I love how quickly you can make this delicious, hearty chickpea salad.
Grab two cans of canned chickpea (or cook it from scratch), chop fresh vegetables, mix them all with herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil, and eat in about 20 minutes.
The chickpea gives it a satisfying creamy texture, and the other ingredients crunch, and so much flavor.
You can start salivating now.
You’ll only need 10 ingredients to make the chickpea salad:
My easy way to cook chickpea, a.k.a. garbanzo beans
- Buying: try to find the freshest chickpea, because old doesn’t cook evenly, and it won’t be creamy. Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean stores with high merchandise turnover are the best source.
- Soaking: rinse chickpea and remove any tiny stones/debris; cover with plenty of cold water, add a pinch of baking soda, and soak for minimum 12, maximum 24 hours—the longer the better.
- Boiling: drain the soaked chickpea, add to large saucepan, add plenty of water and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and bring to a boil over high heat; simmer over medium heat until soft—about 90 minutes, depending on size, variety and freshness; they’re ready when soft and start falling apart, but don’t let it get mushy.
- Do-ahead: you can store cooked chickpea in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to two months.
Make the chickpea salad in two quick steps
I make everything in one bowl.
First, I mix together the aromatics and then add the other ingredients.
Mix and you’re good to go.
The chickpea salad is perfect as is, but equally versatile. In the past I added chopped avocado and green pepper. I used finely chopped mint and parsley instead of cilantro. I topped it with labneh.
You can eat it as a main with warm pitta bread, or serve it as a side, with vegetable soup or stew.
I got salads for days. Here are few more for you to check out:
Raw Sprouted Lentil Chili
Vegan Coleslaw With Flaxseed-Cilantro-Ginger Dressing
Seaweed-Vegetable Salad With Ginger-Lemon Dressing
Now you.
What’s your favorite chickpea dish?
Tell me in the comments.
Print
Easy Chickpea Salad With Tomatoes and Cucumbers
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2–4 1x
- Cuisine: American
Description
Make this fresh, vegan salad in less than 15 minutes, using a handful of simple ingredients. It works as a side as well as a main dish.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (95 g) finely diced, peeled red onion (about 1 medium red onion)
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon minced, peeled garlic
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3½ cups (510 g) chickpea, freshly cooked, or canned (drained, rinsed)
- 1 cup (170 g) halved cherry tomatoes (about 15 cherry tomatoes)
- 1 cup (150 g) diced Persian cucumber (about 2 small Persian cucumbers, or ½ English cucumber)
- ¾ cup (180 ml) finely chopped cilantro, or parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the red onion, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and black pepper.
- Add the chickpea, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cilantro, and mix to combine.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days.
Notes
This salad is a good building block, which you can easily expand. You can add:
- diced avocado
- chopped green bell peppers
- finely diced jalapeño pepper or other chilies to spice it up
- chopped almonds
- chopped fresh mint
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