Simple Chickpea Salad With Greek Vinaigrette

This simple chickpea salad is flavorful, protein-rich, and easy to make. It’s light and refreshing, and it hits the spot on a hot summer day!

Chickpeas are an affordable and healthy pantry staple, and they’re also incredibly versatile. This simple chickpea salad is ready in minutes using just one can of chicken peas and a few other ingredients. Enjoy it on its own or as a side dish, or pack it into meal-size containers for simple meal prep lunches.

You should always have a can or two of chickpeas in your panty. They’re affordable, work well in various dishes, and maintain their texture, making them the perfect choice for a salad like this. With summer right around the corner, this will be a hit at outdoor BBQs and gatherings. Since it is dairy-free, it will hold up in higher temperatures a little longer than something mayonnaise or yogurt-based.

What Are Chickpeas

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are part of the plant family of legumes called Fabaceae. They’re actually beans, which is confusing since the word “pea” is in the name. They’re incredibly nutritious and an excellent protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals source. Protein and fiber both help with weight control. In fact, adding protein to my diet is one of the things that finally helped me lose and maintain my menopause weight.

Both dried and canned chickpeas are low on the glycemic index and have low glycemic load, so they digest slowly, helping to prevent blood sugar spikes. However, they contain carbohydrates, so I always try to incorporate extra fiber and protein to help stabilize my blood sugar.

Another thing that’s helping me maintain my menopause weight is adding volume to my meals with low-calorie veggies like onions, peppers, cucumbers, and greens. The salad is a great example of a high-volume, high-protein, lower-calorie meal. It makes a huge portion, but the recipe has only one can of chickpeas.

Simple Chickpea Salad

Why We Love It

• From start to finish, you can have this ready to enjoy in 15 minutes.
• This salad lasts about three days in the fridge, making it perfect for meal prep.
• It’s easily customizable with your favorite veggies and herbs.
• Chickpeas are nutritious and an excellent source of plant-based protein and fiber.
• This meal is gluten-free, dairy-free, Whole30, and vegetarian.
• When you have healthy meals ready to go, you make better choices!

Ingredients You’ll Need For Chickpea Salad

This simple chickpea salad requires only a can of chicken peas, fresh veggies, and a simple vinaigrette!

• Chickpeas. To make this easier, I used canned chickpeas. If you prefer dried, directions are below.
• English cucumbers. They add a refreshing crunch. I prefer to leave the skin on.
• Yellow bell pepper. For sweetness and crunch.
• Sun-dried tomatoes. Give the salad a delicious sweet-tart flavor and some chewiness.
• Capers. AKA little salt bombs of joy, add a pop of briny, salty deliciousness.
• Scallions. Add a pop of freshness and crunch with a mild onion flavor.
• Italian parsley. Fresh herbs brighten up the salad and add depth.
• Red wine vinaigrette. A zippy dressing with smoked paprika and Aleppo pepper brings the whole salad together. A touch of Dijon gives the dressing some viscosity, allowing it to coat the chickpeas better.

Cooking Dried Chickpeas

1. Add a bag of dried chickpeas to a large bowl along with a teaspoon of salt.
2. Cover with water, and let them soak in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight.
3. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them well.
4. Add the chickpeas to a large pot with enough water to cover them.
5. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and gently simmer for one and a half to two hours.
6. The beans are done when they tender all the way through without being mushy. If they still feel a little firm in the middle, cook them a little longer.

1. Add your chickpeas to a large pot.
2. Cover them with water and add a teaspoon of salt.
3. Bring it to a boil, turn the heat off, and cover the pot.
4. Soak for one hour, drain and rinse well, and cook as instructed above.

Recommended Ingredients
Extra Virgin Olive Oil	Smoked Paprika	Organic Chick Peas

How To Make Simple Chickpea Salad

Prepping the veggies is the most time-consuming part. From start to finish, you can have this on the table in about 15 minutes!

1. Mix the dressing first in the bottom of a bowl big enough to hold the salad.
2. Wash and prep the veggies, adding them to the dressing as you go.
3. Drain and rinse the chickpeas well, and add them to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Gently toss the coat of all of the ingredients, give it a taste, and adjust the salt pepper.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve alongside any cooked protein as a side dish.
• Wrap it up in a tortilla or stuff it into warm pita bread.
• Serve over a bed of greens with grilled chicken or shrimp.
• Add it to a platter alongside hummus, Kalamata olives, good quality feta cheese, and fresh pita.

Recommended Equipment
Glass Mixing Bowl with Lid	Vegetable Chopper	Stainless Steel Colander

Chickpea Salad Variations

• To pump up the protein, add canned tuna to the salad. Tofu works well here, too.
• For a creamy salad, add a little Greek yogurt to the dressing.
• Load it up with olives, bell pepper, celery, red onion – whatever you like!
• I LOVE adding chopped purple cabbage for a ton of crunch and color.
• As written, this is a vegan recipe, but I highly recommend adding crumbled feta.
• Jazz it up with fresh herbs. A generous amount of dill and parsley would be delicious!
• Don’t like chickpeas? Cannellini beans, beans, or kidney beans will all work.
• Love fresh garlic? Using a microplane, grate a small clove or two into the dressing.
• Avocado will also add creaminess, along with healthy fats and fiber. Remember that avocado turns brown quickly, so I recommend adding it just before serving.

Helpful Tips

• Rinse the chickpeas well, as the brine they come in can be pretty salty.
• Pack the recipe into meal prep containers for healthy meals throughout the week.
• A simple recipe like this chickpea salad benefits from good-quality olive oil!
• I prefer English or Persian cucumbers because they have thinner skins and fewer seeds. If making this for meal prep, remember that the cucumber’s texture will go downhill after two or three days.

Storage

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. As mentioned above, the cucumber will start to lose its texture after two days, but I ate the rest on day three and thought it was fine.

How To Make This Budget-Friendly

• Stock up on canned chickpeas when they’re on sale.
• Use dried chickpeas instead of canned. Instructions for how to cook them are in the post above.
• You get a lot of mileage out of pantry staples, and this recipe uses ingredients that most of us already have on hand. If you don’t already have a well-stocked pantry, I recommend prioritizing it.

Serve This With 

• 10-Minute Tangy Tomato Dressing Recipe
• Foolproof Butter & Lemon Baked Rice Recipe
• Easy Oven Roasted Broccoli Recipe
• Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe | Plus 25 Ways To Use It

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Simple Chickpea Salad With Greek Vinaigrette

This simple chickpea salad recipe is full of flavor, filling, and can be made in about 15 minutes. It's light, refreshing, and hits the spot on a hot summer day!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Equipment

• Good Olive Oil
• Smoked Paprika
• Aleppo Pepper
• Organic Chickpeas
• Stainless Steel Colander
• Glass Mixing Bowl
• Vegetable Chopper

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

• 1 15.5 ounce can of chickpeas
• 1/2 cup English cucumber, diced
• 1/4 cup yellow pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• 1 tbsp capers, drained

Viniagrette Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp Monkfruit sweetener
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

• In aalrge bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients. Whisk to combine.
• Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl.
• Gently toss the coat of all of the ingredients.
• Taste, and adjust the salt pepper.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. As mentioned above, the cucumber will start to lose its texture after two days, but I ate the rest on day three and thought it was fine.

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