Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
This healthy chickpea tomato and cucumber salad recipe is made with a light citrus vinaigrette, tossed together with plump garbanzo beans.
Fresh chopped veggies–tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, celery–and fresh herbs are tossed with plump Garbanzo Beans in this Cucumber Chickpea Salad recipe. Then you drizzle a lemon-lime vinaigrette over the top and gently mix together.
One of my favorite things to do is sit in the sun and enjoy a healthy salad for lunch! This chickpea salad recipe has “summer” all over it, and is one of my favorite salads. A few other favorite salads we love are Summer Orzo Salad with Garbanzo Beans, Greek Peasant Salad and Summer Italian Spaghetti Salad.
Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
If you had to pick one type of dish that my mom made regularly over her lifetime, I’d say it was in the “salad” catagory. She grew up on a farm, and always had a garden herself. So with cucumbers, tomatoes, and a can of beans, she whipped up lots of summer salads. Another favorite (without beans) is my Marinated Summer Veggie Salad.
Why I love this recipe
- It is a salad to make when you’re in a pinch, and want something fresh.
- Simple ingredients, healthy and fresh.
- Makes a great “lunch” salad.
- Comes together in minutes.
Can you put chickpeas in a salad?
A big hearty, Yes! A light, satisfying weekday lunch is what everyone dreams about, because we know we feel better, we look better, and it’s better for our health.
Somehow, a salad helps my husband and I feel like we’re “on track” with our goals and healthy lifestyle for the week, so I cook a lot of salads for lunch.
Adding chickpeas in a salad is a great source of protein!
Gather these ingredients for Chickpea Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- Olive oil
- Fresh veggies: tomatoes, red onion, celery, and cucumber
- Garlic
- Fresh dill
Make the vinaigrette:
- Red wine vinegar
- Lemon
- Lime
- Cracked black pepper
- Fesh parsley
How do you make a chickpea cucumber salad?
- Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in beans, cover and turn off heat. Set aside.
- Gently toss all remaining ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add the cool chickpeas.
- Make the salad dressing; add the chopped parsley. Drizzle over the salad.
- Toss the salad and serve!
Tips and substitutions:
How long does chickpea salad last in the fridge? You can store the salad for about 5 days in the fridge. If you open a can of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) they can last up to 10 days in a sealed container.
Add protein (chicken is great), feta cheese, or your favorite cheese.
Feel free to add more veggies, like carrots, radish, chopped bell peppers, etc. If you do add more veggies, you may want to double the salad dressing recipe.
Mom and Aunt Barbara
I came across this lovely photo of my mom and her sister, Barbara, who were mistaken as twins many times in their growing up years. Mom and Aunt Barb also ate smaller portions … I used to think they ate like birds. I bet I know why they did this. It was good for their energy and health, to help avoid that afternoon slump!
Mom and Aunt Barb were very close, loved their families, Jesus, and the outdoors. I love looking at old photos; there’s just so much character to this picture. These 2 sisters shared so much in life, including hunting, camping, cooking, canning, river trips, fishing, you name it, they loved it.
More chickpea salads for lunch:
- Marinated Tuna Chickpea Salad
Chickpea Cobb Salad Board - Greek Chicken Quinoa & Chickpea Salad
- Summer Garbanzo Tomato Salad
- Outrageous Herbaceous Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Get the Recipe:
Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
Make the dressing:
- 1 ½ tsp red wine vinegar
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ lime, juiced
- Cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in beans, cover and turn off heat. Set aside to cool.
- Gently toss all remaining ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add the cool beans.
- Make the dressing and whisk together.
- Serve topped with additional parsley, if desired.
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Love this! Super easy and super yummy. Ive never thought to cook the beans before adding to a salad. This came together so quickly. It’s so light. I didn’t have fresh herbs so I adjusted the amount and added dried. Will be making this again soon. Thanks
Very good, I love garbanzo beans. I didn’t have any dill so I left it out. I did however add about a 1/3 of a red bell pepper and a few Kalamata olives sliced, just because I had them and needed to use them before they went bad. I think it came out fantastic!
Sounds amazing!
Has anyone tried this with the crunchy garbanzo beans you can buy? Very good this way. Just curious??
Mmmm, I’m not sure I would like that. Let us know how it turned out!
What a great salad, I will add a bit more vinegar. Perfect dish
i followed this using it as a guideline and i rinsed my chickpeas but it’s amazing!
Made this today when my naive sent me link. Glad I did, fresh great for light lunch
The ingredient list calls for 3 T. olive oil. Only 2 T. go in the pot with the beans.
Should the extra T. of oil be mixed into the vegetables or is this a mistake?
Also, should the beans be drained of the oil before adding to the vegetables?
And how cooled should the beans be before adding?
Do you let the beans cool completely
Before adding the other ingredients?
Yes!
Made this for the first time today, definitely a keeper. Delicious ?
I’ve been making this exact same salad for years :) It’s really refreshing and filling. For extra flavor, I sometimes toast the chickpeas with garlic.
Why do you cook the beans?
Kat, lightly cooking the beans adds more flavor! ENJOY!
This looks and sounds amazing…and so fresh! Definitely will give it a whirl.
I could eat this bowl all by myself! Pinned!
I cannot wait to try this salad! It looks and sounds delicious! I love having a salad for a healthy and light lunch. It really does make you feel good, not to mention it doesn’t give you the “I need a nap after a heavy meal” feel. Thanks for sharing Sandy:)