Cucumber Chickpea Salad

This chickpea cucumber salad is a refreshing and healthy salad. It is just what you need for a light and satisfying meal with tons of bright flavor. This Mediterranean-inspired salad is packed with protein-rich chickpeas, crunchy crisp cucumbers, and fresh herbs, all tied together with a zesty lemon dressing. You will need chickpeas, cucumbers, red onions, fresh parsley, dill, and mint, as well as crumbled feta cheese and a bright lemon vinaigrette dressing. Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl, toss with the dressing, and serve. It makes for the perfect side dish for any meal and especially great with anything grilled.

Chick Pea and Cucumber Salad Recipe Ingredients

• CHICKPEAS: I always use canned chickpeas or garbanzo beans but if you have the time and the will, feel free to cook from dry. You will need 2 small cans of chickpeas. Make sure to drain them well. They are great source of plant protein and fiber.
• CUCUMBER: I like to use English cucumber or mini Persian cucumbers. Feel free to remove the seeds - I usually don’t and I also don’t peel the cucumbers but you may if you wish.
• RED ONION & GARLIC: I like to use red onion or shallot for the salad and minced garlic for the dressing. Use as much or as little as you prefer of each of those.
• FETA CHEESE: Feta cheese goes so well with this salad - start with ½ cup crumbled feta and add more to taste
• HERBS & SPICES: For the herb blend I like to use fresh dill, fresh parsley and fresh mint. For the spices I use dried oregano and of course salt and pepper.
• OLIVE OIL: Extra virgin olive oil is what I use for the dressing.
• LEMON JUICE & LEMON ZEST: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best for the dressing.
  
  

Tips For The Perfect Chickpea Salad

• This salad can be made up to 4 hours before you plan to serve it. However, if making it in advance, be sure to leave the dressing out and add it in right before serving. This keeps the salad fresh and prevents the cucumbers from getting a little soggy.
• The dressing for this salad can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to make your salad.
• I like to use a block of feta and crumble it myself instead of using the pre-crumbled feta that I find very dry
• Store leftovers for up to 1 day. Because there are no leafy greens in this chickpea salad recipe, it holds up well. Do not freeze.
  
  

Cucumber Chickpea Salad Flavor Variations

This salad is delicious as-is, but you can absolutely add other ingredients to the mix to customize the flavors to your tastes. The options are really endless!

• Protein: Make it a meal by adding cooked diced chicken, cooked or grilled shrimp or smoked sausage.
• Beans: You can use a blend of different types of beans for added flavor and texture. Some great choices include kidney beans or Great Northern beans. I love white beans too but they tend to be softer so they may get a little mushy when tossing with the rest of the ingredients
• Veggies: Free free to add other vegetables such as marinated artichoke hearts, grilled zucchini or red bell peppers, corn, cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, capers, Kalamata olives, avocado, or sun dried tomatoes. Feel free to toss in some crispy chopped lettuce or leafy greens to this salad like baby kale, baby spinach or baby arugula.
• Vegan: For a vegan version, swap out the feta cheese for a vegan alternative and use maple syrup instead of honey.
• Flavors: Make this chickpea salad spicy by adding red pepper flakes or even some chopped fresh chilies. For a little extra flavour in the dressing you could add a teaspoon of dijon mustard as well.
• Onions: Don’t have red onions? Use chopped green onions, shallots or yellow/white onions.
• Grains: Make this salad a little heartier by tossing in some grains like quinoa, couscous, or even pasta.
  
  

How to Make Chickpea Salad

1. In a large bowl combine diced cucumber, sliced red onions, feta cheese, fresh herbs and drained chickpeas.
2. In a medium bowl or a mason jar, prepare the simple salad dressing. Whisk or shake all the dressing ingredients together.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss gently. Season with extra salt and pepper to taste.
   
   

How to Meal Prep Salad?

You can absolutely make this chickpea salad ahead up to 1 day in advance making it a great meal prep for summer parties/BBQs or as part of your weekday meals

1. Prep veggies: Add all ingredients to a salad bowl. (The veggies release loads of water or liquid when they are introduced to salt or dressing and get soggy)
2. Make dressing
3. Store: Cover and refrigerate both separately until ready to serve, up to 1 day.
4. Before serving: Shake the dressing in case the spices and garlic have settled to the bottom then pour into salad and toss gently to combine
   
   

Other Mediterranean Salad Recipes

• Beetroot Salad With Greek Yogurt (Patzarosalata)
• Easy Greek Pasta Salad
• Easy Italian Pasta Salad
• Tuscan Tortellini Pasta Salad
• Classic Greek Village Salad (Horiatiki)
• Greek Style Green Bean Salad
• Orzo Pasta Salad
• Classic Greek Lettuce Salad (Maroulosalata)