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This Mediterranean chickpea salad has all the flavors of a classic Greek salad plus hearty chickpeas and fresh herbs. 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 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.
Greek salad tastes so good given how ridiculously basic the dressing is. It has a quick vinaigrette that’s made with only a handful of ingredients. The crisp and crunchy fresh veggies and pop of flavor from the herbs make this easy Mediterranean salad special!
What you’ll need
For the salad
- Chickpeas – aka garbanzo beans, they’re a convenient and inexpensive source of protein
- 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!
- Salt & pepper – be generous to bring out the flavors
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I like to mince garlic with this garlic press. You don’t even need to peel the cloves first!
- This is the glass prep bowl set I use for salads.
- These scissor salad tongs make serving it up easy.
- This fresh herb keeper will keep the rest of your parsley fresh for longer.
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 Greek 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 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 well 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? Please leave me star rating and review below if you made 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Love this salad and it kept in my fridge for four days…
That’s great! Thanks, Judith!
Chickpeas plus the rest of the ingredients of a Greek salad – tomatoes, peppers, red onion, Kalamata olives and cucumber and toss with marinated feta cubes is a nice and healthful variation on the classic theme. I’m sure I’ll make again. As I used marinated feta cubes, I used the herby oil in the package as part of the dressing. Will definitely make again.
Thank you, Lynne!
Made it today. Turned out really good! Will make again.
Wonderful!