Chickpea Salad Recipe

I like big, bold and healthy salads. The Easy Barley Salad, Quick Orzo Pasta Salad, and Black Bean and Corn Salad are my other favorite salads that are hearty.

Text overlay image for chickpea salad with healthy vegetables.

Ready in 15 minutes, this easy Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is topped with fresh vegetables and a delicious lemon cumin drizzle. Another “simple ingredients – big flavors” recipe from ProfusionCurry Kitchen.

As written, this recipe is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and packed with clean-eating ingredients. Additionally, it is also

Quick preparation
Potluck’s favorite
easy and delicious
family favorite
A close-up view of colorful vegetables and cooked chickpeas tossed together in a delicious lemon dressing.

Make Salad

This salad is perfect for preparing meals. It stays fresh and crunchy for a long time. Take it with you as an easy weeknight lunch for work or school.

It also makes a great side dish to serve with dinner. Serve alongside grilled entrees such as Miso Glazed Vegetables or Grilled Portobello Mushrooms for that perfect summer al fresco dinner experience.

Make it ahead of time for a party or picnic. It’s a crowd-pleasing salad that disappears in minutes. Since it does not contain milk, cream or cheese, it can stay outside for several hours at room temperature.

A hand holding a bowl of delicious bean salad.

Cheap Materials

This is a budget-friendly, inexpensive salad full of gourmet vibes. And it’s very easy to do yourself.

This colorful salad is oozing with fresh vibes. I’m sure everyone – carnivores and vegetarians alike will love it.

Use and toss any vegetables you may have in your fridge. We’re just taking the green salad for a ride and versatility.

Do you like chickpeas?

Do you love chickpeas as much as I do? Aren’t they the BEST? I love them in various ways. Crispy Chickpeas with Masala Chai is my favorite afternoon snack. I love the scrumptious Indian Chole – Chickpea Curry and Chickpea Orzo Soup for a classic comfort food.

Healthy Salad

Chickpeas, or chickpeas, are packed with plant protein and fiber that add hearty healthiness to any meal. They are powerful superfoods.

Then there’s all the fresh raw veggies—just so you know there’s loads of vitamins and minerals in every bite.

This simple chickpea salad is packed with nutrients, low in fat, high in protein and fiber, and is an incredibly delicious complete meal!

Fresh and delicious chickpea salad can be served both at room temperature and chilled – it tastes great either way. Need to serve chickpea salad to the crowd? You can easily double it to triple the recipe as needed.

Crispy cool veggies mixed with cooked garbanzo beans to make an easy salad.

Contents:

Cooked Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans: You can use canned chickpeas brought from the store. Rinse and drain thoroughly before use. You can also cook dried beans from scratch in an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot. I like to make a big batch and freeze it in small portions for easy use. See the recipe notes on how to cook chickpeas in the Instant Pot.

Vegetables: I use tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions. I cut them into equal bite-sized pieces. You can use your favorite vegetables. Artichoke hearts, broccoli and cauliflower florets, zucchini, green beans, colorful sweet peppers, and asparagus are also good choices.

Herbs: Freshly chopped cilantro adds fresh flavors. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, feel free to use parsley, mint, or thyme.

Seasoning: All you need is fresh lemon juice and ground roasted cumin. Cumin and chickpeas is a classic middle eastern flavor combination. Salt, pepper and paprika round out the flavors. You can use Cajun, Italian, Greek, or other spice blends such as chili lemon spice.

Ingredients used in making this healthy salad recipe.

How to Make Chickpea Salad?

Put the boiled chickpeas and vegetables in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with ground cumin, salt, freshly ground black pepper and paprika. Drizzle lemon juice over it. Mix everything well. Let sit for 10-15 minutes so the flavors settle well. Then serve and enjoy!

Since it does not contain any dairy products, this salad keeps its freshness for 4-5 hours outside the refrigerator at room temperature. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I would not recommend freezing the salads.

Process shot of simply mixed salad, sitting and resting before serving.

A note about the vegetables used:

I like to use heirloom tomatoes, but other types like Roman, jolly or grape tomatoes work just as well. Discard the seeds and drain the excess water so the salad is not watery.

You can use regular garden cucumbers, English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers. They all have subtle differences in taste and texture. Especially if you think the skin of garden cucumbers is quite hard, peel them before dicing them.

Red onions are my favorite in salads. You can also use sweet Vidalia onions or white ones. If you think the flavors are overpowering, soak them in cold water for 10 minutes, strain and pat dry on a paper towel, then use.

How to Cook Chickpeas in an Instant Pot

Add the chickpeas to the Instant Pot and cover with just enough water to submerge. 1 cup of soaked chickpeas requires 2 cups of water. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Try 12-13 minutes if you like to bite hard and 18-20 minutes for super soft velvety texture. If using soaked chickpeas, choose on the bean setting. (preset to 30 minutes)

Dried chickpeas cooked in Instant Pot.

Is this salad gluten free?
Yes it is. All listed ingredients are suitable for the gluten-free diet.

Is this salad Vegan?
Yes it is. It’s also egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free.

Is this salad WFPB suitable?

This plant-based salad doesn’t use any oil. SO is suitable for WFPB diet selection.

Contents

2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 cups cucumber – chopped
1 cup fresh tomatoes – seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt, freshly ground black pepper and paprika – to taste

Instructions

Put the boiled chickpeas and chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with ground cumin, salt, freshly ground black pepper and paprika. Drizzle lemon juice over it. Mix everything well. Let sit for 10-15 minutes so the flavors settle well. Then serve and enjoy!

Since it does not contain any dairy products, this salad keeps its freshness for 4-5 hours outside the refrigerator at room temperature. You can store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. I would not recommend freezing the salads.

Notes

How to Cook Chickpeas in an Instant Pot

Add the chickpeas to the Instant Pot and cover with just enough water to submerge. 1 cup of soaked chickpeas requires 2 cups of water. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Try 12-13 minutes if you like to bite hard and 18-20 minutes for super soft velvety texture. If using soaked chickpeas, choose on the bean setting. (preset to 30 minutes)