You will love this simple and fresh Greek Chickpea Salad with crisp cucumbers, juicy cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, bright herbs, Kalamata olives, and crumbly feta cheese. It makes for the perfect meal to cap off a hot summer night. This salad is gluten-free and ready in 15 minutes.
Who doesn't love Mediterranean flavors? There are few things better than a salad that is this fresh and that tastes THIS GOOD.
This chickpea salad is loaded with all the veggies for maximum nutrient density. It has some protein from the chickpeas and healthy fat from the olive oil, olives and feta making it a perfect side or a light and flavorful meal. It is even relatively low in carbohydrate!
Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions
- Cucumber - I use a regular cucumber in this recipe. I choose to leave the skin on and remove the seeds using a spoon. You can peel the cucumber if you prefer or use an English cucumber which would not require peeling or removing the seeds. Persian cucumbers would also work fine in this recipe.
- Chickpeas - Chickpeas are also commonly called garbanzo beans. If beans do not agree with you, you can omit this ingredient entirely for a lighter but still very flavor salad.
- Red Onion - Red onion has a little bit of a bite to it which makes it stand out more with all the contrasting flavor in this recipe, however, you are welcome to use whatever onion you have on hand or swap for some sliced garlic cloves.
- Cherry Tomatoes - Any ripe, sweet tomato will work in this recipe. If you have some fresh tomatoes from the garden that you are dying to use up, skip the cherry tomatoes and use those instead!
- Feta - Feta adds a nice richness to the salad and some healthy fat. Goat cheese would be another great option! For a dairy-free option, substitute a crumbly dairy-free cheese.
- Kalamata Olives - Kalamata olives have the perfect salty and slightly sour flavor to really add some complexity to this recipe. Any Greek olives could work well. Garlic stuffed green olives would be great too!
- Olive Oil - Your favorite olive oil should be used. You can use a rich and robust oil, something more fruity or an olive oil that is fairly neutral, really whatever you prefer.
- Honey - Just a touch of honey is added to the dressing. Agave would also work for a vegan option. Or, the sweetener could be skipped all together.
How To Make This Recipe Keto Friendly
This recipe is already low carb but with 12 grams of net carbs per serving it is not quite low enough to be appropriate for most ketogenic diets, but with a few easy swaps you can make it keto-friendly!
To make this recipe keto, omit the chickpeas and skip the honey. You can add more feta to the recipe or even some diced chicken to bulk it up.
Can This Recipe Be Made Vegan?
Absolutely! Just substitute the honey for a bit of agave or skip it altogether and swap the feta for a salty, crumbly dairy-free cheese and you have yourself a vegan Greek chickpea salad!
How To Store This Greek Salad
This recipe will keep safely for 4-5 days in an airtight container kept in the fridge, HOWEVER the quality will not be great after 1-2 days. I would advise eating it before the second day. As with any salad, it is soaking in the dressing so the veggies will begin to lose their crispness pretty quickly.
What To Pair With This Salad
You can enjoy this salad alone for a vegetarian option or pair it with a simple piece of grilled chicken, steak or even the tasty Mediterranean chicken kabobs.
Related Recipes
- Mediterranean Kabobs with Whipped Feta
- Greek Chicken Bowls
- Mediterranean 7-Layer Dip
- Vietnamese Cucumber Salad
Did you try this Greek Chickpea Salad? I would love to see your creations! Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or leave a photo comment on Pinterest.
Feel free to leave a comment and a rating below. Feedback is always appreciated! 😊
📖 Recipe
Greek Chickpea Salad
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Salad bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 can Chickpeas About 14 oz.
- ¼ Red onion
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes
- 4 oz. Feta
- 1 cup Kalamata olives
- 1 Bell pepper
- ¼ cup Fresh chopped herbs I use mint and basil
Greek Dressing
- 1 Lemon Juiced (about ¼ cup)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ tbsp Oregano Dried
- 3 Cloves of garlic Minced
- 1 tbsp Honey
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
Instructions
- Drain the can of chickpeas in a colander. Rinse and add to large mixing bowl.
- Removed both ends from the cucumbers and slice in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds from the inside of the cucumbers and begin cutting in ½ inch. semi-circles. Add to bowl with chickpeas.
- Rinse the tomatoes and halve. Drain the olives. Remove the skin from the onion and finely dice (you will only need ¼ of the onion). Remove the seeds and stem from the bell pepper and dice. Add all veggies to the bowl.
- Mix together the ingredients for the dressing with a whisk until honey is complete dissolved.
- Pour dressing over the vegetable mixtures and stir. Then sprinkle in feta and fresh herbs and serve.
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