Chickpea Salad Recipe

Chickpea Salad is loaded with crunchy cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, and tangy feta cheese. The fresh lemon dressing adds the Mediterranean flavors of classic Greek Salad. It’s perfect for lunch since chickpeas are protein-packed, naturally gluten-free, and leave you feeling satisfied.

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Chickpea Salad or Garbanzo Bean Salad?

Chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the same thing 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 that belong to the pea family. They have a satisfying nutty flavor. They are also the star ingredient of our Hummus Recipe!

Ingredients for Chickpea Salad

This salad is easy to make and comes together fast. Here’s what you’ll need to make this simple but hearty Chickpea Salad:

• Chickpeas – the star ingredient here. You can use canned, drained chickpeas or cook your own. The fastest method is Instant Pot Chickpeas (I make a batch and keep portions in the freezer for this salad).
• Cucumber – use an English cucumber or garden cucumbers and there’s no need to peel.
• Tomato – Cherry or grape tomatoes look great in this salad but you can use other varieties
• Avocado – adds a slight creaminess
• Red onion – you can substitute with chives if you prefer a milder onion flavor
• Feta Cheese – use either crumbled feta or dice up a block of feta
• Cilantro – adds an irresistible freshness, but you can substitute if desired (see variations below)
• Dressing – the combination of extra virgin olive oil, freshly-squeezed lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper is so simple but so flavorful.

Are Chickpeas Good for You?

According to Harvard Health, Chickpeas are nutrient-rich and are a perfect way to add plant-based protein to a salad. They are also a good source of fiber, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and B vitamins. If you want to add more chickpeas to your diet, try my Instant Pot Chickpeas recipe. I just love chickpeas, especially in homemade hummus!

How to Make Chickpea Salad

This is seriously the easiest salad. Most of the work is in slicing and chopping the ingredients but it comes together quickly.

• Make the Dressing – start with making the dressing for the flavors to meld while you chop the salad. You can whisk the dressing together in a bowl or shake it up in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.
• Add everything to the salad bowl – combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, chickpeas, feta and cilantro.
• Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat every bite in that tasty dressing.

What to Serve with Chickpea Salad

Chickpea Salad is as versatile as Greek Salad. Because it has chickpeas, it can be served as a meal in itself or with a side of Sourdough Bread, but we also love to serve this as a side salad with:

• Potatoes – Oven-Roasted Potatoes or Roasted Red Potatoes
• Chicken – try a simple Baked Chicken Breast, or Lemon Chicken
• Salmon – try Grilled Salmon or our famous Baked Salmon
• Shrimp – such as Cilantro Lime Shrimp, Shrimp Scampi, or Grilled Shrimp Skewers
• Beef – excellent with Pan-Seared Steak or Grilled Steak
• Pork – Roasted Pork Tenderloin or Pork Schnitzel

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

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 the avocados from browning, and the taste only gets better as the flavors meld in the refrigerator.

How to Store Chickpea Salad: Cover with plastic wrap directly over the surface of the salad (or transfer to an airtight container) and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Add the salt just before serving to keep the cucumbers and tomatoes from softening. Stir the salad just before serving to redistribute the dressing.

Chickpea salad is a favorite in summer (especially with garden-grown tomatoes and cucumbers), but it’s so good year-round. If you add anything special to your Chickpea Salad, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Chickpea Salad

5 from 481 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Chickpea Salad loaded with crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, feta cheese and chickpeas or garbanzo beans. Fresh, healthy and protein packed!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

Servings: 6 as a side salad

• 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

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Instructions

• 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).  
• Combine the remaining chickpea salad ingredients in a salad bowl.
• Add the dressing to taste (we used all of it) and toss gently to coat. 

Nutrition Per Serving

302kcal Calories27g Carbs10g Protein17g Fat4g Saturated Fat16mg Cholesterol418mg Sodium556mg Potassium8g Fiber6g Sugar425IU Vitamin A18.1mg Vitamin C146mg Calcium2.8mg Iron

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Chickpea Salad

Amount per Serving

Calories

302

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

17

g

26

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Cholesterol

 

16

mg

5

%

Sodium

 

418

mg

18

%

Potassium

 

556

mg

16

%

Carbohydrates

 

27

g

9

%

Fiber

 

8

g

33

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

10

g

20

%

Vitamin A

 

425

IU

9

%

Vitamin C

 

18.1

mg

22

%

Calcium

 

146

mg

15

%

Iron

 

2.8

mg

16

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chickpea salad, garbanzo bean salad

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $

Calories: 302

More Protein-Packed Salads

Chickpeas make this a feel-good, protein-packed, and satisfying salad. I’ve shared my extensive collection of Salad Recipes over the years, but I especially love salads with protein because they can be served as a meal in itself and are great for meal planning. Here are some crowd favorites:

• Avocado Chicken Salad
• Egg Salad
• Classic Chicken Salad
• Salmon Cobb Salad
• Autumn Chicken Salad
• Avocado Shrimp Salad
• Avocado Tuna Salad
• Chicken Cobb Salad