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    Home » Salads

    Chickpea Salad

    Published: Sep 7, 2023 · by Nico Pallotta

    Jump to Recipe

    Chickpea salad combines humble chickpeas with fresh, colorful veggies and a tangy, flavor-packed mustard dressing.

    You can make this recipe in 15 minutes with simple seasonal ingredients. It's tasty, wholesome, and excellent for meal prep.

    Chickpea salad with a silver fork and tomatoes
    On this page:
    • Ingredients & Substitutions
    • How to make chickpea salad
    • Variations
    • Storage
    • More Summer Salads
    • More Salad Recipes
    • Recipe

    You'll love the combination of colors, flavors, and textures in this Mediterranean-inspired chickpea salad recipe.

    Take this blog post as a guideline and change the veggies based on your availability.

    We recommend sticking to 4 to 6 different vegetables with different colors and textures for best results.

    For the dressing, we use a creamy mustard dressing with tangy, zesty, and fruity notes. We think its bold flavor is delicious with chickpeas and fresh veggies.

    Note: This chickpea salad recipe is made with whole chickpeas, not mashed. For our chickpea salad sandwich recipe with vegan mayo, check out our vegan tuna salad that you can put in a sandwich, lettuce wraps, or crackers.

    Chickpea salad in a white bowl

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    ingredients for chickpea salad

    Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

    Chickpeas

    Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are the main ingredient for this easy chickpea salad recipe.

    You can use drained and well-rinsed canned chickpeas or dried ones that you cook yourself.

    To cook dry chickpeas, first, soak them in cold water with a teaspoon of salt for 12 to 24 hours.

    Then, change the water and boil them until tender; it'll take 1 to 3 hours, depending on how dry and large they are. Taste them to check for doneness.

    Substitute cannellini beans, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, borlotti beans, or lentils for chickpeas.

    Tomatoes

    Use ripe tomatoes, such as Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and grape tomatoes.

    We use cherry tomatoes because they are available all year round, have a pleasant sweet taste, and all you have to do is cut them in half.

    Substitute red bell pepper for tomatoes.

    Cucumber

    English cucumber, American cucumber, Persian cucumber, or Kirby cucumber are all perfect for this garbanzo bean salad.

    We like to keep the peel on, but that's a personal preference.

    Substitute fresh zucchini for cucumber.

    Onion

    Finely chopped red onion adds a pleasantly spicy taste to the salad.

    Substitute shallots or spring onions for the red onion.

    Olives

    Olives add healthy fats and umami (a bold, savory taste), which makes the salad more delicious.

    Use pitted black or green olives. For an even more flavorful chickpea salad, go for Kalamata olives or Taggiasche olives.

    Corn

    Canned corn is perfect for this salad. It adds color and sweetness.

    You can replace it with diced yellow bell pepper.

    Fresh Herbs

    Pick your favorite, or mix more than one fresh herb for an even more flavorful chickpea salad.

    We use fresh flat-leaf parsley as it goes very well with chickpeas.

    Substitute fresh basil, mint, chives, fresh dill, and cilantro for parsley.

    Avocado

    It is optional but recommended as it adds creaminess and healthy fats to this delicious dish.

    Add diced avocado shortly before serving the salad because avocado turns brown quickly once it's out of its shell.

    Mustard dressing

    Honey mustard dressing and spoon

    Our mustard dressing with maple syrup or honey is perfect for this salad for several reasons.

    First, the chickpeas are pretty slippery, so you'll need a creamy dressing that coats them properly.

    The mustard and maple syrup in this dressing do just that.

    Second, the dressing is tangy, fresh, light, creamy, and sweet. It fits deliciously with fresh veggies.

    You can make it with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice (substitute apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar), mustard, maple syrup or honey, salt, and black pepper.

    Add one teaspoon of ground cumin or garlic powder to spice things up.

    Chickpea salad in a bowl with a fork

    How to make chickpea salad

    Drain and rinse the chickpeas and the corn kernels.

    Cut cherry tomatoes and olives in half. Dice the cucumber. Finely chop the red onion and parsley. Add everything to a large mixing bowl.

    ingredients in a bowl

    In a small bowl, whisk extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), mustard (American or Dijon mustard), maple syrup (or honey), salt, and black pepper.

    Optionally, you can add a teaspoon of cumin or garlic powder.

    Note: As an alternative to the bowl, add all ingredients to a small mason jar, close it, and shake it until combined.

    dressing in a bowl

    Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss well with two spoons.

    Add diced avocado shortly before serving the salad.

    Chickpea salad with a silver fork

    Variations

    Avocado Salad with Chickpeas

    chickpea salad with avocado

    Avocado fits this salad perfectly because it adds creaminess and healthy fats. Add avocado shortly before serving the salad, then give it a quick toss and serve.

    For example, if you bring this to potlucks or make it for meal prep, don't add the avocado until ready to serve or eat the salad because it will turn brown due to oxidation.

    Check out our avocado salad recipe.

    Chickpea Pasta Salad

    chickpea pasta salad in a bowl

    Add your favorite short pasta to turn this chickpea salad into a complete meal.

    All you have to do is boil ½ pound of pasta in plenty of salted boiling water, drain it, cool it down under running tap water, and toss it in with the other ingredients.

    Check out our chickpea pasta salad recipe.

    Farro and Chickpea Salad

    Farro salad with tomato

    Have you ever had chickpeas and farro together? Oh gosh, they are amazing!

    With similar ingredients to our chickpea salad, you can make a delicious, fulfilling, and nutritious chickpea farro salad that everyone will love.

    Check out our farro and chickpea salad recipe.

    Chickpea Quinoa Salad

    Quinoa chickpea salad with fork and a lemon

    In this recipe, we combine chickpeas and quinoa to create a simple and healthy chickpea quinoa salad with fresh, seasonal veggies.

    This recipe is a nutritious, naturally vegan, gluten-free meal that will please the pickiest eaters.

    Check out our chickpea quinoa salad recipe.

    Rice salad with chickpeas

    Rice salad with cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs

    Rice salad is probably the most popular salad during spring and summer and for a good reason. It's delicious, affordable, and packed with veggies and flavor.

    Add chickpeas to make it even more nutritious and turn it into one of the best recipes for picnics, potlucks, and meal prep.

    Check out our rice salad recipe.

    Couscous Salad with Chickpeas

    Couscous salad with lemon and tomatoes

    Another Mediterranean-inspired dish, couscous salad with fresh veggies and chickpeas, is quick to make, crunchy, refreshing, and fulfilling.

    Check out our couscous salad recipe.

    Other Add-ins

    Use our recipe as a guideline, and change it based on your preferences and availability of ingredients. Other delicious ingredients we often add to our chickpea salad are:

    • Green, yellow, or red bell peppers (diced)
    • Fennel (thinly sliced or diced)
    • Celery (chopped)
    • Red cabbage (thinly sliced)
    • Eggplant (diced and roasted)
    • Sun-dried tomatoes in oil (chopped)
    • Artichoke hearts in oil (chopped)
    • Lettuce
    • Arugula
    • Feta cheese or non-dairy feta

    When swapping veggies, consider their texture, color, and flavor. For example, you want a salad with different colors and mixed textures, resulting in better taste and nutrition.

    You can also substitute the mustard dressing for one of our delicious pestos.

    Try arugula pesto, artichoke pesto, and basil pesto; they are good flavor pairings with chickpea salad.

    Turn it into a complete meal with couscous, pasta, rice, or a slice of our focaccia bread.

    Storage

    Make ahead: Chickpea salad is an excellent make-ahead recipe as it lasts several days. We recommend it for meal prep, potlucks, and picnics.

    Refrigerator: Keep the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. Take it out of the refrigerator 15-30 minutes before serving, as it will taste better at room temperature.

    Freezer: We don't recommend freezing this recipe.

    More Summer Salads

    Looking for more refreshing salad ideas? Check out these top recipes:

    • Greek salad
    • Tomato salad
    • Tomato cucumber salad
    • Zucchini salad
    • Watermelon salad
    • Panzanella salad
    • Artichoke salad
    • Mango salad
    • Authentic Greek Salad as served in Greece
      Horiatiki - Greek Salad
    • zucchini salad
      Zucchini Salad
    • watermelon salad with feta on a white platter
      Watermelon Salad
    • Artichoke Salad with olive
      Artichoke Salad

    More Salad Recipes

    These are some of our favorite all-year-round salads:

    • Broccoli salad with a creamy yogurt and mayo dressing
    • Cauliflower salad with creamy lemon tahini dressing
    • Mediterranean lentil sweet potato salad
    • Fattoush, a Levantine salad with crunchy pita chips
    • Pear salad with oranges and ricotta.
    • Creamy dill potato salad.
    • Broccoli salad in a white bowl
      Broccoli Salad
    • Cauliflower salad on a white plate
      Cauliflower Salad
    • Macaroni salad with creamy dressing
      Macaroni Salad
    • Fattoush with fresh herbs and fried pita
      Fattoush

    For many more salad ideas, check out our salads category page.

    Recipe

    chickpea salad with a fork

    Chickpea Salad

    Author: Nico Pallotta
    Chickpea salad combines humble chickpeas with fresh, colorful veggies and a tangy, flavor-packed mustard dressing.
    You can make this recipe in 15 minutes with simple seasonal ingredients. It's tasty, wholesome, and b
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe
    5 from 11 votes
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 0 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Lunch, Side dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 - 6 people
    Calories 379 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the salad

    • 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas or 1½ cups of cooked chickpeas, drained
    • 1½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
    • 1½ cups cucumber diced
    • ½ cup olives sliced
    • ⅓ cup red onion chopped
    • ½ cup corn
    • ⅓ cup parsley chopped
    • 1 ripe avocado optional, diced

    For the dressing

    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice sub apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon mustard yellow or Dijon
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup sub honey
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin optional
    Keep screen on

    Instructions
     

    • To a large bowl, add 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (drained), 1½ cups cherry tomatoes (halved), 1½ cups cucumber (diced), ½ cup olives (sliced), ⅓ cup red onion (chopped), ½ cup corn, ⅓ cup parsley (chopped), and 1 ripe avocado (diced).
      ingredients in a bowl
    • In a small bowl, whisk 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
      dressing in a bowl
    • Pour dressing over salad and toss well.
      Chickpea salad in a bowl with a fork

    Variations

    • Pasta: boil ½ pound of pasta in plenty of salted water as per package instructions. Drain it, cool it down under running water, and add it to the chickpea salad.
      chickpea pasta salad in a bowl
    • Farro: rinse 1 cup of farro and cook it in vegetable broth as per package instructions. Let cool down then add it to the salad.
      mediterranean farro salad with chickpeas
    • Quinoa: rinse and boil 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of lightly salted water for 10-15 minutes. Let it cool down then add it to the salad.
      Quinoa chickpea salad with fork

    Notes

    Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 portion of chickpea salad out of 4, with avocado.
    STORAGE
    Make ahead: Chickpea salad is an excellent make-ahead recipe as it lasts several days. We recommend it for meal prep, potlucks, and picnics.
    Refrigerator: Keep the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. Take it out of the refrigerator 15-30 minutes before serving, as it will taste better at room temperature.
    Freezer: We don't recommend freezing this recipe.
    ALSO ON THIS PAGE
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • Storage
    • More Summer Salads
    • More Salad Recipes

    Nutritional Values

    Nutrition Facts
    Chickpea Salad
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    379
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    26
    g
    40
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    3
    g
    19
    %
    Trans Fat
     
    0
    g
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    3
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    17
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    0
    mg
    0
    %
    Potassium
     
    732
    mg
    21
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    34
    g
    11
    %
    Dietary Fiber
     
    10
    g
    42
    %
    Sugar
     
    10
    g
    11
    %
    Protein
     
    8
    g
    16
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    753
    IU
    15
    %
    Vitamin B6
     
    0.3
    mg
    15
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    30
    mg
    36
    %
    Vitamin E
     
    4
    mg
    27
    %
    Vitamin K
     
    68
    µg
    65
    %
    Calcium
     
    75
    mg
    8
    %
    Folate
     
    168
    µg
    42
    %
    Iron
     
    3
    mg
    17
    %
    Manganese
     
    1
    mg
    50
    %
    Magnesium
     
    68
    mg
    17
    %
    Zinc
     
    2
    mg
    13
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did you like this recipe?Leave us a comment below or find us on Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook.

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    Sweet Potato Curry »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Priyanka

      February 15, 2023 at 1:11 am

      5 stars
      This salad is our new family favorite.
      I used half tbsp of dijon mustard instead of the regular mustard.
      Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.

      Reply
      • Louise

        February 15, 2023 at 5:44 am

        Hi Priyanka,
        I'm super happy you and your family liked the chickpea salad (and dressing)! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a commment.
        Have a great week ahead. Kindest,
        Louise

        Reply
    2. Emma

      November 28, 2022 at 1:17 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely LOVE this salad!
      It’s so fresh, delicious and easy to throw together.
      Definitely going to be a staple dish in our house going forward.

      Reply
      • Nico

        November 28, 2022 at 1:56 pm

        Hi Emma, I'm so happy you love it! It's our go-to lunch for busy weekdays 🙂 Thanks so much for leaving a comment! Cheers, Nico

        Reply
    3. Kim Hollis

      September 14, 2022 at 5:56 pm

      5 stars
      I am going to try this chickpea salad recipe. The recipe says mustard but I usually see dijon mustard in most recipes. Have you made it with both and did the dijon mustard compliment the salad. I will be making it with pasta
      Thanks Kim Hollis

      Reply
      • Nico

        September 15, 2022 at 4:02 pm

        Hi Kim,
        Thanks for your comment. We've made the salad with mustard and dijon mustard, and both types complement the chickpea salad well. Bear in mind that the dijon mustard is spicier compared to normal mustard, so if you use that, I would only add half the dose. I hope this helps! Cheers, Nico

        Reply

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    Nico and Louise founders of the Plant-Based School.

    Hi, we are Nico Pallotta and Louise Vestergaard, and we love cooking! Welcome to our blog.

    Here we share veggie-packed recipes for the whole family.

    Omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans, you are ALL WELCOME!

    More about us →

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    Nico and Louise founders of the Plant-Based School.

    Hi, we are Nico Pallotta and Louise Vestergaard, and we love cooking! Welcome to our blog.

    Here we share veggie-packed recipes for the whole family.

    Omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans, you are ALL WELCOME!

    More about us →

    Trending

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      Lentil Curry
    • Rice salad with olives and tomatoes
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      Creamy Pasta Salad
    • Black bean salad with lime and avocado
      Black Bean Salad

    Seasonal

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