This Easy Chickpea Salad is the perfect light side dish for any meal. It is great for cookouts or those looking for healthy side dishes to pair with lean proteins. There’s nothing like the refreshing taste of lime juice and dill paired with fresh veggies and savory chickpeas.

Are Chickpeas Good For You?

Chickpeas are one of my favorite non-meat sources of protein. Sometimes they are labeled in stores as garbanzo beans as well.

So when you go shopping for the ingredients for this recipe just keep in mind that they are the same thing as garbanzo beans and can be used interchangeably in this recipe.

What are chickpeas? Chickpeas are pale colored legumes and fall within the pea family. I love their savory rich flavor. It has a mild nuttiness that lends well to many recipes.

As I mentioned before chickpeas are a great source of protein if you are looking for a meatless meal or just adding more nutrition to your family’s diet.

One cup of cooked chickpeas will have about 40 grams of protein as well as a lot of micronutrients like iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and Vitamin B-6 to name a few.

So these are great staples to have on hand for healthier meals. They can be purchased already cooked in cans or in the dry form which I prefer.

I always have chickpeas on hand in my pantry because we eat them a lot during Orthodox Lent or on our meatless days throughout the week.

If you are new to chickpeas then my Easy Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is the perfect recipe to start with. Not only is it a simple recipe for beginners, but it is also packed with flavor.

Should I Use Canned or Fresh Chickpeas?

This salad is meant to be one that is simple to throw together when you are needing quick for dinner or a cookout so I’m sure a lot of people that make this salad will prefer to use the canned variety.

Of course, this is perfectly fine since the storebought chickpeas in the cans will work just fine and they will allow you to get his recipe done in under 20 minutes.

If using canned chickpeas make sure you drain and rinse them very well before adding them to your salads because you don’t want all the liquid in the cans in your salad.

For this recipe, if you use cans, you will need about 3 to 4 cans depending on how many you are feeding. I would start with 3 cans and the veggies and then see if you feel like it needs a fourth can.

As for myself, I don’t mind the taste of the canned chickpeas but I am not a fan of the texture of the peas in some brands. A few brands I’ve tried are just a little too hard for my liking.

I don’t like the chickpeas to be mushy don’t get me wrong, however, I do like them to be soft and tender and I find that the canned varieties are a little more on the firmer side.

So for that reason, I prefer to cook my chickpeas for this salad, but since I often have them pre-cooked in the fridge or in my pantry since I pressure can them myself this salad is still a quick side dish for me.

If you prefer to cook them yourself I recommend soaking them the night before and then cooking them in your Instant Pot. They cook quickly and have a great texture.

Follow the cooking instructions for chickpeas that come with your pressure cooker. My Instant Pot says that soaked chickpeas cook in about 30 minutes on high pressure.

It will come down to your preference when you choose to use canned chickpeas or to cook them yourself. Both options will work just fine.

How To Make Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

When it comes to making simple salads like this chickpea salad you’ll only need simple ingredients but the trick is to make sure they are as fresh and as flavorful as possible.

I love making this salad in the summertime when my tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions are fresh from the garden, but I know not everyone will have access to homegrown products so make sure at the supermarkets you look for the best options.

To get started choose your chickpeas and make sure they are free from any excess liquids. Add them to a large mixing bowl and set them aside.

Next, wash the cucumber and tomatoes and peel the onions. I prefer to leave the skins on my cucumber but I hate seeds so I always use the seedless variety like English Cucumbers.

If my tomatoes are extra juicy or seedy I also remove that part and just chop off the more meatier flesh parts.

The tomatoes will naturally release water in the salad as it sits and chills and leaving that seedy part in them might make the salad too wet.

I love the fresh bite of flavor you get from the raw red onions but if you don’t like that flavor check out the tip section of this post right above the recipe card for a way you can mellow out the onion flavor.

Now that the veggies are chopped gather the spices and add it all into the bowl of the chickpeas we got ready earlier.

Add in the lime juice and oil and toss the chickpea salad thoroughly. The goal is to make sure everything is coated well.

If you wish to lower the fat even more or if you need an oil-free version then you can totally leave it out. I’ve done it multiple times and this salad is still delicious.

Finally, taste the salad and just the seasonings to your liking. At this point, you could add more of your favorite spices before you cover it and place it into the fridge to chill for an hour or so.

You can serve this right away, but I feel like the flavors just get better after it has chilled.

Can This Salad Be Made Ahead?

In short, absolutely! I truly think this salad gets better the longer it chills. All the flavors have time to come together and make some magic.

To store, cover it with plastic wrap or place it in a glass bowl with a lid, then refrigerate the salad. Keeping it in an airtight container is important to keep it fresh.

This salad will last in the fridge for up to four or five days, but after that, the tomatoes and the cucumbers will start to soften and release liquids.

I make this salad often and I’ve never had a problem with storing it that long, but it usually doesn’t last more than three days in our house, so it is perfect for making lunches ahead of time for the week.

Tips and Variations For This Salad

This recipe is an excellent side dish and base recipe that can be expanded on or modified to your liking. Here are a few tips and some variations for changing it up.

Make it a Main Dish: To bump this side dish into main dish mode add some more protein like grilled chicken or shrimp. Adding Feta Cheese is also an amazing flavor booster! It is a perfect light summer meal.

Swap out Veggies: If you don’t care for some of the veggies I put in the salad you can substitute your favorites. Some great options include olives, bell peppers, hot peppers, or avocados.

Milder Onion Flavor: if you love onions but you’re not sure about the raw bite that the red onions can add to this salad I have a trick for you. Place your chopped onions in a mixture of iced water and a dash of vinegar. Let them soak for 5 to 10 minutes. The vinegar will help reduce the heat or “bite” of the onion and make it milder. Don’t worry the vinegar won’t add any flavor.

Yield: 12 servings

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

A flavorful low fast side dish that is great for your next summer cookout. This recipe comes together super quickly and features tender cooked chickpeas, and fresh veggies, with a refreshing lime and oil-based dressing.

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Ingredients

• 5 cups of cooked chickpeas
• 3 medium-sized Roma tomatoes
• 1 medium English Cucumber, washed and chopped
• 1/2 of a small red onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons of lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of dried dill weed
• 2 teaspoons of dried Greek Oregano
• salt and pepper to your taste

Instructions

1. Add 5 cups of cooked chickpeas to a large bowl. If you prefer to use canned chickpeas you can use 3 to 4 cans of chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed.
2. Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion to the chickpeas and toss them together.
3. Next, add in the dill weed and parsley and toss again.
4. In a small bowl or measuring cup add the lime juice and olive oil. add salt and pepper to your taste and stir well.
5. Pour the lime mixture over the chickpea salad and toss thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and add more if desired.
6. Cover the salad and chill for at least and hour to let the flavors develop more. Toss throughly before serving.

Notes

See the blog post on how to cook chickpeas in dry form. I love to do this in my Instant Pot and I prefer the texture to the storebought canned chickpeas.

Nutrition Information

Yield

7

Serving Size

1 cup
Amount Per ServingCalories 184Total Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 267mgCarbohydrates 28.4gNet Carbohydrates 21gFiber 7.4gSugar 4gProtein 4.6g

I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.

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Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!