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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Made this salad today really easy to follow . Tastes really good added hot sauce to make it a little spicy .delicious
Absolutely delicious but I did make a very minor change. Since this is practically a Greek salad I leaned a bit more into that by switching the cumin with oregano and topping with feta. Definitely adding this to my go-tos.
I made this salad for a big party with lots of other salad options. This one was the only one completely consumed and everyone loved it. Even the carnivorous men who really don’t eat salad!
I am about to make it again so I don’t have to share.
I’m a spicy kinda gal so I added more cumin, cayenne, extra red wine vinegar and a bit of garlic. Thank you for a great recipe base.
I was looking for a recipe for a chickpea salad and ran across this one. I made it exactly with directions with the exceptions I multiplied it four times. I used yellow and red peppers as we do not like green peppers. The dressing I did add 2 tablespoons of honey that helped it a great deal in lifting it even higher, I will keep this recipe in my all my days
Easy to make but it ended up being quite bland. Next time I’ll definitely add feta and double spices etc.
I’ve made this a few times so far and it’s amazing! In our house we put garlic on everything so my only addition was 1 minced fresh clove per serving and it’s perfect for us. We recently changed to the vegan lifestyle and this is good for a main dish too!
Trying this tonight for my dinner.
I can’t wait for you to try it Linda!
Good recipe easy to understand
This is the most delicious, healthy salad I’ve ever made or eaten. I love it so much that I’ve made it more than twice and it’s my favorite “go to”.
I never comment on recipes so this means something….
That’s a big compliment MB! I am so glad you enjoy this recipe.
I made this last night and just tried it this morning. Very beautiful salad, but I do think it needed more lemon or red wine vinegar. Maybe I needed to swap it for eevo? I was looking for a slightly sharper flavor; Nevertheless, I was still able to adjust the salad to my taste!
Why “add chicken for protein “ when chickpeas are the protein? Totally unnecessary.
You can leave it out, some folks have different dietary requirements or preferences.
Missy came out here today and chose violence for no apparent reason lol
seriously! plus adding chicken would be delicious. I made this and was amazing. I added feta though. Sub parsley with clintro
Add Jalapenos!
Could I add quinoa to this and it would still taste great?
I haven’t tried it but I think it would be great! If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Can the fresh herbs be omitted or can a dry herb be substituted? I don’t ever have fresh herbs on hand. Thanks!
I recommend fresh parsley for this chickpea salad as dry parsley doesn’t have the same flavor Amy. You can substitute cilantro or dill if you’d prefer. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I loved your Recipies, easy, simple, fast and tasty. I will make all the ones I saw starting with the coleslaw. Loved the tips too. Thank you.
I have seen this recipe two different ways. Adding the dressing before you eat the salad, or adding the dressing and then chilling and storing. I made it like your recipe and it’s amazing. I’m just wondering what the difference would be if you added the dressing as you ate it, like a regular salad.
Hi Dawn, I like to add the dressing and refrigerate for at least one hour to let the flavors develop. It would still be delicious if you ate the dressing as you ate it, but the flavor might be a little less.
i didn’t try it yet, but it better be good!!!!!!!
I am always looking for ways to add beans to meals. This salad was delightful. I am allergic to chickpeas, so I always change up the beans when I see them in a recipe. This time I used a 3 bean mix of red kidney beans black beans and pinto beans. Like another commented, not enough cumin for me, so I tripped it and added a dash of chili lime. Really nice salad. Thanks so much. I will now do this regularly. And I think it will be versatile with whatever I have in my crisper, such as red cabbage or carrots or zucchini, as well. Thanks.
I made this & absolutely loved it – I did take an additional can of chickpeas which I rinsed & drained & dried thoroughly & roasted in the oven to add for crunch. I didn’t have any green pepper so I just left it out. One thing I think I would do different next time is to add some additional cumin to the dressing. When I tasted it for seasoning it had a strong cumin taste but after I added it to all the vegetables & had it for dinner I couldn’t taste any flavor of cumin at all so I will add a smidge more next time but I really loved it!