Healthy Greek Chickpea Salad
This healthy Greek-inspired chickpea salad is packed with fresh flavor, made with nutritious ingredients and super easy to prepare. It’s a delicious mix of tomato, cucumber, olives, red onion, chickpeas and feta cheese, all tossed in a Mediterranean style vinaigrette. Serve this chickpea salad at your next cookout, potluck or picnic!
This easy chickpea salad recipe makes the perfect side dish for burgers or steaks or turn it into a complete meal by adding in grilled chicken breasts!
I absolutely love this chickpea salad! It’s definitely my go-to side dish all summer long. I find it’s truly one of those salads that everyone enjoys. If there are any ingredients you’re not fond of, simply leave them out. And if you’d like, add some chopped grilled chicken to make this salad even more hearty. Or keep it vegetarian and add quinoa or bowtie pasta.
Whether you’re cooking for yourself or your family or need a dish for a get together, this colorful, delicious salad will do the trick!
Ingredients in Chickpea Salad:
The ingredients I choose for this salad are ones I often associate with Greek cuisine, like red onion, tomato and feta. With this type of salad recipe, just think of the ingredient list as a guide. Feel free to use as much or as little of the suggested ingredients, and if you don’t like one or more of them, you can leave it out or swap it for something else.
- Red onion. Red onions are great for salads because they have a beautiful color and a more mild, sweet flavor than other onion varieties.
- Chickpeas. Chickpeas are the same as garbanzo beans and can be used interchangeably in this recipe. You can use them straight out of the can, no cooking required.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes. I love tomatoes and they’re especially delicious in the summer time! Depending on the size, cut these in half or quarter them. You can also use chopped Roma tomatoes – I’ve done it many times.
- Cucumber. Diced cucumber makes an amazing addition to this chickpea salad. Cucumber is light, refreshing and has that perfect crunch.
- Olives. I feel like some type of olive is necessary in a Greek salad. I personally prefer black olives, so that’s what I used, but feel free to use Kalamata if those are your preference.
- Bell pepper. Diced bell pepper adds a sweet, colorful crunch to every bite. The recipe calls for fresh red pepper, but you can use roasted red pepper from a jar, if that’s what you have on hand.
- Feta cheese. Another must in a Greek salad has got to be crumbled feta cheese. If you want to make this salad vegan, you can omit the feta.
Easy Vinaigrette Recipe:
The vinaigrette is a simple mix of olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon and seasonings, and can be tossed together in minutes. If you have a bottle of store-bought bottled Greek vinaigrette that you like, you can use a cup of that instead.
How Do You Make Chickpea Salad?
Salads like this one are so easy to toss together. The most time consuming part about making this salad is cutting up all the vegetables.
Start the recipe by combining all of the vinaigrette ingredients. You can whisk them in a small bowl or, if you have a jar with a tight-fitting lid, add the ingredients to the jar, screw on the lid and shake the jar vigorously to fully mix the ingredients.
Now, dice and chop up all of the veggies and drain the canned ingredients. Add all prepared ingredients to a large serving bowl.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad ingredients and toss well until all ingredients are well coated in the vinaigrette.
So fresh and flavorful!! And the best part is that it takes minutes to throw together and lasts several days. I like it best once it’s sat in the fridge for a bit so all the flavors can marry, but it’s not anything close to terrible if you want to eat it right away.
Tips For The Perfect Salad:
- Make ahead! This salad can be made several hours before you plan to serve it.
- The vinaigrette for this salad can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to make your salad.
- I prefer to buy a block of feta cheese and crumble it myself. I find that the block feta has more flavor than the tubs of pre-crumbled cheese.
- Since feta is quite salty itself, start with less salt when you add the seasonings. You can always add more!
Make It Your Own!
This salad is delicious as-is, but you can absolutely add other ingredients to the mix to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Protein: Make it a meal by serving chickpea salad alongside cooked chicken, fish, shrimp or smoked sausage.
- Beans: You can use a blend of different types for beans for added flavor and texture. Some great choices include kidney beans or Great Northern beans.
- Veggies: Feel free to add other vegetables such as marinated artichoke hearts, grilled zucchini or corn.
- Dressing: The homemade vinaigrette is super easy to mix up and adds the perfect tang, but feel free to swap it out with 1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite bottled Greek vinaigrette.
- Vegan chickpea salad: This salad can easily be made dairy-free and vegan by omitting the feta cheese.
How To Serve Chickpea Salad
- Right out of the bowl. The chickpeas and all of the veggies make this salad plenty filling for a light meal. You could also add diced grilled chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken for a little more oomph.
- With fresh greens. If you wanted to up the veggies even more, you could toss this chickpea salad with fresh greens, then add on a bit of extra vinaigrette to create a green salad.
- As a side dish. The way I usually serve this salad is as a side dish to grilled meats, burgers or sandwiches.
What Goes With Chickpea Salad?
- Chicken. This salad pairs wonderfully with this grilled chicken breast.
- Fish. Serve this salad with Pan-Fried Salmon or Parmesan Baked Cod for a healthy, light meal.
- Burgers. A turkey burger, salmon avocado burger or black bean veggie burger would all be tasty with this salad.
- Pizza. Chickpea salad is the perfect addition to pizza night!
Make Ahead + Storage Recommendations
- Make ahead. This salad is great to make several hours in advance of serving it because it gets tastier over time. You can also mix the vinaigrette together up to 3 days in advance, and store it in the refrigerator.
- Storing leftovers. Store leftover salad in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Before serving again, give it a good stir and taste + season again as needed.
I hope y’all LOVE this salad as much as my family does! It’s:
Satisfying
Flavorful
Hearty
Fresh
Customizable
Quick + Easy
& Super delicious
It makes for a tasty lunch to pack along for work or enjoy for dinner when you’re craving something fresh, yet satisfying. It’s wonderful on its own, but it also pairs well with a variety of entrees.
I especially love bringing this along to serve at gatherings, like summer barbecues or pool parties. When there’s lots of yummy desserts and other heavy dishes to chow down on, it’s nice to have a healthier alternative too.
More Favorite Picnic Sides
If you try this chickpea salad recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
The perfect light lunch or summer side dish! This chickpea salad is fresh, flavorful, and has the perfect balance of healthy fats, carbohydrates, and protein!
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (or about 10 ounces Roma tomatoes, chopped)
- 1 (4 oz) can sliced black olives
- 1 English cucumber, cut into quarters and sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper + more to taste
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To make the salad, place all of the ingredients for the salad into a large bowl.
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To make the dressing, place all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl, (or jar w/ lid) and whisk/shake to combine. Pour dressing over salad, and toss salad in dressing until salad is evenly coated in dressing. Enjoy, or chill salad (covered) in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Make Ahead + Storage Recommendations
- Make ahead. This salad is great to make several hours in advance of serving it because it gets tastier over time. You can also mix the vinaigrette together up to 3 days in advance, and store it in the refrigerator.
- Storing leftovers. Store leftover salad in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Before serving again, give it a good stir and taste + season again as needed.
Photos by Sasha at Eat Love Eats.
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe was first published May 2018 and was updated with new content July 2020.
Oh yum, what a fabulous salad. I need to make this for lunch today! I know I would love it. I haven’t had chickpeas in ages.
That looks seriously good! So summery. Thanks for sharing the recipe, gonna try it this weekend!
This looks fantastic. I wish that legumes, lentils, and beans weren’t such a trigger for me. But I have a few parties I can bring this to this summer that I know would be a huge hit….Thanks for sharing
I totally needed this salad recipe – been trying to eat healthy the past couples weeks! This will certainly make that more delicious and fun. Great pics!
Definitely enjoyed this salad and I do love that it’s healthy.
Loved this salad served at our cookout last weekend! The perfect side for burgers and steak!
So wonderful! I made it then put on top of a bed lettuce and added marinated mushrooms! So yummy and not $14.00 at a restaurant!
I made this recipe for the first time fo my daughter’s birthday, we loved it, it looked just like the picture, I will make it again👍🏻
Having an abundance of produce from my garden, I am always looking for new recipes to use my bounty. This salad was absolutely delish! I followed the recipe exactly-didn’t change a thing. The flavors were delicate, light and refreshing. The longer it marinates, the more flavorful it becomes. Definitely a keeper, repeater and one to share! YUM 🙂
This was wonderful. I really enjoyed the Greek Salad, it is a lot I will have to share it with some family members. Thanks for the great recipe😋😋
That’s so awesome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed and thanks so much for commenting and letting me know!
Wow! This is so delicious! Fresh and light. Perfect summer salad. I added reduced fat feta and grilled chicken and meal prepped it for lunches this week. So good!
This is such a great lunch or side! Never a disappointed guest or family member.
I really enjoyed this light and delicious recipe! I ate it by the spoonful, as a side salad, and stuffed in a pita. The only issue I had is by day two, the juices from the tomato and dressing all drained to the bottom making it a bit soggy. I would say this is best served same day. Make early and have in the evening so the liquids don’t permeate everything. Thanks for the great recipes!
So glad you enjoyed and thanks so much for the suggestion!
Thanks for actually MAKING this recipe before posting and letting us know how it went. I wish everyone would do that! Your suggestion regarding the dressing was very helpful. My family definitely enjoyed!
This recipe was perfect for meal-prep! Loved the greek flavors.
This salad was so scrumptious, and is perfect for those hot summer days when you don’t want to slave over a stove. My family loved this recipe!
Needed a meatless meal for lunch. I made this and put it over a bed of spinach. It was delicious !
Made twice already- every one loved it!
I took Shelly’s advice and stuffed into a pita! Absolutely to die for! The dressing is perfect! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, it was just what I was looking for.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed and thanks so much for taking time to comment!
First time I’ve made this salad and first time my husband eats chickpeas! It is now one of our favorite salads, so fresh and satisfying!
Very tasty! I added cilantro and it gives it a little added flavor!
I made this recently, and it was terrific. Easy to put together, and tastes delicious! Will add in to our regular rotation.
Trust me ! This recipe is a keeper! For my vegan family, I just leave out the cheese. I also like the butternut squash soup! Thank you!
Yay! I love hearing that! Thanks so much for taking time to comment!
Outstanding… such a simple recipe, yet satisfying and delicious.
Thank you!
I love this salad. I also put just a pinch of dried mint leaves in it. This salad is a favorite. Even my husband likes it. Lol
This was delicious! Will be making all summer long with my garden veggies!
This is such a tasty salad. Love all the colors. Very pretty presentation for cookouts. Thanks for another great recipe!
5 star recipe! Perfect for summer. Fast and easy and tasty. Made tonight for pre-prepped lunch. Give this one a try!
Pretty much my go to lunch for work all week, I love his recipe!!!
This Greek chickpea salad looks like the perfect summertime salad that you can make ahead and allow to cool to bring to picnics and cook outs. Yummy!