Chickpea salad is a bright, crunchy salad that’s full of fresh flavor. It’s easy to prep ahead and holds up well in the fridge, making it perfect for lunches or a potluck.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Why Make It: Easy to chop, toss, and chill, and it tastes even better later.
- Flavor: Fresh and bright with crisp vegetables, chickpeas, and a tangy cumin-lemon dressing.
- Tools: This veggie chopper will make prep quick!
- Serving Suggestions: Serve as a side, spoon into pita, or top with grilled chicken or shrimp.
Ingredient Notes
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes work best for a fresh, sweet flavor, but diced tomatoes can be used in a pinch.
- Cucumbers: English or Persian cucumbers stay crisp and don’t need much prep, making them a great choice for this salad. If using garden cucumbers, peel and seed them if they’re watery.
- Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas keep this recipe quick and easy. Be sure to rinse them well for the best flavor and less starch. If using cooked-from-scratch chickpeas, make sure they’re tender but not mushy.
- Green Pepper: Green bell pepper adds a nice crunch to this salad. Red, yellow, or orange bell peppers can be used instead for a slightly sweeter flavor.
- Red Onion: Red onion adds a bit of sharp flavor, so finely dice it to keep it from overpowering the salad. For a milder taste, soak it briefly in cold water before adding.
- Avocado: Avocado is optional, but it adds a creamy contrast to the salad. It’s best added just before serving or lightly tossed with lemon juice to help slow browning.
- Variations: This salad is easy to customize to what you have on hand. Add feta or olives for a salty, briny flavor, or swap the parsley for mint or dill for a fresh twist. Turn it into a meal with grilled chicken, shrimp, or quinoa.
How to Make Chickpea Salad
- Add the salad ingredients and rinsed chickpeas to a bowl (full recipe below).
- Drizzle with oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Toss to combine.
- Chill, then top with optional avocado before serving.
How To Store Chickpea Salad
- Refrigerate: Keep leftover chickpea salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep avocado separate and add it just before serving. If already mixed in, the salad is still safe to eat, but the avocado may soften and darken.
- Serving: Give it a stir before serving since the dressing can settle at the bottom. Refresh leftovers with a small splash of red wine vinegar, olive oil, or lemon juice if needed.
- Freezing: Freezing is not recommended.
What to Serve with Chickpea Salad
Chickpea salad is so versatile. Serve it as a side to your favorite grilled protein or as a main for lunch or meal prep.
Did you enjoy this Chickpea Salad Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 2 cups diced cucumber
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup diced green bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 avocado optional
- ½ lemon juiced
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, bell pepper, parsley, and red onion.
- Add the olive oil, vinegar, cumin, salt, and pepper. Toss well to combine.
- If using, cut the avocado into cubes and place in a small bowl. Squeeze the juice from ½ of a lemon over the avocado and gently stir to combine. (If not using avocado, squeeze 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice over the salad and toss.)
- Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Video
Notes
Store leftover chickpea salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 160 | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 989IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Salad, Side Dish
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Delicious, easy and refreshing. Added one teaspoon of local honey, and used an orange pepper as that’s all I had on hand. Made this today for the 4th of July holiday. Plan to add the avocado before leaving for the celebration.
Excellent! I had some fresh roasted corn and added it Omg. Delicious both ways
Looks delicious!
Lovely fresh tasting salad. Easy to make and ingredients are readily available.
Loved by all my family and friends, even those that don’t usually eat chickpeas.
It’s a winner.
One thing that is typically missing from many recipes, including this recipe, as well as most of the Cooking site, AND should be a must is SERVING SIZE. Why is this important?
1) This recipe states it serves six? Six what? 1/2cup? 1 cup? 150 grams? 225 Grams? 2) Nutrition information is necessarily tied to a quantity whether it be weight or volume. Otherwise how does one know the serving size to which these data apply
The serving size is one sixth of the recipe. In this case, it is approximately 1-1 ¼ cup. Enjoy Marco!
I wholly agree with your comment. Based on the disappointing response you were given – serving size is approximate; may be between 1 cup and 1-1/4 cups, I’d say the nutritional values provided are meaningless and should be ignored.
Hi Katherine, as included with the recipe, nutritional information is an estimate only, and will vary based on the actual ingredients used, including the size of items, and brands. The serving size may also vary slightly. For example, you may use a small avocado, or a larger one, and that would impact the serving size and nutritional information accordingly. You can get more precise nutritional information by entering your exact ingredients into many online calculators. Hope that helps.
I love garbanzo peas! Can’t wait to try this chickpea salad!
Where has this beautiful recipe been???? Made it, and how impressive.!!! My husband and I love this! Thank you…
What is the actual nutritional information??? An avocado has around that many calories itself.
The nutrition information is correct as written, this is the information for one serving. This recipe serves 6 so it’s approximately ⅙th of the recipe.
Please provide a quantity (mass or volume) for either the entire salad or the 1/6th portion. Great recipe BTW.
Thank you. One sixth of the recipe is approximately 1-1 ¼ cup. Enjoy Marco!
Thank You!!! Keep up the great work Holly! Luv ur stuff. Yummm!
Thank you very much!
Love this recipe and so does everyone else.
This is my go to slad now.
Easy to make and the flavours work well together.
Yummy! My family and I really liked it. We will make it again.Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made a few variations, a little less vinegar, and used a sweet onion. Thank you!
I have tried this recipe and i love it.
Love, love, love this recipe. I add 1tsp sugar yo the dressing.
thank you for the recipe. I loved it. The combinations of the vegetables were so fresh and tasty as you described it above. The cumin was so discreet. It gave a spicy touch just as much.
However I like to cook my own chickpeas. I hope there isn’t any difference from the can
Great Recipe! I did add 1 cup of Sliced Kalamata Olives and a tablespoon of Garlic Powder for a little extra flavor. Will definitely be making it again. Thank you
Easy prep and good flavor!
Corn salad
Looks yummy going to try today with some fish
Do u cook chick peas in can first
The chickpeas do not need to be cooked.
Very Good!
Outstanding! Far more appealing than a pasta salad and faster, too. It’s going to be my go-to all summer. The brand of chickpeas matters. I’ve found that Trader Joe’s are consistently hard and crumbly, while Goya’s are tender with just the right chew.
Truly a winner that’ll make a chickpea lover out of anyone who tries it.