10-minute Simple Chickpea Salad

Are you looking for a no-cook lunch idea? This Simple Chickpea Salad has been my go-to all year. In 10 minutes you get delicious Greek flavors that you'll crave throughout the week. Plus, it won't make you feel heavy or bloated, and no refrigeration is required!

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• Simple Chickpea Salad Ingredients
• How to Make Chickpea Salad
• Serving
• Storage
• More Chickpea Recipes
• Recipe
• Reader Reviews

Simple Chickpea Salad Ingredients

Another reason this salad gets bragging rights is because it's fully customizable. You can dress it up or down as much as you want.

Base Ingredients:

• Canned chickpeas
• Red bell pepper - This is a non-negotiable in my opinion. The yellow and orange are too mild whereas the red is peppery, and the green is a bit too harsh.
• Cucumber - English or Persian give the best flavor. Unless you loathe cucumbers, they are essential to the base because they give crunch and are filling.
• Cherry tomatoes - They're sweeter than full-grown tomatoes and less watery. Since the dressing includes vinegar and lemon juice, use fewer tomatoes or leave them out altogether if you don't do well with acidic ingredients.
• Red onion (purple onion) - It layers on flavor with a bitter bite.
• Extra virgin olive oil - because of its robust flavor.
• Red wine vinegar - It's less harsh than apple cider vinegar and not as sweet as other vinegar. It adds a special taste, but if you don't have it, substitute ACV or all lemon juice.
• Fresh lemon juice - The fresh squeeze noticeably brightens and lifts the final product.

Substitutions

Though I 100% love this salad as is, I sometimes add crumbled feta or kalamata olives to boost the Mediterranean profile. Both of those ingredients are salty, so I omitted them from the base recipe to keep it healthy for all diets.

When I'm really hungry I'll add a half or whole hass avocado. It's crazy how satiating this salad is just from half an avocado!

Tuna, sandwich meat (ham or turkey), Tzatziki, and Greek yogurt are great no-cook options to bulk it up and add protein without extra carbs.

Fresh mint, parsley, dill, and/or garlic layer in flavor.

This salad is yummy with just salt and pepper, but adding this Mediterranean herb seasoning takes it from "good" to "I can't wait to make it again!"

How to Make Chickpea Salad

The directions are simple - just mix it all together. But here are a few tips:

1. Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly.
2. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, lengthwise.
3. Chop the bell pepper and cucumber into equal bite-sized pieces.
4. Chop the onion a bit smaller than the cucumber since it has such a strong bite.

Serving

This salad is best served fresh, 10 to 20 minutes after it has marinated at room temperature, but it is ready to serve once assembled.

Aside from being a whole or half lunch, it can also serve as a side dish to chicken or fish.

If interested, try other low-carb sides like Balsamic Zucchini or Garlic Parmesan Brussel Sprouts.

Storage

Because acidity changes food, it's best to eat within 3 days for optimal freshness.

If you don't eat it the same day you make it, store it in a closed container and place it in the refrigerator. Though it isn't required, refrigeration slows the growth of bacteria on food and maintains freshness.

Meal prepping this recipe is still possible! Leave out the oil, vinegar, and lemon juice until you're ready to eat.

More Chickpea Recipes

Recipe