Looking for the perfect summer salad that's both satisfying and refreshing? This vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Salad combines pan-roasted seasoned chickpeas with crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, and tangy red onions—all dressed in a bright lemon vinaigrette that ties the flavors together beautifully.
Best of all, you can make it ahead and eat it all week long.
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This easy chickpea salad is the perfect summer salad recipe with many uses. It's an ideal light main dish or a substantial side when served as a vibrant salad bowl. Or spoon it into slices of na'an bread for a vegetarian sandwich.
It also travels well and can be your new favorite picnic salad or potluck dish for outdoor gatherings.
The protein-packed chickpeas ensure this Mediterranean salad is filling enough to stand on its own, while the fresh vegetables provide a perfect balance of textures and tastes.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
This list only covers ingredients that require some notes when making this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. Go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post for a complete listing of the ingredients, measurements, and directions.
- Chickpeas - I cook chickpeas from dried and store them in the refrigerator until I need them, but canned chickpeas work fine. You may find them labeled garbanzo beans, which are the same thing.
- Red bell pepper - If you prefer yellow or orange bell peppers in place of red peppers they work fine. I do not recommend using green bell peppers.
- Cucumber - Crisp cucumber adds much to the texture of the salad. I prefer English cucumbers and always remove the seeds by running a spoon down the middle to remove them. This also prevents the salad from becoming watery. Peeling the cucumber is optional.
- Fresh herbs - I use a combination of flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint. It's best to use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs, and feel free to mix it up with your favorites such as cilantro and oregano.
- Spices - For increased flavor I recommend pan-roasting the chickpeas in a combination of cardamom and allspice. Cumin is another great spice to use.
- Sherry vinegar - This gives an extra depth to the salad. If you don't normally use sherry vinegar, use red wine vinegar instead.
Ready in just minutes and packed with nutritious ingredients, this recipe will quickly become one of your favorite summer salad recipes when the temperatures rise and cooking feels like waaaay too much effort.
You will need approximately 10-15 minutes of meal prep for dicing the veggies and herbs when making this, but it goes very quickly.
🎯 Why This Recipe Works
Pan roasted chickpeas. While skipping the pan-roasting step is an option, taking a few extra minutes to toast the chickpeas with spices transforms this simple salad into something truly extraordinary.
It's the difference between a good salad and one that will have everyone asking for the recipe.
Fresh veggies and herbs. It's also very important to use fresh veggies as well as fresh herbs in raw salads like this one.
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Use canned chickpeas.
- Pan-roast the chickpeas ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Leave the cucumber unpeeled.
💡Chickpea Salad Variations
- Switch out the herbs and spices. Try other fresh herbs such as cilantro, oregano, or basil. Cumin spice works well in this recipe too.
- Amp up the umami. Add sliced kalamata olives, use homemade fire-roasted cherry tomatoes, and pickled red onions. Although this is a vegan chickpea salad recipe as written, you can also add brined feta cheese if that's not a diet you follow.
🥩 Tips for Omnivores
- Serve this salad as a side dish to lamb chops or a steak.
- Grill skirt steak or flank steak, cook to medium-rare, and slice it in strips. Add to the salad.
- Grilled shrimp and roasted salmon are good fish options with this salad.
🙋♀️ Mediterranean Chickpea Salad FAQ
Yes! The flavors only get better over time and since there aren't any greens in this salad, you don't need to worry about wilting. Make this salad on Sunday and use it for lunches or dinners through the week.
Store this chickpea salad in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
This depends on the other ingredients but a good rule of thumb is a lemon vinaigrette. Another option is yogurt dressing or combine smashed garlic, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and labneh or yogurt (pictured).
It works well as a side or main dish salad or serve it as an appetizer with toasted pieces of na'an bread.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy this salad is on top of an individual round of na'an. I can fold the na'an around the salad or toast the na'an first and eat it like an open-faced sandwich.
📇 More Chickpea Salads To Try
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20-Minute Easy Spiced Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Medium bowl
- small bowl
Ingredients
Chickpea Salad
- 1 English cucumber 2 cups when diced
- 3 medium tomatoes 3 cups when chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper 1 ½ cups when diced
- 1 small red onion 1 cup when diced
- ¼ cup flat leaf parsley coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves coarsely chopped
- 2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large garlic clove smashed and minced
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Yogurt Topping (Optional)
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt or labneh
- 1 large garlic clove smashed and minced
- lemon zest from ½ lemon
- pinch kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Prep the veggies. Slice the cucumber in half across its width and peel both halves with a vegetable peeler. Now slice them the half again lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Dice and place in a large bowl.Dice the tomatoes, red pepper, and red onion. Transfer them to the bowl with the cucumber. Coarsely chop the fresh herbs and add them to the same bowl.
- Pan-fry the chickpeas. Combine the spices in a bowl and add the chickpeas. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chickpeas and sauté until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.Allow to cool for a couple of minutes to room temperature.
- Make the dressing. While the chickpeas toast up in the skillet, whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Toss with the vegetables. Add the chickpeas to the bowl when cooled and toss.
- Optional: Make the yogurt topping. Combine the ingredients for the yogurt topping. Serve alongside the salad.
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