Chickpea Salad
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This super-simple chickpea salad makes a delicious lunch or side dish to grilled shrimp or chicken.
Whenever we drive up to visit my husband’s family in Long Island, NY, we stop somewhere along the Long Island Expressway for a late-night meal at a Greek diner; you literally can’t go more than a few miles without passing one. One of our favorite spots serves a simple marinated chickpea salad to nosh on while you wait for your meal. This is my copycat version. It makes a great picnic or potluck salad, and it’s delicious with sandwiches, grilled flank steak, grilled shrimp kebabs or grilled chicken. Feel free to add feta cheese crumbles to bulk it up, if you like.
What you’ll need to make Chickpea Salad
As you can see, I use both extra virgin olive oil and vegetable oil to make the dressing for this salad. Sometimes the flavor of olive oil can be too strong, so I like to cut it with vegetable oil.
How to make Chickpea Salad
Begin by finely dicing the red onion. Next, place the diced onions 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, which can be overpowering (at least for raw onion-phobes like me).
Combine the onions with the remaining ingredients.
Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning with more lemon, salt, and pepper, if necessary.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
You may also like
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Antipasto Salad
- Moroccan Carrot & Chickpea Salad
- German Potato Salad
- Bulgur Salad with Cucumbers, Red Peppers, Chickpeas, Lemon, and Dill
- Classic Coleslaw
Chickpea Salad
This super-simple chickpea salad makes a delicious lunch or side dish to grilled shrimp or chicken.
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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This salad is one of the staples in my fridge. i don’t temper the onions. and sometimes add more lemon juice. I’ve eaten this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I eat it as a quick nosh before starting dinner and as a midnight snack. Thanks Jenn.
Made this for a pot-luck at work, and everyone loved it! A nice vegetarian option! It was simple to prepare the night before and kept well. I like that it could sit out at room temperature and still be appetizing.
This was simple and tasty. I’m always looking for ways to use chickpeas since I’m a vegetarian and always looking for variety and new ideas with beans. I liked the crunchiness of the red onion and the tanginess of the dressing, subtle and light. This is an excellent side salad or main dish.
Hi Jenn, Really love your recipes and book. Before I try this one though I have a question. Why the two types of oil? Could I use light and regular olive oil instead? Thanks, Sharon
Hi Sharon, If you’d prefer to use light and regular olive oil, you can, but I find that sometimes the flavor of olive oil can be too strong, so I like to cut it with vegetable oil. Hope you enjoy!
I really enjoyed this salad, I’m not sure about everyone else. The red onion flavor prevailed even after soaking. Maybe I should have upped the lemon and salt and pepper. I’ll continue to make this as a light supper for myself.
Do you have a suggestion on how to make this recipe with dried chickpeas instead of canned? Thanks!!
Hi Mar, You’ll just need to soak and cook the chickpeas. Here’s a good tutorial. Hope that helps!
Did not expect to like this one. I loved it and could not stop eating. I did not soak the onions, love red onions. Would not change a thing. So easy and nutritious. I do not really care for hummus so I will eat this instead.
Doesn’t get much easier. I loved this recipe. Easy to make, delicious and varies from the usual vegetables. Thanks, Jen.
Have read the reviews suggesting the need for more seasoning. Wondering if chopped fresh oregano would be a good addition, Jen? I plan to make this soon — sounds delicious and would mix well with many other salads and vegetables.
Sure, Cathy, I think fresh oregano, would be a nice addition here. Hope you enjoy!
This salad was very good, but as other reviewers have mentioned, it does seem to need some kind of ‘boost’ to the seasoning. I did add crumbled feta – and that was delicious – and extra salt, but adding salt at the end never seems to work for me. It tasted lemony enough, so more lemon wasn’t an option. I would definitely make it again, but need to figure out what would make the dressing more interesting.
how about some finely chopped garlic?