Best Easy Chickpea Salad

My easy Chickpea Salad recipe is loaded with crunchy, fresh veggies and juicy tomatoes tossed in a simple and delicious vinaigrette. This scrumptious salad comes together in minutes and is a perfect weeknight side dish or any day lunch.

Chickpea Salad recipes are popular for good reason. They are filling, nutritious, and easy to make. This one’s loaded with palate pleasing textures and fresh, herbaceous flavor.

Chickpeas are such a tasty and versatile starting point for healthy and flavorful dishes like my Creamy Hummus Recipe with Roasted Garlic, Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad or my Baked Bean Casserole, too.

Most varieties of seasonal vegetables work well with garbanzo beans, and this version of chickpea salad can be deliciously dressed with either vinaigrettes or creamy dressings.

Since chickpea salad is high in protein, vitamins and minerals, it makes a fabulous stand-alone lunch. It’s also a delectable complementary side dish to any of your favorite main dishes.

This easy recipe is a hearty meal salad on its own, but you could also toss in chopped chicken breast or even grilled shrimp to bolster the protein and fill up even the biggest appetites.

You’ll love the crisp, crunchy freshness of summer vegetables, herbs and chickpeas dressed in a simple red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.

I could eat this deliciously simple dinner salad recipe every single day, and I think you’ll love it, too.

The Ingredients

For the Salad:

• Chickpeas – I used canned chickpeas that have been drained for convenience and speed, but you could definitely cook your own from dry if you prefer.
• Cucumbers – I almost always buy mini (Persian) cucumbers now because they have thin skins and only a few small seeds. An English cucumber would be similar. You could definitely use whatever eating cucumber you prefer.
• Bell Pepper – Any color of sweet bell pepper works in this recipe. I usually choose it buy color so the salad has great visual appeal, too.
• Italian Parsley – Italian Flat Leaf parsley is what I had on hand, but there’s no reason that curly parsley wouldn’t work.
• Red Onion – Red onions are always my personal first choice for color and flavor, but use the onions that you and your family like best.
• Radishes – Added for great crunch and color, as well as a bit of a peppery bite.
• Grape Tomatoes – Grape or cherry tomatoes provide a sweet, acidic balance to your salad and are available in a wide array of colors. Full-sized tomatoes could also be used and just chopped into bite-sized pieces.

For the Dressing:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Stone Ground Mustard – You could also use Dijon or another mustard style that you have on hand. The mustard helps emulsify the oil and vinegar as well as adding flavor.
• Minced Garlic

Possible Recipe Variations

Switch up the Veggies: This salad can make use of whichever veggies are currently in season. Jicama, zucchini, yellow squash, kohlrabi, celery, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, avocado, shaved brussels sprouts, cabbage, green onions (Spring onions, scallions), shallots, roasted beets, peas and cauliflower would all be fantastic.

Salad Greens: Try adding kale, spinach, or your favorite salad greens to the salad.

Cheese: Grated or cubed cheese would be a flavorful and welcome addition to this delicious chickpea salad. Keep cubes no larger than the chickpeas so the flavor doesn’t overwhelm the other ingredients in each bite. Try Extra sharp Cheddar Cheese, smoked Gouda, Colby, Feta or even Monterey Jack cheese.

Olives: If you are an olive fan, slice up a few of your favorite varieties to add slaty, briny goodness to your dinner salad.

Herbs: Herbaceous freshness can add a scrumptious flavor dimension to a vegetable salad with chickpeas. Try parsley, cilantro, mint, dill, thyme or tarragon.

What to Serve with Chickpea Salad

FAQs

Can Chickpea salad be made ahead? It can be made one to two days in advance. If you will be adding softer vegetables or ones that oxidize easily like tomatoes or avocado, wait to add them just before serving.

How long will chickpea salad keep? Chickpea salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to five days.

Can chickpea salad be frozen? No. the vegetables would become soggy and/or mushy upon thawing.

What are the benefits of chickpea salad? Is it healthy? Chickpea salad is loaded with fiber, protein and healthy fats. Chickpeas as well as the other vegetables in this delicious dinner salad are tremendous sources of essential vitamins and minerals, too.

How to Make Chickpea Salad

Make the Dressing

1. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic until it is fully emulsified.
2. Taste the dressing and add salt and pepper to taste if it’s needed.
3. Set aside.

Assemble the Salad

1. Drain chickpeas and wash and chop all the veggies.
2. Add the chickpeas, cucumbers, bell pepper, parsley, onion, radishes and tomatoes to a salad bowl and toss to distribute them evenly.
3. Pour the prepared salad dressing over the salad and stir to coat everything.
4. Store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.

The Recipe