This Mediterranean chickpea salad has all the flavors of a classic Greek salad plus hearty chickpeas and fresh herbs for an extra pop of flavor. It makes a wonderful light meal or side dish!
Big fan of these flavors? You'll also enjoy making my Mediterranean Orzo Salad or Easy Greek Pasta Salad next.
Why you'll love it
I can't resist a salad that's super simple yet has endless layers of flavor. Greek salad is delicious on its own, but adding in chickpeas makes it a protein-packed filling meal! This is also a convenient make ahead salad. It's great for summer gatherings, meal prep, or work lunches. Nothing in here will wilt, and the flavors will meld together even more over time.
Maybe my favorite aspect of Greek salad in general is how good it tastes given how ridiculously basic the dressing is. It's really just the most effortless of vinaigrettes that's made with only a handful of ingredients. The crisp and crunchy fresh veggies and herbs really shine in this 20-minute Mediterranean salad.
What you'll need
For the salad
- Chickpeas - aka garbanzo beans, they're a convenient and inexpensive source of protein for this salad
- Cucumbers - we're using mini cucumbers (also known as Persian). I like them because they're a little less watery than English cucumbers.
- Onion - red onion is the ideal variety for eating raw in salads since it's less sharp than others
- Oregano and parsley - our fresh herbs to make this salad shine
- Red bell peppers and tomatoes - key components to any Greek salad. Get what looks freshest at the grocery store or farmers' market.
- Olives - the traditional choice for Greek salad is Kalamata olives for that delicious briny quality
- Feta - I prefer the cubed kind marinated in herbs and oil for that signature salty, savory taste
For the dressing
- Olive oil - for the base of the dressing
- Lemon juice - always use freshly squeezed and never from concentrate
- Garlic - if you're a garlic lover, use even more! I like to mince it with this garlic press. You don't even need to peel the cloves.
- Salt & pepper - be generous to bring out the flavors
How to make Mediterranean chickpea salad
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Open the can of chickpeas and drain and rinse them. Add them to a large bowl.
- Wash, chop, and prep the vegetables and herbs, adding them to the bowl as you go along with the feta and olives.
- Add the vinaigrette ingredients right into the salad bowl, and toss.
Substitutions and variations
- As with any salad, you can adjust to your preferences if you're not a fan of something, but this is a pretty standard set of ingredients for Greek salad.
- I like feta that's packed in oil and herbs, but if you're unable to find that, any feta will do just fine.
- Fresh tomatoes are best for their bright flavor, but if they're out of season, try using sun-dried tomatoes instead.
- Try your best to find Kalamata olives, but black olives will do in a pinch.
What to serve with this salad
- It's a fantastic light lunch for a hot day without having to turn on the stove. I like to pair it with a slice of fresh baguette or other crusty bread.
- You can also try it with other Greek favorites like Saganaki (Greek Fried Cheese) and some classic dips like Creamy Tzatziki and Greek Roasted Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata) and triangles of pita bread.
- It makes a great side dish for just about any summer grilling main like my Easy Ground Turkey Burgers Recipe.
Leftovers and storage
- This Mediterranean salad will keep beautifully in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days. It's great for meal prep for this reason!
- If the salad has been sitting out in the sun for a long time, though, you may want to discard the rest for food safety reasons.
Will you make this easy Greek chickpea salad? Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below or if you enjoyed it. As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram with your creations.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 2 mini cucumbers chopped
- 1 tablespoon red onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup little tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.) cut into halves
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
- 3.5 ounces feta (packed in oil & herbs if possible)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain & rinse your chickpeas and add them to a salad bowl.
- Prep your veggies and herbs, and add them to the salad bowl as you go along.
- Add the dressing ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, garlic) right into the salad bowl and toss gently. Taste and adjust as needed (e.g. add more olive oil), and season with salt & pepper.
Notes
- If you can't find cubed feta that's packed in oil and herbs, any feta will work fine. Also, don't worry about it being exactly 3.5 ounces... that was the size package mine happened to come in.
- This salad is very flexible... add more or less of any ingredient depending on your preferences and what's in your fridge.
- Serves 2-4 depending on what else it's served with.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Mary says
In a word, phenomenal. Recipe and amounts as written are perfect but I threw is some additional tomatoes and cucumbers and a few more olives and it was STILL perfect. Highly recommended.
Natasha says
Thank you!! 🙂 I'm so glad you liked it!
Holly Pierson says
Made this with sundried tomatoes and a greek salad dressing I had on hand.. came out great.
Natasha says
Awesome!! 🙂
Pam says
I made it today. It’s incredible 👍😁💯💕
Natasha says
Wonderful!
Karen says
Holy Cow!!! So easy to toss together, is bright and colorful, packed with nutrients from all the veggies and cheese.
Will grill some chicken tenderloin to make a light and healthy dinner for spring 2020.
Natasha says
I am so happy you enjoyed it, Karen! Love the grilled chicken idea.
Nikki says
How long does this keep for? I want to make it for my work lunches (Tuesday-Friday). Should be okay right?
Natasha says
I think so. It may get a little soggy towards the end, but it should be fine.
Holly Pierson says
I would take the seeds out of the cucumbers and put those and the tomatoes in day of....I used sundried tomatoes to prevent the sogginess.
Carolyn says
I’ve made this salad about 4 times since saving it a few weeks ago. I made a few changes, I use mixed beans instead of just chickpeas, I added rice vinegar and a splash of hot sauce to the dressing to add more zing. It’s always a hit and so easy to make. Everyone always loves it!
Natasha says
Awesome... so happy it's a hit!
Amy says
Making this today it looks so good and I have all of the ingredients! Can't wait to try it!
Natasha says
Enjoy!! 🙂
Randi says
You ought to take part iin a contest for one oof the ggreatest blogs on tthe internet.
I'm going to recommsnd this blog!
Michelle says
Made it as a side to go with my tomato basil soup and it was soooooo good! Plenty left to take to work as part of my lunches.
Natasha says
Yay that's great! So glad you liked it, Michelle!
Sandra says
Can I have the nutritional value for all you recipes please?
Natasha says
Hi Sandra, sorry, I don't have that info.
Danny says
Can not wait to try it! Thank you for the recipe. Would I be able to make this without the feta cheese?
Natasha says
Thank you! Sure, leaving the feta out wouldn't be a problem. Hope you love it!
Ashika | Gardening Foodie says
This is such a delicious looking salad. I love chickpeas and this is a beautiful way to use it in a salad.
Absolutely stunning!!!! Definitely saving to try this weekend!😃
Natasha says
Thank you, Ashika!! Hope you love it.
James | Thyme to Mango says
Hahaha! I've finally found someone else who struggles with the word Mediterranean (←←thanks autocorrect), I've usually got it copied so I can paste it into my post whenever I need it. The same goes for Moroccan (is it one R and two C's , or vice versa?). Gorgeous looking salad!
Natasha says
Hahahaha thanks, James. Sounds like this isn't just my issue. 😜😜
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
Mediterranean always stumps me too. For some reason I always want to add two ds, then I can't figure out why there's a squiggly red line under it. It looks right to me, spell check! But oh, this salad! Chickpeas are one of my staples and I loooove the whole Greek flavor profile. I'm sooo making this soon! Happy Friday-eve, Natasha!
Natasha says
Haha I'm glad that I'm not the only one. Thank you, and I hope you have a great weekend! 😘
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
Lol! I swear we are sisters from another mister, because OMG, I can totally relate to some words just stumping me. It's like, I know how to spell them, but sometimes my brain just doesn't want to work. 😉 OR, have you ever written a word so many times that it just starts to look wrong? Anyways, I am LOOOOVING this salad! Chickpeas are LIFE and I'm all for Greek (or Mediterranean) anything, so this salad is screaming my name! I could definitely eat this on repeat! Cheers, dear!
Natasha says
YES... I totally do that... then you're like is this even a word?? Hahaha thanks... yes I'm all for Greek/Med. as well.
Jessie | Kitschen Cat says
Ahhh I saw this on your insta yesterday and just had to come see the rest of the photos on your site. Gorgeous!!!
Natasha says
Aww thanks, Jessie!!
All That I'm Eating says
How pretty is this! So full of different colours and flavours, I'll definitely be trying this.
Natasha says
Hope you love it!!
Alena says
This looks so colorful and delicious! Going to test it on my kids 🙂 They love olives
Natasha says
That's great! So did I as a kid. Hope they enjoy it!
Melissa Griffiths says
Mmmm...I love me a good Mediterranean salad! And bonus- no cooking in the summer! Love it!
Natasha says
Thanks so much, Melissa!!
Kim Quinn says
That looks amazing!! Could I serve this on a bed of romaine?
Natasha says
Thanks, Kim! I don't see why not. 🙂
Natasha's Sister says
Our annual picnic. I trust you'll be making this for me?
Natasha says
Hmmmmmm...