Chickpea Salad Recipe
Chickpea Salad is loaded with crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado and feta cheese. The fresh lemon dressing adds the Mediterranean flavors of classic Greek Salad.
Chickpea salad is easy to make and comes together fast. It’s perfect for lunch since chickpeas are protein packed and leave you feeling satisfied for hours. We also love to serve garbanzo bean salad with roasted red potatoes and pork tenderloin for dinner.
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Chickpea Salad or Garbanzo Bean Salad?
Chickpeas are the same thing as garbanzo beans and can be used interchangeably in this recipe. They are known as chickpeas in the US and Garbanzo beans in Europe.
What are chickpeas? Chickpeas are peach colored round legumes or seed pods and part of the pea family. They have a satisfying nutty flavor. Use canned drained chickpeas or cook your own.
Are Chickpeas good for you?
Chickpeas are a very healthy food and are a perfect way to add plant based protein to salad.
- Chickpeas add great protein and fiber to this salad.
- They are also rich in iron, zinc, phosphorus and B vitamins.
- Experts say chickpeas may help with weight loss*
- Chickpeas help with blood sugar control,* (the starch in chickpeas is digested slowly resulting in stabilized sugar levels).
What is a Good Cilantro Substitute?
Cilantro (coriander) has fresh, vibrant and distinctive flavor and you either love it or you don’t. If you don’t enjoy the flavor of cilantro, you can substitute with other fresh herbs such as finely chopped fresh parsley, chives, dill, or a combination of fresh herbs, adding them to taste. Dried herbs could be used if necessary but fresh is best.
Is this a Make-Ahead Salad?
Leftover chickpea salad is great for meal prep because it keeps really well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. The lemon juice prevents browning in the avocados and the taste only gets better as the flavors meld in the refrigerator. To store, cover with plastic wrap directly over the surface of the salad and refrigerate the leftover portion. Add the salt just before serving to prevent softening of the cucumbers and tomatoes.
More High Protein Salads:
Chickpeas make this a feel-good, protein packed, and satisfying salad. We love salads with protein because they keep you full for hours.
- Avocado Chicken Salad – so easy with rotisserie chicken!
- Salmon Cobb Salad – with juicy morsels of salmon
- Chopped Chicken Salad – this has the best dressing
- Shrimp Salad with juicy cajun shrimp
- Avocado Tuna Salad – uses avocado instead of mayo!
Chickpea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice from 1 large lemon
- 1 garlic clove pressed or minced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 English Cucumber halved and sliced
- 15 oz chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
- 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 4 oz feta cheese diced
Instructions
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Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl: 3 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 pressed garlic clove, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper and whisk to combine (or shake them together in a small mason jar).
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Combine remaining chickpea salad ingredients in a salad bowl, add dressing to taste (we used all of it) and toss to coat.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
*Sources for chickpeas weight loss and blood sugar control information from Healthline and Dr. Axe.
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
This recipe is fantastic! I enhanced it a little with olives, fresh mint and sumac.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that change with us!
Deeeeelish!! Very filling and flavorful! My husband loved it, as did I. I’m sharing it with others so they can love it too. Thanks, Nat and hubs!
You’re welcome, Viktoriya! Sounds like you found a new favorite!
This is a great recipe! I omitted the red onion since red onions and I don’t get along, but I love every other ingredient. I have been eating it over some fresh lettuce! One question – your recipe says this makes 6 serving. Do you know approximately how much constitutes one serving? 1/2 cup etc? I’ve been trying to eat more consciously and track my calories and would like to be able to add this to my calorie app. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you Katy!
i have made many of your recipes everyone has been soooo good…
Thank you for that wonderful compliment!
Love your videos! They always make me smile 😎. Wondering since I am not a fan of feta cheese could I replaced it with fresh queso? If so would you change up the dressing at all to accommodate the change in cheese? Thanks in advance, have a great day.
Hi Carrie, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Love this salad! I don’t really care for Feta. What would be a good substitute? Blue cheese??
Hi Brenda, I haven’t tried blue cheese, but you can add it to a small portion of the salad and see how you like it. Mozarella balls would also be nice here.
been wanting to try out a chick peas salad and yours is a GO! Looks so yummy and I cant wait to make it for my meal plan this week! Thanks for the recipe!
I hope you love it Karen!!
I am new at eating plant based whole foods. I really enjoyed this recipe! It was so easy to throw together. I shared it with a few friends and plan to take it to a potluck.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
My husband is allergic to cucumbers sadly. Do you think zucchini would work as a substitute? Other suggestions? This looks amazing and I really want to give it a try. Thanks!
Hi Sandy, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work with zucchini. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Daikon or red radish, jicama or kohlrabi would work.😜
Could you suggest a good olive oil to use for this dish. I have all the ingredients but I’m worried the olive oil I have will be too overpowering. Thanks!
Hi Sarah, we used Extra Virgin Olive oil
Actually extra virgin is first pressed, and the most flavorful and is used in salad dressing and sauces, because it has a low smoking point is not recommended for frying.
Regular or light olive oil is less flavorful and all purpose.
A good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil is perfect for this salad.
You can always use a top shelf bottled Italian red wine vinegar dressing or your favorite salad dressing. Beans are bland and need seasoning. Spices,dressing and the addition of chopped fresh herbs(parsley, oregano, mint, basil) really enhances this recipe.
Looks good! Can’t wait to make.
Question: in the “Make-Ahead” portion, it says to ‘add the salt just before serving’. Does this mean I should I *NOT* include any salt when I initially make the dressing and mix with the salad? I plan on taking this to a BBQ the next day.
Thanks!
Hi MK! That is correct!
This recipe peeked my interest…..if only I could have read it!
Ads display directly over the content…..a real turnoff, both to your blog and to the ad subject.
Please consider that most times less is more.
Hi Diane, thank you so much for letting me know. If you could take a screenshot of what you are seeing and email it to me, that would be a great help. Ads should never cover the content. My email: natasha @ natashaskitchen .com (no spaces). Thanks so much!
Can I add the dressing to salad just before serving or is it best to leave on side.
Hi Linda, you ca try both to see which you prefer but we add it ahead of time. I hope that helps.
Love this salad!
I’m so happy to hear that!
Fantastic! I made the following changes. I only had one small avacado left so rather than add it to the salad I added it to the portions we had with dinner. I thought I had feta, but I thought wrong, so I sprinkled Colby Jack on our portions. So quick and easy to put together and the flavors went so well together. Thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Fern!
This salad recipe is so delicious! I did tweak to add 2 fresh ears of corn. So great for the summer!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
How many servings would you say this makes? You give calories but not serving size. Thanks
Hi Lisa, this recipe serves 6 as a side
Thank you Natasha, I see now where that is listed! 🙂
This salad is amazing!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Cheyenne!
You “stole” my recipe (HA!), except that I add in garlic chives and use oregano and mint rather than the celantro. I’ve also been known to substitue red wine vinegar for the lemon juice. In a pinch, you can substitute navy or great northern beans (well washed), and while not as good as chick peas in the salad, they aren’t bad!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us Kyle!
This was so yummy and fresh! I made it exactly as the recipe called. This is an easy, healthy salad.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I love this recipe. Made it and my family really liked it.
I was wondering how do I know how much is a serving of this?
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us! This recipe serves 6 as a side salad.
I made this for lunch today and it was so yummy! It’s definitely going in my regular recipe list. 🙂 Thank you!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review with m Hunter!
Keeper! Made it for the office cookout and there was none left! Easy and delish!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This is a wonderful salad! I am Type 2 diabetic and it totally works for me as a healthy choice. I love your recipes and your fun presentations Natasha.
That’s so great! Thank you for that awesome review!
SO good! I added a touch more salt after I tossed everything together just to soften the lemon a bit, but I will definitely be making this over and over again. A great crowd pleaser!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
As always another winner of a salad. I added radishes just because we had some. This is a keeper going into rotation.
Next time I’ll use dry beans in the pressure cooker. 3/4 cup dry = one 15-ounce can equivalent. Soak for 8 hours if you can. 40 minutes on the chili/bean cycle and you’re ready to rinse & cool them.
But this first batch for Easter holiday contribution I just didn’t have time. Even with canned garbanzos it’s an excellent salad!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha , this recipe is great ! I actually substituted Italian flat leaf parsley for the cilantro and it was really yummy. Since I made this for friends I left the feta on the side to crumble on top so my vegan friends could also eat it , but I LOVE feta so when making for my family there will be LOTS of feta in the salad. Love all your recipes , your pictures and videos are great as well. Keep sharing all your awesome recipes , I always look forward to them
That sounds delicious Eileen, thank you for sharing your changes with me!
I just finished making this salad and dressing. Yum!! I’m sure it will taste even better after being refrigerated for a bit however I just couldn’t wait. It’s such a pretty salad too! The only change I made was to add a can of drained, rinsed black beans. Thank you so much for this easy and delicious recipe! I will be making it over and over.😉
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Maureen!
Lovely recipe but I think you meant the opposite here? “They are known as chickpeas in the US and Garbanzo beans in Europe”. As in Europe nobody definitely knows what garbanzo beans are…😉
Everything you make is delicious. This will be made often this summer. Great recipe!
Thank you Toni! This will be so perfect for summer!
Love all your recipes
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Just made this salad. Too much cilantro.not enough salt .not impressed with this recipe
Hi Rita, we love cilantro so we usually add even more but not everyone does, so you can definitely add it to taste. The same goes with salt – we always write in “to taste” since everyones salt preferences are so varied depending on diet. Also, not sure if it is the case or not but if you omit the cheese or reduce the amount called for, the salad would need more salt to compensate.
I substitute Italian flat leaf parsley for cilantro and the salad is still super yummy!
hat’s so great! Thank you for sharing that Eileen!
Delicious and sooo easy!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This does sound very good. I am wondering if the whole salad is not consumed and its left over till the next day. Does the avocado turn brown?
Hi Diane, this does keep well. Please see the section that says “Is this a Make-Ahead Salad?” closer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post. I hope you love the chickpea salad!
This salad has become a favourite in our home. It is absolutely delicious and the oil/lemon juice dressing gives it such a refreshing “light” taste. I sometimes add a cup of cooked quinoa for a more complete meal. YumYum!! Thanks for the fantastic recipe Natasha!!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Natasha I saw the recipe..great idea..looks so yummi!!!
One guestion though..how do you cook chickpea before add it to the salad???
Hi Stamatis, canned chickpeas do not need to be cooked. If you have dry chickpeas, you will have to cook chickpeas first.
Delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
What can I sub cucumbers with, can’t stands ’em.
Hi Lesly, yes you can substitute with a different vegetable. That is the beauty of this recipe – the dressing makes it very versatile. I hope you enjoy this chickpea salad!
Hello Natasha,
Thank you so much Natasha for the tasty and easy recipie. Is so helpfull for my son’s health. If you have other suggestions. My son needs the omega 3… Thank you!!!
Hi Magali! I’m so happy you are enjoying our recipes! This Brussel Sprouts recipe is full of Omega 3. You may also look into our awesome salmon recipes.
Yesterday I made this salad, I had a chicken to roast and I didn’t know with what, then in my inbox I found this!! Oh my goodness!!!!!I I had everything except cucumber, so I rush to the store to buy one only, tomorrow I go to Costco where I always get them. This salas was the best, I love all your salads, but this one was sooo good!!!My family loved it!!!!! Thanks Natasha, Blessing for you and your family!!!
That’s just awesome!! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Cristina. Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
I love the addition of chick peas in this awesome salad! It was the perfect side to our grilled chicken!
That’s so great, Jocelyn! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Hi Natasha,
Love all of your recipes. I was wondering if you could post more vegan/vegetarian recipes. I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you and all the best.
Thank you for that suggestion! I’m so happy you are enjoying our recipes, Mia!
Just made this – and roasted the chickpeas with some rosemary and thyme…took it to a whole other level! Delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I love making new salad recipes and this one was fantastic, thanks!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Stephanie! Thank you for sharing your awesome review with us!
I’m loving how beautiful this salad is! So vibrant and full of color. Makes me want to dig right in!
Thank you Sabrina!! I do find it equally tempting 😉
I make a similar version all the time and it’s so good! Going to try yours next!
That’s awesome!! Chickpeas are so fun in salad. It’s no wonder they have become so popular in recent years. I hope you love this recipe!
I adore every single ingredient in this recipe. So yummy!!!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Tara! I hope this becomes a new favorite salad for you 🙂
I love how every salad recipe I’ve seen from you has avocado. Haha, it’s my favorite green! You wouldn’t happen to be from California, would you?
ha ha! That is awesome! I’m so glad to meet a fellow avocado lover ;). I grew up in Seattle but my husband is from California and we are both obsessed with avocados as you can tell 😉
Can feta be substituted with any other cheese?
Hi Victoria, yes, you could use fresh mozarella diced up or in the little balls would work really well and look pretty also. You could leave the cheese out as well, just keep in mind feta does have a salty bite to it so the salad might need a little more salt if you swap it out.