Enjoy a taste of the tropics with this delicious vegan Caribbean salad. Cooked gungo peas combined with grated carrots, mixed bell peppers, scallion and avocado drizzled in a vinegar free sweet lime dressing.
Now we're really delving into some Caribbean flare with this salad.
This salad is the perfect gate way to combining legumes with some vegetables and creating some magic.
I'm sure you have probably seen these peas before. If not, that's cool I will give a very brief definition so we are all on the same page with this recipe.
Gungo peas are what the wider society know as "pigeon peas". There's peas are highly regarded by Jamaicans kind of like how Cuban are passionate about cooking with black beans.
Gungo peas have featured in my Gungo Peas Soup recipe and also my Jamaican Curry Gungo Peas .You can add them to stews, soup and also use them in place of kidney beans when making the infamous rice and peas so they are quite diverse to use.
There 2 variations of these peas - brown and green. The green peas are large in size and consumed in its infancy and the brown peas are more mature.
My family seldom use green gungo peas but any can be used for this recipe, it doesn't matter.
Cooking gungo peas in the instant pot
In order to make this salad, you will need to cook the peas. This can be done either on the stove, pressure cooker or an instant pot.
Cooking the peas via stovetop is going to take up to an hour so to hasten the process I used my instant pot because it's super quick (25 minutes maximum)
- Soak the peas overnight in water.
- Drain off the water that the peas have been soaking in.
- Place the peas in your inner pot and fill ¾ of the pot with water
- Switch the unit on then press "pressure cooker" on "high" and adjust the "+/-" to 25 minutes.
- Place the lid on and turn the knob to "sealing".
- Allow the instant pot to come to pressure (it may take several minutes).
- Once the peas have cooked allow the the unit to perform a nature release (should take 10 minutes)
- Turn the knob to "venting" to release any excess pressure.
- Remove the lid, allow to cool and drain off the peas, ready to use.
Other additional ingredients
- Fresh cilantro
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Red onions
- Mandarin orange
- Chilli or scotch bonnet
- Cucumber
Is there an alternative to gungo/pigeon peas?
If obtaining pigeon/gungo peas is a problem simply use 2 cans of black eyed peas instead, but do make sure the peas are saturated in water only without additives.
Where can you buy gungo peas?
You can purchase pigeon peas from any Caribbean/Asian supermarket. Look for legumes, labelled as either "pigeon peas" or "gungo peas". As I mentioned earlier both green or brown peas are suitable to use.
Notes and tips
- Make sure the avocados that you are using are soft, not overly soft but just soft to the touch as they will be ready to use straight away.
- The dressing is optional, if want to make this into a vinaigrette, add balsamic vinegar like I did with this Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Dried beans are more cost effective but do require cooking, if you want to skip this step use 2 cans of peas instead. Just make sure the peas are in water only and not sodium.
- Prep ahead of time by chopping up the vegetables and grating the carrot but don't prep the avocado until you are ready to eat as oxidation darkens them.
- If you want to have this salad on the go simply prepare then add to a mason jar to make it portable.
More Vegan Caribbean recipes to try
- Vegan Rasta Pasta Dish
- Jamaican Ackee Roasted Salad
- Jamaican Steamed Cabbage
- Jamaican Banana Fritters
- Pumpkin Rice
- Vegan Bean Salad
- Jamaican Red Peas Soup
**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**
Vegan Caribbean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup of cooked pigeon/gungo peas or 2 cans drained
- 1 large carrot grated
- 3 scallions sliced
- 1 cup of bell peppers sweet red peppers and yellow mixed, chopped
- 1 large avocado chopped.
Dressing
- 2 teaspoon of ginger minced
- The juice of one lime
- ½ teaspoon of garlic granules or two small garlic cloves crushed
- ¼ teaspoon of sesame seed oil
- 4 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of coconut palm sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon of coconut aminos alternative to soy
- a dash of himalayan pink salt
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme to garnish
Instructions
- Arrange all of the veggies in your favourite bowl
- Pour a generous amount of dressing over the entire salad and garnish with the dried thyme.
- Serve accordingly
- **double or triple the batch of dressing if required**
Notes
- Make sure the avocados that you are using are soft, not overly soft but just soft to the touch as they will be ready to use straight away
- The dressing is optional, if want to make this into a vinaigrette add balsamic vinegar like I did with this Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Dried beans are more cost effective but do require cooking, if you want to skip this step use 2 cans of peas instead. Just make sure the peas are in water only and not sodium.
- Prep ahead of time by chopping up the vegetables and grating the carrot but don't prep the avocado until you are ready to eat as oxidation darkens them.
- If you want to have this salad on the go simply prepare then add to a mason jar and make it portable.
Evie Costellia says
I just made this. It came out perfect!!! Wonderful recipe, give thanks!
Charla says
You are welcome Evie
Jassica says
I have enjoyed pigeon peas with rice, but I have never prepared them as a salad. What a great idea. I can't wait to try this recipe! The garlic, lemon and olive oil dressing sounds amazing with the other ingredients. am so glad you shared this healthy and delicious recipe at the Plant-Based Potluck Party Blog Hop! I appreciate it!
Charla says
Thanks for commenting
suresh says
Hi, Charla
Thanks for this recipe! I love this pigeon pea Caribbean salad Thank for sharing the post, I use full for this salad. I like this salad. This is great post sharing...
Charla says
You are more than welcome
Rose says
Fantastic recipe thank you! Somehow over the Easter weekend I had avocado & gungo peas left on my dinner plate and the combination just worked! So glad you have made it a recipe as it deserves to be shared:)
Charla says
Thank you for such a beautiful comment. I'm so glad you liked the recipe, it's my go-to during the summer months.
Lesley @ CheapVegetarianMeals.com says
Hi Charla, wow I wish so much I'd grown up eating what you did, we pretty much lived on sausages and boxed fish! This sounds infinitely more interesting. Well, better late than never I guess 🙂 I am SO giving this a try. Pinned and shared!
Charla says
Thank you so much Lesley, Caribbean food is very much diverse I'm sure you had a few exciting things that you ate during your youth, don't be so hard on yourself. Let me know if you like the salad.
Framed Recipes says
Whoa!! That salad looks good. We use pigeon peas in Indian cuisine too. Unfortunately, I dont find it easily in US. We do get the split pigeon peas though. Will surely try this recipe next time I buy pigeon peas. Thanks for sharing..
Charla says
Thank you. It's awful when you cannot obtain your cultural foods while living in the diaspora, try using red kidney beans if available.
Charla says
Thank you!!
Byron Thomas says
Charla, this salad is calling to me. I love this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Charla says
Thank you Byron, yes it has your name written all over it.
Michelle@healthiersteps says
Charla, I love gungo peas so much especially in rice and peas. Can't wait to try your salad, looks yummy!
Charla says
Hi-5 for lovin' gungo peas, I prefer them to red peas when making Sunday dinner.
Chi says
I love this pigeon pea salad recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Charla says
Thanks for commenting.
Tina Marie says
Amazing! I love how you've changed the traditional way of making pea salad! We always used mayo, but this looks so fresh and light. Going to try this one.
Charla says
Thanks Tina, you can always include mayo if you wish, but whatever you do don't skip the dressing.
Deepa says
Nice dish. So lovely.
Charla says
Thank you Deepa.
Patti says
This is such a pretty salad! I've never cooked with pigeon beans before, but I'll have to try! We eat a lot of beans in our household as they are soft and easy for kids to eat. The dressing on this salad looks so yummy. Must try!
Charla says
Pigeon beans are so nutritious but sadly highly underrated and that's what inspired me to make this recipe. As you rightly pointed out they are kid friendly too and a bag of dried beans lasts a VERY LONG TIME.
LydiaF says
I've always had pigeon peas with rice, but I love the way this salad looks. So fresh!
Charla says
Thank you, you gotta try it!
[email protected] says
This salad looks so good and the dressing sounds sublime. I can't wait to try it!
Charla says
Thank you Mel. It's very much vegan which is ideal for your dietary requirement.
Farha - faskitchen says
Whoa, look at all those vibrant colors. Looks like a perfect summer recipe
Charla says
Thank you so much Farha
Brian Jones says
Not sure what pigeon peas are and are not really available locally, what sort of texture and flavour do they have... Love the sound of the dressing so will give it a go with a substitute 🙂
Charla says
Hey Brian, sorry to hear that. Pigeon peas are slightly bland with a subtle hint of nuttines and tender when cooked. You could try using red kidney beans as a substitute as they are more commercial and bare the same flavour/texture.