Chickpea Avocado Salad with tomatoes, cucumber and easy Mediterranean dressing. This protein packed garbanzo bean salad is ready 15 minutes!
Other affordable year round salads we love are avocado corn salad and avocado tomato cucumber salad.
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This chickpea avocado salad is super tasty and is based on traditional Ukrainian cucumber and tomato salad I grew up with, minus the garbanzo beans.
It definitely has Mediterranean flare to it. Juicy tomato, creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber and simple dressing with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and freshly cracked pepper.
I now have dedicated Mediterranean chickpea salad that I am sure you will appreciate!
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 garbanzo beans 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 mini tomatoes work. When choosing large, best to pick not too soft fruit so it doesn’t leak too much.
- Avocado: Pick avocado with brown skin and slightly soft to the touch.
- Red onion: Red onion or white onion are 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 lemon juice or lime juice, salt and pepper.
How to Make Chickpea Avocado Salad
Here is a quick overview how to make garbanzo bean salad. 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 flavour 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 but then reduce salt. 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.
Serving Ideas
- Chickpea and avocado salad goes well with any side dish like bulgur, quinoa or brown rice.
- For a date night in, consider serving with easy sirloin tip steak, garlic butter steak bites or air fryer steak bites.
- In summer, serve with other Mediterranean dishes like Greek chicken kabobs, grilled lemon rosemary chicken or Greek chicken.
- It’s so filling, it can be lunch. Meal prep for a week, then serve alongside chicken meatballs or air fryer chicken bites.
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
- Spinach avocado salad
- Chickpea tuna salad
- Avocado salad
- Avocado tuna salad
- Chicken avocado salad
- Avocado egg salad
Chickpea Avocado Salad
Video
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.
- Homemade chickpeas: I cook my own Instant Pot chickpeas. You can also learn how to cook dried beans on the stove.
- Leafy greens: You could add chopped kale, romaine lettuce or spinach.
- Other vegetables: My aunt always added sliced radishes.
- Feta: Add 1/4 cup crumbled feta but then reduce salt.
- Nuts: Toasted pine nuts make this salad more Mediterranean.
- Mexican variation: Use lime, add diced jalapeno and 1 tsp cumin.
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!