This easy Chickpea Salad recipe with tomato, onions, cilantro, and white balsamic vinaigrette is a delightful melange of fresh ingredients and vibrant flavors you can whip up in 10 minutes or less-depending upon how fast your chop 🙂 Enjoy it as a complete meal or simple side dish.
Inspiration for this 5-Ingredient Chickpea Salad
Dietitian confession time. I’ve been eating out (or ordering in) three out of the past four nights. Last week I was pretty good about meal planning, but this week I’ve been playing catch up with work and household chores after back-to-back trips to Sayulita and Europe (France and Amsterdam). Check out my Instagram reel for highlights from our trip to Europe!
Mr. Spicy and I had an amazing time, but now it’s back to reality and getting my meal planning cooking mojo back. If you have any suggestions for me, let me know!
I found a little mojo last night and made a super duper easy home-cooked meal- this simple chickpea salad, aka garbanzo bean salad, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Gourmet, it’s not, but delicious it is! Did I mention how gosh darn easy it is???
Chickpea Salad Ingredients
Chances are you have many of the simple ingredients on hand to make this chickpea salad. If not, I share lots of delicious ingredient swaps below.
- Chickpeas. I try to keep my pantry stocked with jarred or canned chickpeas. I used a 13-ounce jar of rinsed and drained Jovial chickpeas for this salad.
- Tomatoes. I used grape tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes or any variety of sweet homegrown tomatoes (I’ve harvested five from my Lettuce Grow vertical garden so far this summer) would be delicious in this vegan chickpea salad.
- Onion. Choose sweet Vidalia or Maui onions. Or, red onion is tasty too and adds a pretty pop of color!
- Plenty of Fresh Herbs. I used lots of chopped fresh cilantro. Feel free to swap with fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh dill, or any other leafy herbs. (Related post: Cooking with Fresh Herbs 20 Delicious Ways)
- Dressing. I kept it super simple and topped off my chickpea salad with my Easy Homemade Vinaigrette (extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper) plus Dijon mustard. Lemon vinaigrette made with fresh lemon juice and red wine vinegar would be tasty too!
Ingredient Swaps & Additions
- Chopped green, orange, yellow, or red pepper.
- English or Persian cucumbers.
- Chopped green onion.
- Chopped leafy greens.
- Crunchy celery.
- Any other chopped fresh vegetables you have on hand.
- Kalamata olives.
- Creamy avocado.
- Feta cheese or goat cheese.
- Other legumes like black beans, lentils, and cannellini beans.
How to Make Chickpea Salad
- Chop and or slice your vegetables and fresh herbs.
- Open, rinse, and drain a jar or can of chickpeas.
- Make your dressing in a mason jar or measuring cup.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss well before serving.
Make Ahead Tips & Serving Suggestions
Chickpea salad is a great recipe to make ahead of time. Indeed, it tastes even better the next day as the ingredients soak up the dressing. Store your leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. And, if you use avocado, add it before serving so it doesn’t brown.
As I mentioned above, my husband and I enjoyed our chickpea salad with grilled cheese sandwiches for an easy dinner. And today, I enjoyed leftovers on top of Greek yogurt for an easy, protein-packed lunch. Yum!
Some other ideas for serving
- Serve on top of gluten-free bread for an open-face chickpea salad sandwich.
- Add feta cheese, kalamata olives, and crispy cucumbers for a yummy Greek Chickpea Salad.
- Serve as a dip with gluten-free crackers for a tasty appetizer.
- Add tuna to make Chickpea Tuna Salad.
- Pour on top of gluten-free pasta in place of pasta sauce.
- Serve as a side dish with pan-seared salmon, roast chicken, steak, roast pork, or easy roast turkey breast.
Is Chickpea Salad Healthy?
It doesn’t get much healthier than fresh produce, healthy fats, prebiotic-rich chickpeas, and fresh herbs to make a healthy meal! One side dish serving of Chickpea Salad provides ~ 340 calories, 10 grams of plant-based protein, and 8 grams of fiber. Plus, it’s low in saturated fat and rich in heart and brain-healthy monounsaturated fats. So, go ahead and dig in! Again and again and again!!!
Easiest Ever Chickpea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Chickpea Salad
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, ~13-14 ounce jar or can, rinsed and drained.
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- optional ingredients, see recipe notes
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Combine oil, vinegar, and mustard in a mason jar and shake well to combine, or whisk ingredients together in a glass bowl or liquid measuring cup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Make the chickpea salad
- Rinse and drain chickpeas. Add to a large mixing or serving bowl.
- Slice tomatoes, finely chop onion, and chop cilantro. Add to chickpeas.
- Pour dressing on top of salad ingredients and stir well to combine.
Notes
- Chopped green, orange, yellow, or red pepper.
- English or Persian cucumbers.
- Chopped green onion.
- Chopped leafy greens.
- Crunchy celery.
- Any other chopped fresh vegetables you have on hand.
- Kalamata olives.
- Creamy avocado.
- Feta cheese or goat cheese.
- Other legumes like black beans, lentils, and cannellini beans.
- Serve on top of gluten-free bread for an open-face chickpea salad sandwich.
- Add feta cheese, kalamata olives, and crispy cucumbers for a yummy Greek Chickpea Salad.
- Serve as a dip with gluten-free crackers for a tasty appetizer.
- Add tuna to make Chickpea Tuna Salad.
- Pour on top of gluten-free pasta in place of pasta sauce.
- Serve as a side dish with pan-seared salmon, roast chicken, steak, roast pork, or easy roast turkey breast.
- Serve on top of Greek yogurt for a savory yogurt parfait.
- Enjoy with a grilled cheese sandwich or quesadilla.
Nutrition
Craving More Healthy Salad Recipes?
Here are a few of my favorite healthy salad recipes. Enjoy!
Let’s Chat! Are you a fan of chickpeas? Anything else you would add to this Chickpea Salad?
Did you make this recipe?
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