Chickpea Salad

This delicious chickpea salad combines cucumbers, kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onions, and feta cheese in a light lemon vinaigrette.  It comes together in less than ten minutes and is packed with nature’s healthy goodness. 

This salad is so easy to make and amazingly delicious! It is full of heart-healthy veggies, so its nutritional value is high. Eating chickpeas provides you with a vegetarian-friendly source of protein, with each cup of cooked garbanzo beans containing 15 grams of protein. Cucumbers, red onions, and tomatoes provide a good, healthy helping of fiber. Feta is low in calories and fat, yet high in calcium. I love to serve this with marinated grilled chicken, chicken shawarma, and lemon pepper baked cod.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Lemon juice: Please use fresh lemon juice
• Garbanzo beans: Also known as chickpeas. Garbanzo bean is the Spanish term, and chickpea is the English term.
• Bell pepper: You can use any colored bell pepper, although red and orange peppers are slightly sweeter than green bell peppers.
• Kalamata olives: These are jarred Greek olives. Make sure they are pitted.
• Feta cheese: If you do not like Feta cheese, try queso fresco or Cotija. They are mild, crumbly Mexican cheeses widely available at most grocery stores.  It will no longer be an authentic Mediterranean dish, but still delicious.
• Fresh herbs: Try parsley, mint, dill, or thyme

How To Make Chickpea Salad

This is the summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.

First, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. You can also shake the ingredients in a mason jar with a lid. Next, combine the garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cucumber, grape tomatoes, bell pepper, kalamata olives, red onions, and feta cheese.

Drizzle with lemon vinaigrette and sprinkle with parsley or other fresh herbs. Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation Tips and Storage

• Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper, as kalamata olives and feta cheese are salty.
• If you know you will reserve part of this recipe for leftovers, hold off blending the feta cheese in the reserved portion until you are ready to serve.
• Use good-quality feta cheese and the freshest vegetables (preferably organic).
• To make this salad vegan-friendly, omit the feta cheese.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipe flavor variations

• Add diced avocado for a little healthy fat. Spritz it with a little lemon to help prevent it from turning brown.
• Sprinkle on 1/4 cup shelled salted or unsalted sunflower seeds for a little boost in nutrients and vitamins.
• Add some chopped celery for a little crispy, crunchy, low-calorie vegetables.
• Serve between two slices of toasted bread or in a pita for a chickpea salad sandwich, or for a low-carb version, serve in lettuce cups. 

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