a fork. Add the tomatoes and cucumber first so their juices start making the dressing for you.

  5. Add the soft ingredients

    Fold in the peaches and warm corn. Use your hands or two broad spoons and lift from the bottom. The peaches should stay in recognisable pieces. Add the herbs last.

  6. Finish at the table

    Scatter the chickpeas over each serving rather than mixing them through the bowl. That keeps the first mouthfuls crisp and lets anyone who has leftovers store the salad without turning the chickpeas into damp beans.

What's in it

Nutrition, buying and storage notes for the ingredients this recipe leans on.

Chickpeas 8.9 g protein Tomatoes 94.5 g water
Chickpeas corn tomatoes peaches cucumber lemon herbs and spices laid out
The chickpea spices are modest; the heat does most of the work.

Why the chickpeas go on last

There is a limit to what a crisp chickpea can survive. Acid is not the problem by itself; liquid is. Tomato juice, lemon and the water that comes out of a peach all soak the skins, and within fifteen minutes the outside is chewy rather than crisp.

Put the salad in the bowl, put the chickpeas in a small dish, and let people add them. This is also the right arrangement for leftovers: the dressed vegetables last two days, while the chickpeas are best brought back to the counter in their own container.

What makes this a proper meal

One tin gives roughly 240 g of drained chickpeas, enough to make the salad more than a side without making it feel like a bean salad with fruit scattered over it. The corn supplies starch and the chickpeas supply the dense, nutty part. You do not need grains underneath.

For four very hungry people, add a second tin and roast it on a separate tray. Doubling on one tray is the quickest way to get soft chickpeas.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 4 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 338 kcal
Protein 12 g
Carbohydrate 49 g
Fibre 12 g
Fat 12 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use an air fryer?
Yes. Cook the seasoned chickpeas at 200°C for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking twice. Do not crowd the basket; use two batches if needed.
Can I use canned peaches?
Not for this version. They are too soft and sweet once mixed with tomato. Use nectarines, plums or a firm ripe pear instead.
How long will the dressed salad keep?
It is best the day it is made and still good the next day. Keep the chickpeas separate and bring the vegetables out of the fridge 20 minutes before eating.
What can replace the chickpeas?
Cubed sourdough roasted with olive oil gives crunch but less protein. White beans work for substance, though they should be rinsed and folded in cold rather than roasted.

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