10-Minute High Protein Chana Chaat with Cucumber, Pomegranate and Mint
Canned chickpeas tossed with cucumber, tomato, red onion, pomegranate and mint in a tangy lime and chaat masala dressing. No cooking, ready in 10 minutes.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Serves
- 3
10-Minute High Protein Chana Chaat with Cucumber, Pomegranate and Mint is a vegan lunch recipe made with fresh lime juice, chaat masala, ground cumin (roasted cumin powder if you have it). It takes 10 minutes of hands-on time, serves 3, and each serving has 390 calories, 19 g of protein and 17 g of fiber.
This chana chaat needs no stove, so it's a quick lunch built on pantry chickpeas. The chickpeas go into the lime and chaat masala dressing first and sit while you chop, which seasons them all the way through, and crushing a handful helps the dressing cling. Crunchy cucumber and onion, juicy pomegranate and roasted peanuts give you a different texture in each bite, and the peanuts add extra protein.
A protein boost + cooking method (no-cook chickpea chana chaat with crunchy raw cucumber, onion and tomato for ~15g protein, instead of roasted sweet potato) take on our Navratri Sweet Potato Chaat (Shakarkandi Chaat) with Pomegranate, Mint and Lime.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3 tbsp46 gfresh lime juice
- 1½ tsp4.5 gchaat masala
- 1 tsp2.1 gground cumin (roasted cumin powder if you have it)
- ¼ tsp0.7 gKashmiri chili powder or a pinch of cayenne
- ½ tsp3 gfine salt, plus more to taste
Chaat
- 2 cans480 gchickpeas, drained and rinsed, two 15-oz cans, about 3 cups drained
- 1 medium301 gcucumber, diced small (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium246 gtomatoes, seeded and diced small
- ½ medium55 gred onion, finely diced
- 1 small14 gsmall green chili or jalapeño, seeded and minced
- ⅓ cup5.3 gcilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup11 gmint leaves, chopped
Topping
- ½ cup87 gpomegranate seeds
- 3 tbsp27 groasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1 60 glime wedges, for serving (optional)
Kit: large mixing bowl, colander, chef's knife, cutting board, clean kitchen towel
Tips
- Chaat masala brands vary a lot in salt and sourness, so start with the amount listed and add more after tasting.
- For packed lunches, store the dressed chickpeas, onion and herbs in one container and the cucumber and tomato in another. Mix them at lunchtime and add the pomegranate and peanuts last.
- If raw onion tastes too sharp, soak the diced onion in cold water for 5 minutes and drain it well before adding.
Swap ideas
- Add 1 cup cooked, cubed potato with the vegetables
- Makes it a heartier, street-style aloo chana chaat that's a little less crunchy.
- Drizzle with 2 tbsp vegan tamarind-date chutney
- Adds the classic sweet-sour chaat note and a deeper color.
- Use roasted pumpkin seeds instead of peanuts
- Keeps the crunch and makes the chaat peanut-free.
- Add 1/4 tsp kala namak (black salt) with the salt
- Gives a stronger sulfurous, street-stall tang.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
390kcal per serving
Everything else · 3 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 1.3 g 7%
- Sugars
- 17.3 g
- Sodium
- 670 mg 29%
- Potassium
- 1044 mg 22%
- Calcium
- 139 mg 11%
- Iron
- 6.6 mg 37%
- Vitamin C
- 32 mg 35%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Lime juice, raw, Chat Masala - National (100 g), Spices, cumin seed, Spices, chili powder, Salt, table, Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Cucumber, with peel, raw, Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average, Onions, raw, Peppers, jalapeno, raw, Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw, Spearmint, fresh, Pomegranates, raw, Peanuts, all types, dry-roasted, without salt
Method
Tip the chickpeas into a colander, rinse well under cold water, and shake off the excess. Spread them on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry so the dressing doesn't get watered down.
In a large bowl, whisk the lime juice, chaat masala, cumin, chili powder and salt until the salt dissolves.
Add the chickpeas to the bowl. Lightly crush about a quarter of them with the back of a spoon or a fork, then toss everything to coat. Let them sit in the dressing while you chop the vegetables.
Dice the cucumber, seeded tomatoes and red onion into small pieces about the size of a chickpea, and mince the chili. Scraping the watery seeds out of the tomatoes keeps the chaat from turning soupy.
Add the cucumber, tomato, onion, chili, cilantro and mint to the chickpeas and toss until evenly combined.
Taste and adjust. It should taste bright, tangy and well salted. Add more lime, chaat masala or salt if it tastes flat.
Spoon into bowls and scatter the pomegranate seeds and chopped peanuts over the top just before serving so the peanuts stay crunchy. Serve with lime wedges if you like.
Storage: This chaat is best eaten within a few hours of mixing. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day, but the cucumber and tomato release water and soften. Without the cucumber, tomato and peanuts, the dressed chickpeas keep for up to 3 days.
Questions
- How much protein is in 10-minute high protein chana chaat with cucumber, pomegranate and mint?
- Each of the 3 servings has 19 g of protein, 17 g of fiber and 390 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is 10-minute high protein chana chaat with cucumber, pomegranate and mint vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does 10-minute high protein chana chaat with cucumber, pomegranate and mint take to make?
- 10 minutes of prep, so 10 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make 10-minute high protein chana chaat with cucumber, pomegranate and mint ahead?
- This chaat is best eaten within a few hours of mixing. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day, but the cucumber and tomato release water and soften. Without the cucumber, tomato and peanuts, the dressed chickpeas keep for up to 3 days.
- What can I substitute in 10-minute high protein chana chaat with cucumber, pomegranate and mint?
- Add 1 cup cooked, cubed potato with the vegetables — makes it a heartier, street-style aloo chana chaat that's a little less crunchy.. Drizzle with 2 tbsp vegan tamarind-date chutney — adds the classic sweet-sour chaat note and a deeper color.. Use roasted pumpkin seeds instead of peanuts — keeps the crunch and makes the chaat peanut-free.. Add 1/4 tsp kala namak (black salt) with the salt — gives a stronger sulfurous, street-stall tang..
- Does 10-minute high protein chana chaat with cucumber, pomegranate and mint contain peanuts?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes peanuts, in some cases as an optional ingredient you can leave out. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 2, 2026 ·Indian
