Chickpea pasta salad is a Mediterranean summer recipe, perfect for when you want something healthy and satiating but don’t have much time to cook.
You might also enjoy our macaroni salad, creamy pasta salad, spaghetti salad, and chickpea salad.
Our go-to Summer Pasta Salad
Louise and I love Mediterranean Diet recipes that are fast and full of fresh flavors. This quick chickpea pasta salad checks every box. It’s the kind of meal we reach for when we want something fresh yet satisfying, easy to pull together, and with plant-based protein.
With just a handful of ingredients and 20 minutes, you can make a delicious pasta salad that works for lunch, picnics, or as a side for dinner. We combine al dente pasta with canned chickpeas, crisp veggies, and a homemade Italian dressing.
The chickpeas make it hearty enough to be a meal on its own, and the mix of textures keeps it interesting every time. Similar to our other summer salads, like broccoli salad, coleslaw, and creamy cucumber salad, it holds up beautifully in the fridge, making it great for meal prep or gatherings.
If you’re following the Mediterranean diet or just looking to add more plant-forward meals to your week, this pasta salad is a winner.
Ingredients for chickpea pasta salad
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Pasta – Choose your favorite shape: rotini, fusilli, or farfalle. For gluten-free: use gluten-free pasta.
- Chickpeas – Use canned or cooked dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Substitutes: black beans or white beans.
- Cherry tomatoes – or any ripe tomato (bite-size pieces), or red bell pepper.
- Cucumber – or thinly sliced zucchini or radishes.
- Kalamata olives – or black/green olives, or Taggiasche olives.
- Red onions – or shallot or spring onions.
- Corn (canned) – or diced yellow bell pepper.
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil: or marinated artichoke hearts, crumbled feta, grilled eggplant or zucchini.
- Avocado – adds healthy fats, vitamins, and creaminess.
- Herbs – Use flat-leaf parsley. Other good options: basil, dill, cilantro, chives.
- Dressing – extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, mustard, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and optional garlic powder.
How to make chickpea pasta salad
1. Make the dressing
In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey or maple syrup, oregano, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Add the drained chickpeas and stir to coat. Set aside to marinate while you prep the other ingredients.
2. Boil the pasta
Cook the pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water, following the package instructions. Drain, then rinse under cold water for about 10 seconds to stop the cooking. Shake off any excess water and transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
3. Chop and mix the veggies
To the bowl, add cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, corn, avocado, onion, and parsley. Add the marinated chickpeas with their dressing, toss well, and season to taste. Let sit for 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Tip: If making ahead, add the avocado just before serving to keep it fresh.
4. Serving suggestions
Enjoy it as a main meal for a quick lunch or easy dinner.
For extra protein, add grilled chicken, prawns, grilled tofu, crumbled feta, or mozzarella balls. We especially recommend this recipe for picnics, potlucks, or packed lunch, as you can make it ahead of time and bring it with you.
Tips
- Salt the pasta water well – It’s your best chance to season the pasta from within.
- Cool the pasta quickly – Rinse under cold water to stop cooking and prevent sogginess.
- Marinate the chickpeas – Let them soak in the dressing while you prep the veggies for extra flavor.
- Cut everything bite-sized – Small, uniform pieces make every forkful balanced and enjoyable.
- Mix up textures – Combine crunchy, creamy, and chewy ingredients for the best mouthfeel.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s easy to make pasta salad gluten-free. You need to pick a pasta type that is free of gluten. There are many options on the market these days. For example, protein pasta made of chickpeas or lentils is often gluten-free.
You can make an oil-free pasta salad by removing the oil from our dressing. Optionally, you can add mashed avocado or yogurt to the flavor and creaminess of the dressing.
Pasta with chickpeas is an excellent combination for both flavor and nutrition. Those two ingredients provide complete high-quality protein, healthy carbs, plenty of fiber, and a modest fat content – all in the same bowl!
More easy salad recipes
- Asian noodle salad
- Pesto pasta salad
- Spaghetti salad
- Orzo salad
- Broccoli salad
- Black bean salad
- Macaroni salad
- Quinoa chickpea salad
If you tried this Chickpea Pasta Salad or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Chickpea Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces short pasta such as rotini, fusilli, or farfalle. Cook it in 2 quarts/8 cups/2 liters of water and 1 tablespoon/15 grams of sea salt.
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas or 1½ cups of cooked chickpeas
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1½ cups cucumber diced
- ½ cup Kalamata olives or black olives
- ½ packed cup sun-dried tomatoes preserved in oil. Drained from the oil and chopped
- ⅓ cup red onion chopped
- ½ cup corn canned or frozen. If frozen, boil it first
- ½ cup parsley finely chopped
- 1 large avocado diced
FOR THE DRESSING
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mustard American or Dijon
- 1½ tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons salt more or less to taste
- ⅛ teaspoons black pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing – Whisk 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons mustard, 1½ tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoons dried oregano, ½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoons salt, and ⅛ teaspoons black pepper. Add 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, stir to coat, and set aside to marinate.
- Cook the pasta – Boil 8 ounces short pasta in salted water per package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add Veggies and – Add 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, 1½ cups cucumber, ½ cup Kalamata olives, ½ packed cup sun-dried tomatoes, ⅓ cup red onion, ½ cup corn, ½ cup parsley, and 1 large avocado. Toss with the chickpeas and dressing. Season to taste and let sit 15 minutes.Tip: If prepping ahead, add avocado just before serving.
- Serve – Great for lunch, dinner, picnics, or potlucks. For more protein, add tofu, feta, mozzarella, chicken, or prawns.
Video
Notes
- Pasta → Gluten-free pasta or chickpea/lentil pasta (check labels)
- Chickpeas → White beans or black beans
- Cherry tomatoes → Any bite-sized chopped tomatoes or red bell pepper
- Cucumber → Thinly sliced zucchini or yellow squash
- Kalamata olives → Black or green olives, artichokes, or feta
- Sun-dried tomatoes → Artichokes or crumbled feta
- Red onion → Shallot or green onions
- Canned corn → Boiled frozen corn or green peas
- Parsley → Fresh dill or chives
- Avocado → Mozzarella balls or crumbled feta
- Olive oil → Best not to substitute
- Lemon juice → Apple cider or white wine vinegar
- Mustard → Yellow or Dijon mustard
- Maple syrup → Honey, agave, or date syrup
- Dried oregano → Dried dill or ground cumin
- Garlic powder → 1 grated garlic clove
- Salt the pasta water well – It’s your best chance to season the pasta from within.
- Cool the pasta quickly – Rinse under cold water to stop cooking and prevent sogginess.
- Marinate the chickpeas – Let them soak in the dressing while you prep the veggies for extra flavor.
- Cut everything bite-sized – Small, uniform pieces make every forkful balanced and enjoyable.
- Mix up textures – Combine crunchy, creamy, and chewy ingredients for the best mouthfeel.
- Make Ahead: Great for meal prep—flavors improve after a few hours. Add avocado just before serving to avoid browning.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. Let sit 15 minutes at room temp before serving.
- Freezer: Not freezer-friendly.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
I used gluten free pasta and it was delicious! I left the sun dried tomatoes out because I didn’t have any. I also added some crumbled Feta cheese. Yum!
This is legit amazing. So fresh & bright. Makes a great veg dinner.
This is a perfect summer pasta. I think marinating the chickpeas while preparing the rest of the salad really adds to the flavor. I had all of the ingredients but I appreciated the many substitutions options. I will definitely make this again.
Mitzi, that’s really great, so happy that you enjoyed the salad and the marinating ❤️
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment here. All the best, Louise