Chickpea Salad

Chickpea Salad features tasty olives, fresh cucumber, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado and a little bit of feta cheese for good measure. All prepared as a Mediterranean salad which is tangy, lemony, with a hint of parsley and oregano. It comes together really fast, in around 15 minutes and will leave you full and satisfied for hours.

I love this Chickpea Salad it has everything what is wonderful about textures and flavors. Fresh salads are great with beautiful ingredients and a dressing that impresses.

You will never look back if you eat a salad that tastes great and is so easy to prepare like you might know from my Popcorn Salad, the Dorito Taco Salad, the Brussels Sprouts Salad or even my Big Mac Salad.

Here is what’s great about this Chickpea Salad

It is a very convenient and satisfying salad. That is also filling and budget friendly.

You can serve it up with almost everything. Chickpeas just go well with anything from Mujadara to Lemon Pasta.

Different textures are what makes this salad recipe a keeper: creamy, tangy, hearty, bold and bright.

What you need for this Chickpea Salad recipe

Besides from canned chickpeas which are the same as garbanzo beans you will need the following salad ingredients:

Cucumber to add freshness, a crunchy bite and more deliciousness like you know from my Creamy Cucumber Salad.

Tomatoes are just amazing here, because they add not only a juicy and ripe texture but also another wonderful layer of flavor.

I went with red onions for this salad because are slightly milder than yellow onions. Red bell peppers add another wonderful taste and texture to this salad

What are the best olives? Personally I like to use black olives which add so much salty and robust flavor. I use them all the time in different recipes like the Puttanesca Sauce, the Zucchini Bake, Shakshuka or Cacciatore.

For the avocados: keep in mind to use a ripe ones, which are creamy and full of flavor. Remove the seed, cut into squares and check if you can easily scoop it up into your bowl. This way you know you have a ripe avocado.

Vegan feta: I like to use feta in salads. It adds saltiness, creaminess and another layering of richness.

No salad is complete without a great dressing 

And this also is true for this Chickpea Salad. Of course I add a good amount of garlic which is always great.

I use extra virgin olive oil because it has so much flavor and is always delicious. But you can absolutely use any mild oil, if you prefer.

Red vinegar and lemon juice add a lot of fresh tanginess and fruity flavor. I tell you this combination has just the right amount to really make it everything brighter, yum.

Oregano and parsley: I prefer to use a combination of fresh parsley and dried oregano, but if you don’t like oregano you can absolutely skip it and add more parsley.

How to make Chickpea Salad

Prepare the dressing:

In a bowl mix olive oil with vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, oregano, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Shake or stir together until combined.

Make the salad and serve:

I chop all my vegetables bite sized (roughly the size of chickpeas). Add the drained chickpeas to a bowl, together with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, feta, avocado.

Toss everything in the dressing. That’s all – you are ready to enjoy and eat.

Storage recommendations

Leftovers of the Chickpea Salad will stay fresh in the fridge for around 5 days covered.

To make ahead, add the avocado just before serving. Be sure to mix your avocado in lemon juice, because it will prevent it from browning.

Tag and show off your remakes of my Chickpea Salad on Instagram or Facebook.

Enjoy, Florian.