Chickpea Avocado Salad with tomatoes, cucumber and easy Mediterranean dressing. This protein packed garbanzo bean salad is ready in 15 minutes!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This chickpea avocado salad is super tasty and is based on traditional Ukrainian cucumber and tomato salad I grew up with, plus the chickpeas.
It definitely has Mediterranean flare to it and is vegan, gluten-free and high in fiber. It’s full of flavor, great salad to meal prep and enjoy all week, or bring to picnics and pool parties.
Reader’s Review
I think this was the best recipe I found for a chickpea salad! I added quinoa, and added red wine vinegar to the dressing, and the proportions of chickpeas to tomatoes and cucumber and onion are perfect.
Amara
Ingredients for Chickpea Avocado Salad
- Chickpeas: I recommend to buy low sodium chickpeas in BPA free cans or cook your own chickpeas in Instant Pot.
- Cucumber: Cukes can be seeded or not, cut into bite sized pieces.
- Tomato: Large or small tomatoes work. When choosing large tomatoes, best to pick not too soft fruit, so it doesn’t leak too much.
- Avocado: Pick ripe avocados with brown skin and slightly soft to the touch.
- Red onion: My preference is for red onion or white onion because it’s sweet and less sharp than yellow onion.
- Fresh herbs: Any fresh herbs like fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, fresh dill or fresh basil will be great.
- Simple dressing: Olive oil, fresh lime juice or lemon juice, salt and pepper.
How to Make Chickpea Avocado Salad
Here is a quick overview how to make it. Full recipe card is located below.
- Chop veggies: No matter the size of vegetables, make sure to chop them into bite-sized pieces a bit larger chickpeas’ size for the maximum flavor in every bite.
- Dice avocado: Using chef’s knife, cut avocado in half lengthwise. Hold half with a pit in one hand, gently tap sharp edge into the pit deep enough to twist the pit out, twist the knife and discard the pit. Remove with the spoon and dice the avocado.
- Make salad dressing by whisking olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Combine everything and stir gently. I like to use metal spoon so it doesn’t make chickpea salad with avocado mushy. Also, do not stir too long.
Tips for Best Results
- If using not low sodium chickpeas: Don’t add salt but rather adjust after tasting at the end.
- Dress just before serving: Natural juices from tomato and cucumber are released as soon as you add salt, so it’s best to add salad dressing right before enjoying.
- If not everyone loves the onions: Slice red onion in larger pieces or just big enough for kids to pick out and adults to enjoy.
- Ripeness of avocado matters: Look for a ripe but firm avocado to avoid it becoming mushy when tossed with the salad ingredients.
Variations
- Leafy greens: You could add chopped kale, romaine lettuce or spinach.
- Ukrainian flare: My aunt always added sliced radishes. And of course, a little bit of freshly grated garlic adds more oumph.
- More Mediterranean: Add 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese but then reduce salt. Use block of feta for the best texture. Toasted pine nuts make this salad more Mediterranean too.
- Mexican twist: Use lime juice in the dressing, then add diced jalapeno and 1 teaspoon cumin.
- More protein: Grilled chicken breast or air fryer shrimp would be a great addition.
Serving Ideas
Garlic Butter Steak Bites
Greek Chicken Kabobs with Easy Marinade
Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Sirloin Tip Steak
How to Store
Store: Store leftovers for up to 1 day. Because there are no leafy greens like in lettuce salad, chickpea avocado salad holds up well. Do not freeze.
Make ahead: Add all ingredients, except dressing and avocado, to a salad bowl. Cover and refrigerate both until ready to serve, up to 1 day.
Before serving, add avocado and dressing, toss and serve. You might have to warm up the dressing to melt the oil.
More Salad Recipes You’ll Love
- Mediterranean chickpea salad
- Avocado corn salad
- Avocado salad
- Chickpea tuna salad
- Dense bean salad
- Spinach avocado salad
Chickpea Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 2 x 14 ounce cans low sodium chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1 long English cucumber, cut into bite size pieces
- 3 medium tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 medium avocados, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup parsley, dill or cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 large lime or lemon, juice of
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, red onion and parsley.
- In a small bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and whisk.
- Pour dressing over salad and gently stir to combine.
- Serve cold on its own or with any protein and side dish.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight glass container for up to 1 day.
- Make ahead: You can make this salad up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate beans and veggies except avocado in a bowl and dressing in a jar. When ready to serve, dice avocado, warm up dressing to melt the oil and combine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I loved this salad! I had it with grilled chicken.
The only thing I will say is that I thought the recipe called for too much salt, but I followed directions anyway. It was very salty. I’d go with half the amount next time, maybe less.
Glad you loved this salad! It’s an older recipe and maybe I need to review it. It does seem a bit too salty. I’ll fix it. Should be low sodium chickpeas for sure. I boiled my own chickpeas with no salt when I created it, so I will update the recipe card. Thank you for mentioning it.
this recipe is suuuuuch a slay. i made it for lunch and dinner meal prep and never got sick of it! adding feta was a great tip too 🙂
I’m so happy to read this! Thanks for your positive feedback!
although NOTHING beats a good bowl of guac, alternatives are pretty good!
Guac is amazing agreed, so glad you enjoyed this, too!
I think this was the best recipe I found for a chickpea salad! I added quinoa, and added red wine vinegar to the dressing, and the proportions of chickpeas to tomatoes and cucumber and onion are perfect.
So glad you enjoyed it!