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This Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is the best summer chopped salad! Made with canned chickpeas, tossed with crisp cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy bell peppers and onion, creamy feta cheese, and parsley. Dressed in a zesty, bright, homemade Mediterranean dressing. Hearty enough to serve as a main meal or healthy side dish.
Chickpeas are a staple in my pantry. I always have them on hand because they make a wonderful plant-based protein and they are so versatile. You can blend them into a creamy, tasty hummus, roast them until crispy or air fry them for a quick salty, crunchy, snack!
This Mediterranean chickpea salad has become a go-to salad recipe that we love to serve with grilled chicken or salmon for a light and hearty weeknight meal. You may also love this vegan chickpea chicken salad or this Mediterranean cauliflower rice which are also very easy to make.
If you prefer the texture of chickpea flour instead then you have to check out this chickpea flour pizza. It’s amazing!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – you can make it in about 10 minutes.
- Delicious and healthy – packed with amazing Mediterranean flavors, plant-based protein, and fiber.
- Perfect for meal prep – this chickpea salad can be made ahead and stores great too!
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Ingredients
- Chickpeas – canned, low-sodium chickpeas that are a great source of protein and fiber and make a wonderful pantry staple to have on hand for quick salad recipes like this one.
- Fresh raw veggies – cucumber, bell peppers, red onion, and cherry tomatoes make this chickpea salad refreshing, crunchy and packed with nutrition.
- Feta cheese – crumbled feta cheese adds a nice salty, creamy element to this salad. I like to use the block feta and crumble it myself since it is usually free of anti-caking agents.
- Olives – briny, slaty olive adds a nice zesty flavor to this recipe.
- Herbs – fresh chopped parsley is wonderful and inexpensive and adds a nice herby flavor to this salad.
- Vinaigrette dressing – just a few simple ingredients round out this amazing homemade dressing. Extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
How to make this Mediterranean chickpea salad
You can easily make this chopped chickpea salad in only a few steps in about 10 minutes or less!
- Assemble all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix the dressing by adding all of the dressing ingredients to a jar fitted with a lid and shake well to emulsify.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
- Serve cold or at room temperature.
Expert Tips for making a chickpea salad
- You can use canned chickpeas or you can use your own, cooked chickpeas in this salad. Canned chickpeas that are organic and low-sodium are best but any will work!
- Chop the veggies in similar sizes and shapes for a nice chopped salad that you can easily toss and eat.
- Make this Mediterranean chickpea salad ahead of time – to make it ahead, assemble the salad undressed, and mix up the dressing. Store everything separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator and then dress, toss, and serve the salad when you are ready to enjoy it!
How to store this salad
This Mediterranean chickpea salad stores best undressed in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you do have leftovers then they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Just give the salad a good toss and maybe a squeeze of lemon to freshen it up a bit after it has been sitting in the fridge.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can mix up the veggies and use chopped carrots, celery, bell peppers, or green olives.
- Adding some more protein like chicken or tuna would also be delicious in this salad
- To make this salad vegan, leave out the feta cheese or use vegan soft crumbled cheese.
- Add in some chopped artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, or banana peppers.
Recommended Tools for making this recipe
- Salad bowl
- Mason jar
- Salad tongs
- Cutting board
- Kitchen knife
More healthy salads to try
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Easy Kale Salad With Lemon
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad
- Creamy Carrot Salad
Other Chickpea Recipes
I hope you enjoy this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad recipe as much as I did! If you try it out, then please leave a rating and comment below.
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10-Minute Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is the best summer chopped salad! Made with canned chickpeas, tossed with crisp cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy bell peppers, onion, creamy feta cheese, and parsley. Dressed in a zesty, bright homemade Mediterranean dressing. Hearty enough to serve as a main meal or healthy side dish.
Ingredients
For the chickpea salad
- 2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas – drained and rinsed well
- ¾ cup chopped cucumber
- ⅔ cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ⅓ cup sliced kalamata olives
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
For the dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Assemble all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a mason jar fitted with a lid and shake well to emulsify.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
- Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- Use low-sodium chickpeas and make sure to drain and rinse them before using. This will help bring out their flavor more.
- You can mix up the veggies and use chopped carrots, celery, bell peppers, or green olives.
- Adding some more protein like chicken or tuna would also be delicious in this salad
- Make it the day of or make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
- To make this salad vegan, leave out the feta cheese or use vegan soft crumbled cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Category: Quick and Easy Salads
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Simply delicious! I didn’t have olives so I used pickled banana peppers and this also gave it a good briny/saltiness. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe as this is now on my rotation for a quick, easy, lunch!
Hi Michelle, I am so glad you liked it! We love it too!
This was easy to make and was absolutely delicious. Perfect for summer.
Thank you Kelly! Glad you liked it!