This chopped chickpea salad is a fresh, protein-packed meal loaded with fiber, flavor, and creamy lemon tahini dressing for an easy healthy lunch.
For more healthy salads, check out our Mediterranean quinoa salad, Mediterranean chopped salad, marinated chickpea cucumber salad, and high-protein dense bean salad.
A Creamy Chopped Salad That Keeps You Full and Energized
This chopped chickpea salad is fresh, crunchy, and bursting with flavor 🥗. It’s packed with protein-rich chickpeas, crisp cucumber, juicy tomatoes, and a creamy lemon tahini dressing that makes every bite irresistible.
The dressing is the star here: smooth, nutty, and so easy to whip together in just a minute. It turns simple veggies into a balanced, satisfying salad that’s perfect for lunch or meal prep.
With wholesome ingredients and a naturally low saturated fat profile, this salad keeps you light yet full of energy.
When Louise and I make it at home, it feels like a little bowl of Mediterranean sunshine ☀️.
Ingredients
Full ingredients and substitutions are in the recipe box below.
- Chickpeas: the heart of this protein-rich vegetarian salad, packed with fiber. Use canned or cooked dried chickpeas. White beans, lentils, or edamame work just as well.
- Romaine lettuce: adds crisp freshness as the base. Substitute with iceberg or baby spinach for a softer bite.
- Cucumber: cool and crunchy, perfect for balance. Swap with diced zucchini or bell peppers for a twist.
- Tomatoes: juicy and sweet. When out of season, use sun-dried tomatoes for a rich flavor.
- Parsley: bright and herby. Replace with cilantro, dill, or fresh basil for variety.
- Green onions: mild and fresh. Try red onion or chives if you prefer a stronger taste.
For the Dressing
- Tahini: creamy, nutty, and full of flavor. If unavailable, try Greek yogurt with a pinch of dried oregano. Alternatively, try our honey mustard dressing instead.
- Water: thins the dressing and makes it pourable.
- Lemon juice: adds a fresh, tangy balance.
- Garlic: adds aroma and depth. Replace with garlic powder or roasted garlic for a milder taste.
How to Make a Chopped Chickpea Salad
Step 1: Make the creamy tahini dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, water, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and creamy. Stir in one crushed garlic clove and let it sit for about 10 minutes to infuse flavor. Remove and discard the garlic before using. If the dressing feels too thick, add a splash of water until it’s pourable.
Step 2: Prep the veggies
Chop the romaine into bite-size pieces, dice the cucumber and tomatoes, finely chop the parsley, and thinly slice the green onions. Drain, rinse, and pat dry the chickpeas, then add everything to a large bowl.
Step 3: Mix, taste, and serve
Pour the creamy tahini salad dressing over the veggies and toss until fully coated. Taste and adjust with more salt or lemon juice if needed. Sprinkle with dried oregano, sumac, or za’atar, then serve right away or chill briefly. Perfect for a quick lunch salad idea that’s light, fresh, and satisfying.
Variations With More Protein
- Chickpea Tuna Salad: Add one can of drained tuna before tossing with the dressing for a high protein salad that’s filling and flavorful.
- Chickpea Egg Salad: Top with two boiled eggs, sliced or chopped, for extra protein and a creamy, satisfying finish that’s low in saturated fat.
- Greek Yogurt Power Bowl: Mix 2 tablespoons of low-fat Greek yogurt or Skyr into the tahini dressing for a protein boost and ultra-creamy plant based salad bowl.
Tips
- Use creamy tahini: Choose tahini made from 100% hulled sesame seeds with a light color and pourable consistency. Stir well before using to blend the oils and give your lemon tahini chickpea salad a smooth, rich texture.
- Adjust the consistency: If the dressing feels too thick, whisk in a splash of water.
- Let the garlic infuse: Rest the crushed garlic in the dressing for a few minutes, then remove it before serving. Avoid grating it in, as that can make the tahini salad dressing grainy and overpower the salad.
- Dry the chickpeas well: Rinse and pat them dry before adding so the dressing coats evenly for better flavor and texture.
- Chop veggies evenly: Cutting the cucumber, tomato, and lettuce into similar-sized pieces makes every bite balanced and fresh.
- Make ahead smart: If prepping in advance, keep the dressing separate until just before serving. This dressing can thicken slightly over time, so you can make a bit extra to toss in before serving your high protein vegetarian salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this meal prep salad recipe keeps well for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Store the dressing separately and toss before serving for the best texture.
You can replace tahini with Greek yogurt and a pinch of mint or dried oregano. It gives the dressing a creamy, tangy flavor that still works beautifully with the chickpeas and veggies. For an extra protein boost, you can also use Skyr, which has a thicker texture and keeps the salad satisfying while staying light and fresh.
Absolutely. Just rinse and drain them well before adding to your gluten free salad recipe to remove excess sodium and help the dressing stick better.
Gradually add more water until you reach your desired consistency. Keep in mind that the dressing gets thicker as it sits in the fridge.
Try Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, diced avocado, roasted peppers, or a sprinkle of feta for variety and extra creaminess. Even boiled eggs, tuna, and rotisserie chicken work if you are not strictly vegetarian.
More Easy Salad Recipes
- Butternut squash kale salad
- Mashed chickpea salad
- Healthy broccoli salad
- Greek lentil salad
- Apple chickpea salad with Greek yogurt dressing
- Three bean salad
- Black bean corn salad
- Greek orzo salad
If you tried this chopped chickpea salad recipe 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!
Chopped Chickpea Salad (Creamy Healthy Dressing)
Ingredients
- 1 head Romaine lettuce chopped – about 5 cups / 300 g
- 1 medium cucumber diced
- 2 vine tomatoes diced
- ½ cup parsley chopped – sub arugula
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 cans chickpeas 15 oz / 400 g each can – drained and rinsed
Dressing
- ½ cup tahini
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic crushed
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk ½ cup tahini, ½ cup water, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and ¾ teaspoon salt until smooth and creamy. Add 1 clove garlic (crushed) and let it rest for about 10 minutes, then remove the garlic. If the dressing is too thick, mix in a little more water until it’s easy to pour.
- Prep the salad: Chop 1 head Romaine lettuce, dice 1 medium cucumber and 2 vine tomatoes, finely chop ½ cup parsley, and slice 2 green onions. Drain and rinse 2 cans chickpeas, then add everything to a large bowl.
- Mix and serve: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice or salt if needed. Sprinkle with dried oregano, sumac, or za’atar, and serve fresh or lightly chilled.
Notes
- Romaine lettuce → Substitute with iceberg or baby spinach for a softer, milder base.
- Cucumber → Swap with diced zucchini or bell peppers for a similar crunch and freshness.
- Tomatoes → Use sun-dried tomatoes when fresh ones are out of season for a richer flavor.
- Parsley → Replace with cilantro, dill, or basil for a different herby note.
- Green onions → Try red onion or chives if you prefer a stronger, sharper taste.
- Chickpeas → Substitute with white beans, lentils, or edamame for a high protein twist.
- Tahini → Use Greek yogurt with a pinch of dried oregano, or try a honey mustard dressing for a new flavor.
- Garlic → Use garlic powder or roasted garlic for a softer, milder flavor.
- Use creamy tahini: Choose tahini made from 100% hulled sesame seeds with a light color and pourable consistency. Stir well to blend the oils and keep the dressing silky smooth.
- Adjust the consistency: If the dressing gets too thick, whisk in a splash of water until it’s creamy and easy to pour.
- Let the garlic infuse: Rest the crushed garlic in the dressing for a few minutes, then remove it. Avoid grating it in to keep your tahini salad dressing smooth and balanced.
- Dry the chickpeas well: Rinse and pat them dry before adding so the dressing coats evenly and the flavor sticks.
- Chop veggies evenly: Cut cucumber, tomato, and lettuce into similar-sized pieces for perfect bites every time.
- Make ahead smart: Keep the dressing separate until serving time. It can thicken in the fridge, so make a little extra to toss in before serving your high protein vegetarian salad.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We're here to share easy, healthy, and delicious recipes 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
Just found your website/blog and am sooo excited I did. I’m not a total vegetarian, but I eat pretty much what your recipes call for. I’m 78+ and overall heatlhy – due to the lifestyle of eating mostly Mediterranean recipes. After looking over some of your recipes I am planning on using your site for most of the recipes I fix from now on. I really, really am happy I stumbled onto your site!! I plan on passing your site/link to a friend who recently has gone to plant-based diet!!
Thank you Louise & Nico for providing the delicious looking recipes and the work you put into it to help people eat healthier!
Tricia, you are so kind!!
We’re just thrilled that our recipes fit your Mediterranean style and happy to help you cook. Also, thank you for referring us to your friend – and for your support. It really means a lot.
All the best from both of us.
I like the recipe. It’s really helpful for me. I’m a fully vegetarian person and I wanna be healthy and fit. I want more details about every healthy meal. I hope you write more like this type of recipe.
Thanks for the recipe. Just a note that your jump to recipe buttons don’t work, instead ads are displayed.
Hi Madeline, Thanks for flagging this!
I just checked and the Jump to Recipe button is working on our end, so this might be a caching/ad script hiccup.
Could you try a hard refresh (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+R), an incognito/private window, or another browser/device? If you use an ad blocker, pausing it for our site can help. Appreciate your feedback. Have a great Friday.
Looks delicious
Happy you like the look of it, Kathryn 🙂
Thank you so much, do you have any for no oil dressing and bowl recipes?
Hi Cynthia, good question. No we do not offer that at this point – unless you look at our broccoli salad that has a Greek yogurt dressing (not sure that that it what you’re looking for): https://theplantbasedschool.com/greek-yogurt-broccoli-salad/
All the best, Louise
Thanks for this healing and Health recipe. May God richly bless when you give nutrition recipe to His children to live better life and healthy 🙏 ❤️
Yum yum yum!! Made this for dinner tonight – SO good. Defiantly will be in my salad rotation. Thank you !
I see all your lovely recipes, and so want to make the switch to plant based lifestyle, for my health. but lots of ingredients, planning and cooking.. I’m 60+ and it just seems daunting. Can you help.
Hi R, You’ve got this.
My best tip is start small: pick 2 easy dinners a week and repeat. We have a lot of good “no-stress” options on our site: Chopped Chickpea Salad, Mediterranean Chickpea Soup, Peanut Noodles, Dense Bean Salad. Keep staples on hand (canned beans/lentils, pasta, frozen veg, olive oil, lemon, garlic, cumin/oregano). This roundup is a great way to start: https://theplantbasedschool.com/high-protein-vegetarian-meals/
All the best, Louise
Thank-you for this delicious healthy recipe. I’m vegetarian so this is a great meal 💝
Excellent salad
I’m so happy that you liked it, Irene!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating here. Kindest, Louise