You can make this Mediterranean chickpea salad in less than 15 minutes! I add a bit of feta cheese, but you can always leave it out to make this vegan. If you love chickpea salad recipes as much as I do, you might also enjoy our cauliflower chickpea salad or this smashed chickpea salad (which is great for sandwiches).
Key Ingredients
Chickpeas: For the easiest chickpea salad, use drained canned chickpeas. If you prefer cooking them from scratch, we also have this recipe for cooking chickpeas! Cucumber: I love the crunch of cucumber in this salad and use thin-skinned varieties like Hot House, English, or Persian cucumbers. For regular garden cucumbers, peel the thick skin and scoop out any large seeds. Tomato: Fresh tomatoes add color and sweetness to this salad. Use your favorite variety and chop them into bite-size pieces. Feta cheese: Briny feta cheese makes this salad so delicious, but you can substitute other cheeses like creamy goat cheese or crumbly Cojita cheese. Leave it out for a vegan chickpea salad (it’s still incredible without the cheese). Fresh dill: I use a lot of fresh dill in this salad. If you don’t have dill on hand, other tender herbs like mint, parsley, or a blend of herbs work wonders, too. Lemon dill dressing: For the dressing, I use a similar lemony vinaigrette in our couscous salad and cauliflower salad. You will combine fresh lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. It’s incredibly easy and tastes fantastic!
How to Make Chickpea Salad
Once you try this chickpea salad, you’ll want to make it again! It’s incredibly simple to make. Just toss chopped cucumber and tomatoes into a bowl with chickpeas, then crumble feta cheese over the top. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl to create the lemony dill dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss really well to coat. Then, dig in and enjoy!
Storing Chickpea Salad
Chickpea salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. However, as the salad sits, the cucumbers and tomatoes will release their juices, making the dressing more flavorful, but the cucumbers and tomatoes will soften. If you’re preparing the salad for a specific event in advance, consider making the salad without the tomatoes and cucumbers and adding them just before serving to maintain their crisp texture. I also save a bit of fresh dill.
What to Serve with Chickpea Salad
You can enjoy this salad all by itself or add some extra protein to round out the meal. Try juicy baked chicken breasts, lemon dill salmon, or garlic shrimp. I also love stuffing this salad into warm homemade pita or serving with flatbread. You can also serve it over salad greens, quinoa, or fluffy herb rice. It also is excellent on a mezze platter alongside hummus, tzatziki, pickled vegetables, and falafel. 1 medium thin-skinned cucumber, like hot house or Persian 6 small tomatoes 1 ½ ounces (42g) feta cheese 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice, 1 to 2 lemons 1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill Salt and fresh ground black pepper 2Cut the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters, then chop them into bite-sized chunks. Cut the tomatoes into small wedges and add both to the bowl with the chickpeas. Crumble the feta cheese over the top. 3Prepare the dressing in a separate medium bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, and fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. 4Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly.
