Fresh and delicious broad bean salad with courgette, cucumber, radishes & creamy tahini dressing makes perfect summer side dish! Lots of crunchy goodness combined with creaminess of healthy dressing all in one bowl. Pure heaven!
There is nothing better than enjoying seasonal produce in its full glory and this super simple, crunchy summer salad with fresh broad beans, courgette, cucumber and radishes is as good as it gets.
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Perfect summer salad.
- Fresh, seasonal ingredients.
- Great alternative to coleslaw.
- Perfect for picnics, potlucks, BBQs or as a simple side dish to have with your dinner.
- Quick & easy to make.
- Perfect contrast of crunchy veggies and creamy tahini dressing.
- Vegan, gluten, egg, dairy and nut-free deliciousness!
📝 Ingredients
Here's what you will need to make this Broad Bean Summer Salad:
Salad
Broad Beans (aka Fava Beans) - These green gems are the only soft veg in this gorgeous combo. Don't be tempted to skip double-podding here to reveal their beautiful interior, it's a must.
The weight in the recipe card is for broad beans that have been podded but before boiling and double podding. You will need roughly 750g-1kg (26-35 oz)of fresh broad beans in their pods.
If you don't have an access to fresh broad beans, frozen ones will do as well.
Another alternative would be green peas.
To find out all you need to know about preparing and cooking broad beans, make sure to check out my post on How to Cook Broad Beans.
Radishes - These bright pink and peppery rascals add colour, heaps of flavour and that awesome crunch too.
Courgette (Zucchini) - I don't think we eat enough raw courgettes/zucchini hence I decided to use it raw in this broad bean salad and it worked really nicely.
If you'd like to give it a bit of a lift and crisp it up, add sliced courgette to the bowl with ice cold water for 5-10 minutes. Drain and enjoy it extra crunchy!
Cucumber - I used half of long English cucumber here. No need to peel or deseed, just slice and enjoy.
Spring Onions (Scallions), Coriander (Cilantro), Lemon - Delicious flavour enhancers which you can swap or leave out if not a fan.
For all the coriander (cilantro) haters out there, parsley will work as well!
Lemon Juice + Extra Virgin Olive Oil - For that touch of initial flavour to the salad prior to adding dressing. Add to your taste.
Salt & Pepper
Tahini Dressing
Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste) - It's a base for the dressing so use the good one. I love Pipkin Organic Tahini which I have on repeat order as I use it so much.
Lemon Juice - It provides acidity and cuts through the creaminess of the dressing.
Ice cold water - It will help to get that lovely, creamy consistency by emulsifying tahini and lemon juice. Add it gradually: less if you want thicker dressing or more if you're after thinner consistency.
Maple Syrup - For that touch of sweetness to counteract slight bitterness of tahini. Use to taste. You could substitute it with agave or date syrup.
🔪 How to make broad bean summer salad
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Start by preparing all the vegetables:
Put cooked and double podded broad beans in a large bowl.
Wash and top and tail a courgette. Next, cut it in half lengthwise and slice each half into half moons.
Cut cucumber in half and slice each half into half moons. Wash, top, tail and thinly slice radishes.
Wash and thinly slice green onions.
Add all sliced veggies into the bowl with broad beans and follow with lemon juice, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some freshly ground pepper and salt.
Next, add chopped coriander (cilantro) or any other fresh herb you're using and give it all a good mix. Set aside as you prepare the dressing.
To prepare tahini dressing put tahini in a bowl together with lemon juice and give it a little whisk. The mixture will be pretty stiff at this point.
Slowly, start adding ice cold water (a bit at a time) and continue whisking until the mixture starts emulsifying and getting nice and smooth.
The amount of water you add will depend on how thick or thin you want your dressing to be.
Sweeten to taste with maple syrup or your favourite liquid sweetener and a touch of salt and pepper.
Pour the dressing over the salad and give it a good mix.
Serve and enjoy!
🥡 Storing
This salad will last in the fridge for 2-3 days although it will lose its crunch a bit.
Make sure to revive it after storing by giving it a mix to evenly redistribute the dressing.
💭 Pro Tips
Don't skip on double podding broad beans! They look and taste so much better!
To add extra crunch to your courgettes, put them in ice cold water (after slicing) for 5-10 minutes. This will crisp them up nicely.
Adjust consistency and sweetness of tahini dressing to your liking. Use the amounts I give you as a guide but go with your preference and taste buds.
🍴Serving suggestions
I like to serve it on a bed of lettuce or some sort of leafy salad greens as a side salad instead or with coleslaw.
This salad is also great as a meal in its own right with few delicious extras to give it a bit of substance. Try topping it with your choice of the following:
- Your favourite olives (Nocellara for me please)
- Sprinkle some pumpkin and sunflower seeds for extra goodness
- Chickpeas (roasted or simply straight from the tin)
- Stirring through some cooked quinoa
- Homemade croutons for a bit of crunch
- Air fryer asparagus
- Baked Beetroot Falafel
Or serve it with some vegan cheese scones, my easy flatbreads or chapatis.
❓ FAQs
Of course, feel free to substitute. You might want to use fresh peas instead of broad beans, they will work really nicely too.
Have you tried my Broad Bean Summer Salad?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
📋 Recipe
Broad Bean Salad (Vegan)
Equipment
Ingredients
Salad
- 250 g broad beans Cooked and double podded. The weight is for podded beans before cooking and double podding. You will need approx. 750g-1kg (26-35oz) of broad beans still in their pods.
- 1 courgette Topped, tailed, cut in half lengthwise and then each half thinly sliced.
- 200 g radishes Topped, tailed and thinly sliced.
- ½ long English cucumber Cut in half lengthwise and each half thinly sliced.
- 2 green onions (scallions) Thinly sliced.
- handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley
- drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Tahini Dressing
- 50 g tahini
- 3-5 tablespoon ice cold water adjust water depending on how thick or thin you want your dressing
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup adjust according to your taste
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables as per instructions above and put in a large bowl.
- Add drizzle of lemon juice, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some freshly ground pepper and salt.
- Next, add chopped coriander (cilantro) or any other fresh herb you're using and give it all a good mix. Set aside as you prepare the dressing.
- To prepare tahini dressing put tahini in a bowl together with lemon juice and give it a little whisk. The mixture will be pretty stiff at this point.
- Slowly, start adding ice cold water (a bit at a time) and continue whisking until the mixture starts emulsifying and getting nice and smooth. The amount of water you add will depend on how thick or thin you want your dressing to be.
- Sweeten to taste with maple syrup or your favourite liquid sweetener and a touch of salt and pepper if required.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and give it a good mix.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 4 servings) with dressing included and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- The salad will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days but will loose some of its crunch. Make sure to revive it after storing by giving it a good mix to redistribute dressing.
Please leave a comment & rating if you've made my recipe! Feel free to ask questions too, I reply to all!