Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
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Light, fresh, and ready in minutes, this marinated chickpea salad is the kind of no-fuss dish you’ll turn to all year long—perfect on its own or as a side to anything off the grill.
This Mediterranean chickpea salad is inspired by the kind you find at classic Greek diners—simple, lemony, and full of flavor. I first had a version at a diner off the Long Island Expressway while visiting my husband’s family on Long Island, and I’ve been making it ever since.
It’s easy, endlessly versatile, and perfect for picnics, potlucks, or as a protein-packed side with grilled chicken, flank steak, cedar plank salmon, or sandwiches. You can even add crumbled feta if you want to bulk it up.
“I’d estimate I make this twice a week & my family inhales it! I substitute whatever fresh herbs I have and sometimes add diced bell peppers. Thanks Jenn!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chickpea Salad
- Red Onion: Adds sharpness, crunch, and color.
- Canned Chickpeas: Also known as garbanzo beans—hearty, creamy, and packed with fiber and protein. Bush’s and Goya are both reliable options with consistent texture and flavor.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Adds rich, fruity flavor.
- Vegetable Oil: Blended with the olive oil for a lighter, more neutral flavor. Combining olive oil with vegetable oil tones down the bold flavor of the olive oil, giving the dressing a more balanced taste that lets the other ingredients shine.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens everything up with a pop of citrus.
- Fresh Parsley: Brings freshness and color that ties the whole salad together.
- Salt, Black Pepper & Sugar: Just the right mix of seasoning to bring out the flavors and balance the acidity in the dressing.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to make Chickpea Salad
Step 1: Soak the onion. Place the diced onion in a small bowl. Cover with cold water and let sit for 10 minutes, then drain. This tones down the sharpness of the raw onion. (If you love raw onion, you can skip this step—but for a more balanced flavor, soaking is worth it.)
Step 2: Combine the ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the drained onion with the chickpeas, olive oil, vegetable oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt, pepper, and sugar.
Step 3: Toss and season. Toss well, then taste and adjust the seasoning with more lemon juice, salt, or pepper if needed. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Toss again just before serving and adjust seasoning if necessary. The salad keeps nicely in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Chickpea Salad Variations
This chickpea salad is super-flexible—feel free to tweak it based on what you have on hand or what you’re in the mood for. A few easy ways to change it up:
- Stir in a spoonful of capers or chopped olives if you like a briny kick.
- Toss it with baby arugula or spinach for a more substantial, leafy salad.
- Add crumbled feta or goat cheese for a salty, creamy touch.
- Mix in halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, or bell peppers for extra crunch and color.
More Protein-Packed Salad Recipes You May Like
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Zesty, herby, and super satisfying, this chickpea salad is a simple way to round out any meal.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup finely diced red onion, from 1 small red onion
- 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas (preferably Bush's or Goya), drained and rinsed (see note)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Place the diced onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain. (This step tames the bite of the raw onion.)
- Combine the onions with the remaining ingredients and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning with more lemon, salt, and pepper, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss well before serving and adjust seasoning again, if necessary.
- Make-Ahead: The salad can be made and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 2 days ahead of time.
- Note: Different brands of chickpeas contain different levels of salt, so if using a different brand than the one specified, add salt to taste.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 379
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Sodium: 599 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Oh boy, how EASY is THIS!!! I had bought a small container of the same at my local deli, I think it was almost $9 and I could have eaten it all myself in one go!! So after checking your site and finding this, I made about 4x that amount at minimal cost. This will be in my fridge all summer. I love it. It’s fresh, tasty and I can make it more zesty or add different flavours. Wonderful recipe, Jenn!
If you are a chickpea lover, this salad is SO GOOD for how easy it is. Feels like cheating. I will be making it often. HOWEVER- I’ve made this twice now. The first time I followed the recipe to the letter and it was wayyyy too oily for me. I didn’t like how the oil just pooled in the bottom of the bowl. I think the key is to add oil and lemon to your liking. I think the vegetable oil is entirely unnecessary. I just do the olive oil (well the second time I just drizzled about the amount). I also did a little less onion. I felt like the flavors balanced much better. But I suppose if you don’t like olive oil then vegetable would be good to balance?
I agree, too much oil, and the vegetable oil isn’t necessary in my opinion. I only used one can of chickpeas so I cut the oils by half, but it was still way too much oil for my taste preferences. I ended up adding some baby spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, and grape tomatoes in an effort to soak up some of the oil. I felt the oil overpowered everything else so I added minced garlic and other herbs and spices to enhance the flavor. Some reviewers suggested adding red wine vinegar, so if I make this salad again, maybe I’ll try that.
I have made and loved this salad in the past, and am making a shopping list now for family visits next week – and got to wondering if you (or anyone else) have subbed fresh dill for the parsley, and what you thought. I like the parsley when it’s very finely minced, for textural reasons. Thanks for your opinion.
Judy, so glad you like it! I haven’t made this with dill, but think it would be delicious. Also, a few readers have commented that they have, and have been happy with the results. Enjoy the time with your family!
I made this, but with some additions to make it more of a meal by itself than just a side dish. I thought it was boring with just onions and chickpeas, so I diced up some celery and quartered some small grape tomatoes. Then I decided to throw in a can of tuna, and a couple of splashes of red wine vinegar. If I’d had some olives, I would have thrown a few of those in as well. Maybe next time.
Ended up quite tasty, and made a great lunch with a slice of sourdough bread ( I was out of pita or would have had one of those instead. Pita are great for sopping up juices, like in this salad.)
I’ll make this again — it’s healthy and wholesome, and best of all, tastes great. But only gets 4 stars because I had to doctor it so much.
I just made this as an impromptu lunch and it was absolutely delicious and so satisfying! I halved the recipe and only used 2 Tbsp of olive oil and it was perfect! Wish I hadn’t been sleeping on this recipe from you Jenn!
Was looking for an alternative to “regular” veggies to serve as a side dish for chicken. Tried this, and it was loved by all – so glad I tried!
This is just delicious and an interesting way to serve chickpeas as a side dish. My parsley was looking a litlle limp so I used fresh basil and loved it.
Delicious! Got rave reviews from my family!
This is such a lovely simple chickpea salad, which I make very frequently. My adult daughters love it, so there are seldom leftovers.
Thank you for this recipe.
Oh my word, this was good!
I was charged with bringing a salad for Christmas dinner this year. And it had to be GF, DF, & low sugar. I asked a friend who follows a vegan diet and she recommended this recipe. Not something I would have chosen on my own, and we were super pleased she recommended it!
Only change I made was using Heinz apple cider vinegar** in place of the veggie oil (as that was what I had on hand). Gave it a very very slight apple cider taste that melded perfectly with the other ingredients. This is why 4 stars and not 5.
**NOTE: If anyone reads this substitute I used, on/regular apple cider vinegar (ACV) meets the GF requirement. Apple cider FLAVORED vinegar is NOT GF!
Acv is gluten free. Also, just to be clear, you gave this recipe a 4 star instead of a 5 star because of a change you made even though it was really good? Just want to know if it tastes better with acv or oil?