Easy Chickpea Salad with avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, and Mediterranean dressing. This protein packed garbanzo bean salad takes only 15 minutes to make.
Other affordable year round healthy salad recipes around here include easy avocado salad, avocado corn salad and mango black bean salad.
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This is the best chickpea salad with avocado that I have ever made! It 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.
This chickpea avocado salad is so filling, it can be lunch. Meal prep for a week, then serve alongside grilled chicken or grilled salmon. Sprinkle with feta cheese like traditional Greek salad, the possibilities are endless!
Ingredients For Chickpea with Avocado Salad
Chickpeas as known in the US or garbanzo beans as called in Europe are legumes of yellow color and round shape. Chickpeas are extremely high in protein and super good for you. They are used to make hummus.
- Chickpeas: I recommend to buy organic low sodium chickpeas in BPA free cans.
Can I use my own homemade chickpeas? Yes! A few years ago I learned how to cook dried beans and now I make Instant Pot chickpeas every few months. Thaw from frozen and make dishes like chicken chickpea stew.
- 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. Also sharp knife helps a lot to cut through their skin.
- Avocado: Pick avocado with brown skin and slightly soft to the touch.
- Red onion: Red or white onion are sweet and less sharp than yellow.
- Fresh herbs: Any fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, dill or basil will be great.
- Simple dressing: Olive oil, lemon (or lime), salt and pepper.
Love Mediterranean food? I highly recommend to try these Mediterranean baked zucchini sticks.
How Do You Make Chickpea Salad with Avocado?
- 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.
- To 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. Follow step by step tutorial with photos.
- Make dressing by whisking olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Combine everything and stir gently. I like to use metal spoon so it doesn’t make veggies mushy. Also, do not stir too long.
Tips for the Perfect Salad
- Natural juices from tomato and cucumber are released as soon as you add salt, so dressing is best added right before serving.
- Slice red onion in larger pieces or just big enough for kids to pick out and adults to enjoy.
- Look for a ripe but firm avocado to avoid it becoming mushy when tossed with the salad ingredients.
Salad Flavor Variations
This easy chickpea salad is both healthy and delicious plus there are so many ways to switch up the flavors!
- 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.
- Mexican twist: Use lime in the dressing then add diced jalapeno and 1 tsp cumin.
Chickpea salad is perfect mid summer when days are hot and garden is abundant. Use what you have, I do in healthy cucumber salad!
What To Serve This With?
Chickpea salad goes well with any protein and side like bulgur, quinoa or brown rice.
Or pick one of five easy chicken marinades and serve along grilled/toasted pita. Below photo is of grilled chicken with fajita marinade.
FAQs
Yes, because they are cooked then canned. I prefer to rinse my chickpeas after draining them to remove the aquafaba (fancy word for chickpea liquid).
Yes! This chickpea salad recipe is packed with plant based protein, blood cleansing cilantro, vitamin C loaded tomatoes, heart healthy avocado, and cancer fighting red onion.
Yes! This is a great addition. Add with avocado right before serving.
Sure! This chickpea salad is so versatile, try any of these healthy salad dressings for a different flavor profile.
How to Meal Prep Salad?
You can make ahead garbanzo bean salad for up to 1 day in advance making it great meal prep for summer holiday parties or as part of your weekday healthy lunch ideas!
- Prep veggies: Add all ingredients except dressing and avocado to a salad bowl.
- Make dressing.
- Store: Cover and refrigerate both until ready to serve, up to 1 day.
- Before serving: Dice avocado before serving and combine. You might have to warm up dressing to melt the oil.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers for up to 1 day. Because there are no leafy greens like in lettuce salad, garbanzo salad holds up well. Do not freeze.
More Salad Recipes You’ll Love
- Mediterranean quinoa salad
- Quinoa and black bean salad
- Mexican bean salad
- Southwest quinoa salad
- Mexican street corn salad
- Tomato mozzarella avocado salad
Easy Chickpea Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
- 2 x 14 oz cans chickpeas drained & rinsed
- 1 long English cucumber cut into bite size pieces
- 3 medium tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
- 2 medium ripe 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 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp 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 grilled chicken breast, grilled salmon, or pick one of 5 easy chicken marinades and cook chicken.
Video
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.
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!