Chickpea Avocado Salad

We tend to make fresh and easy salads, like this one, year round, but especially in the summer. They’re so light and refreshing! They’re also a great way to beat the heat and get plenty of nutrients.

This chickpea salad with avocado is seriously addictive! Chickpeas also known as garbanzo beans are one of my favorite things to keep in the pantry. They are shelf stable, last for a long time and are a nutrient powerhouse!

For this salad I wanted to incorporate cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, which are so tasty this time of year. I loaded this salad up with tons of Greek flavors! Tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumbers, avocado and arugula are all tossed together with a simple red wine vinaigrette. It’s light, healthy and uses up a lot of summer produce.

This chickpea salad is perfect for meal prep and travels well, so take it along to your next gathering!

Everything to love about this recipe

• Quick. This salad recipe can be ready to enjoy in less than 20 minutes!
• Easy. Simply dice the vegetables, drain and rinse the chickpeas, make the dressing and add everything together in a large bowl. SO easy!
• No-cook. There’s no need to turn the oven or stove on for this recipe! Of course, you can cook your own chickpeas, but using canned is so convenient. 
• Healthy. It’s loaded with fresh fruits, plenty of veggies and chickpeas for fiber and protein!
• Meal prep. This chickpea avocado salad is great to make ahead to have on hand all week. 

Ingredients needed

This chickpea salad with avocado uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients and fresh veggies. Feel free to swap in your favorites – this salad is super easy to customize. Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are the easiest for this chickpea salad recipe, as they are already cooked. All you have to do is rinse and drain them. If you prefer to cook chickpeas from scratch, make sure they are cooled before adding them to the salad.
• Avocado. Creamy avocado brings richness to this salad. It’s delicious!
• Tomatoes. We’re tossing in grape tomatoes for a delicious pop of flavor that bursts with juiciness. Cherry tomatoes will also work great! 
• English cucumber. I recommend English cucumbers because they have far fewer seeds than regular cucumbers making them taste sweeter.
• Arugula. The base of this salad is zippy, deliciously peppery arugula. It perfectly balances all of the other mix-ins and the dressing.
• Red wine vinegar. A staple ingredient in Mediterranean vinaigrettes.
• Garlic. Fresh garlic adds tons of flavor. 
• Olive oil. Along with the red wine vinegar and lemon juice, olive oil creates a light and healthy dressing for the salad.
• Lemon. For a bright citrus note!
• Maple syrup. Added for just a hint of sweetness.
• Dijon mustard. Just 1 teaspoon for a bit of savory tang.
• Seasoning. Simple sea salt and black pepper to bring out all of the flavors.

How to make this recipe

Salads, like this one, are really easy to toss together! The most time consuming part of the recipe is cutting up the vegetables. Here’s the simple method:

Full, printable recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Combine vegetables. In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, and arugula. Mix to combine.
2. Make the dressing. In a small bowl or mason jar, combine all of the dressing ingredients and whisk/shake to combine. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine. 
3. Serve. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Quick tip: Look for a ripe, but firm avocado. A soft avocado can get mushy when you toss everything together.

Variations

• Cheese. If you’re not concerned with keeping this recipe vegan, feel free to add some crumbled feta cheese on top. 
• Nuts. Add some slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, or pine nuts for crunch.
• Fresh herbs. Toss in some chopped sprigs of fresh oregano for authentic Greek flavor.
• Dried herbs. Try adding in a dash or two of basil, parsley or dried oregano. 
• Make it spicy. For some heat, try adding in diced jalapeño or crushed red pepper flakes.
• Substitute veggies. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. For example, you can substitute tomatoes with red bell pepper and arugula with romaine or baby spinach.
• Extra add-ins. Add any favorite ingredients. Some delicious options: black olives, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes or sliced mushrooms.

Storing & make ahead tips

• Storing leftovers. Place any leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days. After a few days the cucumbers will break down a bit and the arugula will begin to wilt, so I recommend enjoying it within 3 days of making it.
• Make ahead. This salad is great to meal prep because it is very tasty served cold. Try making this recipe a day ahead to let the flavors really develop. However, if you won’t be serving this immediately, I suggest waiting to stir the avocado in until just before serving.

As usual, please let me know if you end up making this recipe and how you like it. You can come back here to leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling! I always love to see what y’all are making from the blog!