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 u0026 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
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup finely diced red onion, from 1 small red onion
- 2 (15.5-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.
Notes
- Different brands of chickpeas contain different levels of salt, so if using a different brand than the one specified, add salt to taste.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The salad can be made and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 2 days ahead of time.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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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Super simple to prepare and full of flavor. I usually follow a recipe the first time I make it and then ad-lib it from then on- mostly because I’m not a strict measurer, I get lazy and once I know the ingredients (except for baking!) I can usually make it taste the way I like. Last night I made this, but, completely forgot about the oil, added loads of parsley and onion, only had lime- so threw in a bunch of lime juice. It was close to Jenn’s- a bit different but delicious. I love that most of her recipes are forgiving and most seem adaptable to ingredients you have on hand.
This was indeed simple – and used ‘on hand’ groceries.
Now during the spring and summer of 2020 I have gained on Ms Segal‘s potatoes au gratin and I’m now “flattening the curve“ with these clean garbanzo beans!
LOL – glad you enjoyed!
WE LOVE THIS!!
My husband & I love love love this recipe. It is ridiculously easy to make & we’ve made this, maybe 10 or more times, since discovering earlier this year.
It makes a great & healthy addition to my husband’s lunches & re requests it often!
Just curious… is there a reason why you specify using both vegetable oil and olive oil? Your recipes are great… thank you!
Hi Katherine, Glad you like the recipes! I use both olive and vegetable oil because the flavor of olive oil can be pretty strong. Hope that clarifies!
Wonderful!
I made this recipe and shared some of the salad with a friend. It’s truly a great recipe and so easy to make. The marinated red onion is a must!
Instead of using 2 types of oil why not just try avocado oil
I use both olive and vegetable oil because the flavor of olive oil can be pretty strong. If you’d like to swap out both of those for avocado oil, feel free. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn, would this work with a yellow onion?
Red onions have a slightly more mild flavor than yellow, but yellow will work here. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, does this chickpea and red onion salad really have 488 calories per serving? or did I read that wrong? Judith
Yes, Judith, that’s correct (I just double-checked it). I believe that the 6 tablespoons of oil boost the calories in this one.
Add sour cream, garlic salt and dill and you’ve got a winner here!
This is a great salad as is but a bit high on the calorie count for a side dish. To lighten it up I like to substitute a can of water packed tuna (my favorite is Tonino) for one of the cans of chick peas…and the serve over a bed of arugula or watercress. I also cut the oil…to. 1T…adjust vinegar and lemon juice to 2 to 3 T in total….the great flavor remains and the dish is much lighter. I sometimes add a tablespoon or two of capers as well…and substitute the caper juice for the lemon juice.
It makes a great and very quick light lunch or dinner….served with a couple of breadsticks.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s simple and very tasty. I didnt have parsley so I added some dried dill instead. We enjoyed it as an accompaniment with baked fish and couscous.