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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I’ve made a similar garbanzo bean salad for years, but add garlic and for the dressing olive oil and wine vinegar.
Same here! My eldest sister had been making this for years after finding the recipe in some home and garden type magazine back in the 70’s. It became a staple in my house as my kids all loved it. I always added a lot of minced garlic to the dish and for the dressing used lemon juice/cider vinegar/wine vinegar…whichever I had on hand (or a combination). Sometimes added a bit of dried mustard for a little zip!
Made salad today, added pitted black olives, feta cheese added great taste. Found for me dressing needed little more lemon so next time will add 1/4 tbsp more. This salad goes in the winner, winner pile. THank you you for sharing your recipe.
This has become our favorite go to salad!!
SO GOOD!!! Both my husband and son also loved this! I served this with BBQ chicken and corn and a simple green salad. Perfect for a summer lunch or dinner.
So good. Your Chickpea Salad recipe is delicious. I didn’t change a thing. Definitely something I will make again, and it would be great to bring to a covered dish get-together. Thank you for sharing this one.
Yum!!! I added chopped olives and celery and it was so good!!
I served this chickpea salad and a choice of grilled cheese or tuna salad sandwich for dinner this evening. I wanted something that wouldn’t heat up the kitchen… it’s 104 degrees here today! I will make this again but I will double the amount. I might try it with lime and cilantro instead of parsley/lemon. Regardless it’s a keeper. This is the second recipe of yours that I’ve tried this week.
Can I use dried parsley? If so, how much?
Hi Angie, if you want to use dried parsley, I’d add just about a tablespoon for color. It won’t add a ton of flavor though. If you’d like to stick with a fresh herb, you could use cilantro or mint in place of the parsley. Hope that helps!
This is exactly what I was looking for. Something that can give me all the flavors in one bite. I just threw it together and had it a taste before letting it sit in the fridge and I had a hard time not eating it all. Thank you for this recipe, it’s perfect as written.
After taste-testing this recipe, I can’t stop eating it! 😄 So easy, so delicious!