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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. Canned chickpeas keep the prep simple, and a quick soak takes the sharp edge off the red onion. There’s no cooking involved—just a little chopping and tossing. I like that it’s made with ingredients I usually have around, so it doesn’t take much planning to pull together.
“I’d estimate I make this twice a week and my family inhales it! I substitute whatever fresh herbs I have and sometimes add diced bell peppers.”
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. Salt levels vary by brand, so taste before adding the full amount of salt if you’re using a different brand.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Adds rich, fruity flavor.
- Vegetable Oil: Keeps the dressing mild so the olive oil doesn’t overpower the lemon and parsley.
- 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
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.)
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.
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.
Make-Ahead & Storage
This chickpea salad is handy to have waiting in the fridge, whether you’re packing lunch or getting ahead on dinner. Make it up to 2 days in advance and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Give it a good toss before serving to redistribute the dressing, then taste again—it may need a little more lemon juice, salt, or pepper.
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
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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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:
- Mix in halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, or bell peppers for extra crunch and color.
- Stir in a spoonful of capers or chopped olives if you like a briny kick.
- Toss it with baby arugula or spinach before serving for a more substantial, leafy salad.
- Add crumbled feta or goat cheese for a salty, creamy touch.
What To Serve With Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
For an easy dinner off the grill, serve this salad with flank steak or grilled shrimp skewers. Add a summery dessert like key lime pie or a berry trifle, and you’ve got a beautiful warm-weather meal to sit down to.
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Made this salad 2 days before planning to serve it to company. Must say not only easy & quick, but fantastic. Also very forgiving. followed the recipe with the a few additions and changes, used only olive oil, added more lemon juice & replaced the parsley with chopped cilantro. The left overs were awesome as well. Thank you for a great recipe.
Simple but delicious! I make this and the bulgur salad on Sundays for lunches during the week. Both keep beautifully in the fridge.
So simple, yet so tasty! And love the tip about soaking the onions for a bit. Thanks.
This was really good!!!! I added a can of wild planet tuna and some celery and it was really really good!
I was just about to post the same! Delish!
This recipe is on my phone. Even though there are few ingredients, I often make sure I have the ingredients when I’m dragging and I don’t want to cook at home.
The only adjustment is that if I plan to eat it over a couple of days, old style curly parsley will hold up perfectly.
This was absolutely delicious! Completely unexpected flavours and textures. I’m Canadian, so chick pea can sizes are totally different. To compensate, I added some herb infused EVOO and some freshly ground salt. I served it with #Onceuponachef Naan bread and Greek yogurt. Incredible! Thank you!
I thought this recipe was just very tasty, I did reduce the oil quantity to two tablespoons of each oil instead of three. I may cut down to one each next time. I did not soak the onions but I love the flavor of red onions, I may have even added extra than what the recipe called for. I followed the rest of the seasoning quantities and although others complained of needing more seasoning, I felt this was perfect and not overwhelming. Would be great alone or as a side dish.
I LOVE this! Love it on its own, over greens or added to your ratatouille!
Hi, Jenn!
I am currently out of red onions, could I substitute shallots instead? If so, would the proportions still be the same, or would I need to reduce the amount?
Thank you!
Bethany
Can I use cilantro instead of parsley?
Sure, Debbi — it will lend a slightly different flavor but will still be delicious!