This Greek inspired Chickpea Cucumber Salad is a great meal prep recipe for a weekday lunch - so full of flavor, nutritient-rich, and ready in 10 minutes! Protein-packed chickpeas are combined with crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, fresh herbs, and creamy feta cheese. All tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette made with some favorite pantry staples.😊
As a dietitian, I fully appreciate a great salad that uses a budget-friendly main ingredient like chickpeas. This chickpea cucumber feta salad hits the spot aaand covers all the nutritional bases! Chickpeas provide plant-based protein, dietary fiber to support a healthy gut, iron, and magnesium. Tomatoes provide powerful antioxidants, and cucumber adds potassium and vitamin K.
This makes a great summer salad for when fresh veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes are in peak season. Meal prep it and store it in a mason jar for a light lunch, or serve it in a nice salad bowl as a side salad the next time you host or bring a dish to a party!
This was inspired by another cucumber salad recipe that is a fan favorite on my page, this Cucumber and Sweet Pepper salad. I hope you love it as much as I do! 😊
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Video of How to Make Chickpea Cucumber Salad
Here's a video of how to make this recipe that I hope is helpful! Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe.
Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
This Chickpea Cucumber Salad is made with simple ingredients. Below are some ingredient notes. Be sure to check the printable recipe card at the bottom for exact ingredient measurements and complete recipe.
Salad Ingredients
- Chickpeas - also known as garbanzo beans. I use a can of chickpeas for this recipe. If you prefer to use dry chickpeas, cook and dry them before roasting. Here is some extra help for how to cook dried chickpeas if you need it.
- Cucumber - crunchy cucumbers like English cucumber or Persian cucumbers (also known as mini cucumbers) work best for this recipe. Both have fewer and smaller seeds and thinner skin than regular cucumbers.
- Tomatoes - I suggest to use cherry or grape tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes add a pop of flavor and also contain vitamins C, potassium, and a powerful antioxidant called lycopene that helps protect cells from oxidative stress.
- Red Onion - red onion adds a bit of sweetness and crunch. If you prefer, use a shallot for a milder onion flavor.
- Fresh herbs - this recipe calls for a combination of fresh parsley and fresh dill. If you want, you can also add fresh mint, fresh basil, or fresh oregano, too.
- Feta Cheese - I suggest using a block of feta and crumbling it yourself with your hands or a knife. Feta adds a salty component to this perfect side dish.
Dressing Ingredients
- Lemon Juice - fresh lemon juice adds a ton of flavor and brightens this dish up. It also contains ascorbic acid, a natural preservative.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - extra virgin olive oil to coat the veggies and add heart-healthy fats that also support hormone health and brain health.
- White Wine Vinegar - a light bodied and mild vinegar to add a punch of tang. Feel free to use red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you prefer the taste.
- Garlic Powder - I use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic here because it's a bit more concentrated and a little goes a long way. If you want, you can use 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic instead.
- Salt & Black Pepper - the perfect way to tie all the flavors together.
How to Make a Chickpea Cucumber Salad
Below are the instructions for how to make this chickpea salad recipe with some visuals that I hope are helpful! Don't forget to check out the recipe card at the bottom for the full recipe.
- Step 1 - Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. Dice the tomato, cucumber, red onion, and fresh herbs. In a medium bowl, combine the salad ingredients including cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, fresh herbs and chickpeas.
- Step 2 - Top the salad ingredients with the dressing ingredients including lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Toss until everything is coated.
- Step 3- Add crumbled feta on top and gently toss again.
Hint: If you are making it in advance to serve later, combine everything except the feta cheese. Add the feta cheese right before serving.
Variations
The great thing about this Chickpea Cucumber Salad is you can customize to your taste! Below are some ideas, but feel free to get creative.
- Vegan - you can easily make this recipe vegan by replacing the feta cheese with avocado or tahini, both of which will add similar creaminess as the cheese does.
- Spicy - if you're a fan of spicy flavors, add jalapeño peppers, cayenne, and a little bit of crushed red pepper on top.
- Deluxe - throw in more veggies to amp up the flavor and nutrition even more. Red bell peppers, cauliflower or broccoli would all be good additions.
- Salty - add a complexity with briny olives. I like to use a combo of green olives and kalamata olives in this chickpea cucumber salad.
- Dijon - adding a tablespoon of dijon mustard takes the simple dressing used in this salad to another level by adding a hint of spiciness.
- More Protein - the chickpeas add plant-protein. But feel free to add your favorite protein on top. Chicken, tofu, shrimp, or salmon all work great with these flavors.
Storage for Chickpea Cucumber Salad
- Refrigerator - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Expert Advice
- To save time, use canned chickpeas. Rinse your can of chickpeas to improve the flavor and texture of the final dish.
- Buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself for the best flavor.
- If possible, use freshly squeezed lemon instead of lemon juice from the bottle.
Dietitian tip
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are the main ingredient in this healthy snack. They provide dietary fiber for gut health and 12g of plant-based protein per cup! And legumes like chickpeas are also high in vitamins B6 and B12 which have been shown to support brain health. Make it easy to incorporate legumes into your eating pattern by meal prepping recipes that taste amazing like this one!
FAQ
While healthy means something different to everyone, this is a nutrient-rich option. It contains plant protein from the chickpeas, dietary fiber to support gut health from the legumes and vegetables, and heart-healthy fats that also support brain health and hormone health from the olive oil. This fresh recipe also contains antioxidants and vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, and magnesium. It is also vegetarian and gluten-free.
Find feta cheese near the other cheeses in the dairy section of most grocery stores. You can buy it in a block and crumble it with your hands or buy it already crumbled. I suggest buying it in the block and crumbling it yourself because the feta that comes crumbled often has added ingredients and tastes drier.
Garbanzo beans and chickpeas are different names for the same legume. They can be used interchangeably so look for either name when doing your grocery shopping to make chickpea salad recipes like this one.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Perfect for Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this Chickpea Cucumber Salad:
Looking for Nutrition Education?
Here are some nutrition education articles from a dietitian:
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. I would love to hear from you! If you made this recipe, please leave me a review below or tag me in a photo or story on Instagram....I LOVE knowing there’s people out there trying out my recipes! 🙂 IG: @mallorythedietitian.
📖 Recipe
Easy Chickpea Cucumber Salad with Feta and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), 15 oz rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered about 15 tomatoes
- 4 persian cucumbers, diced or 1 english cucumber
- ¼ cup red onion, diced about a quarter of an onion
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped more to taste
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped more to taste
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese 4 oz or half a block
For Dressing
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 lemon (juice of) about 2-3 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder more to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- black pepper more to taste
Instructions
- Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. Dice the cucumber and tomatoes, and chop the red onion and fresh herbs. In a medium bowl, combine the salad ingredients including cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, fresh herbs and chickpeas.
- Top the salad ingredients with the dressing ingredients. Toss until everything is coated.
- Add crumbled feta on top and gently toss again.
Video
Notes
- To save time, use canned chickpeas. Rinse your can of chickpeas to improve the flavor and texture of the final dish.
- Buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself for the best flavor.
- If possible, use freshly squeezed lemon instead of lemon juice from the bottle.
- Refrigerator - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- To save time, use canned chickpeas. Rinse your can of chickpeas to improve the flavor and texture of the final dish.
- Buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself for the best flavor.
- If possible, use freshly squeezed lemon instead of lemon juice from the bottle.
Nikki
Hi! I love the recipe but the red onion is missing from the ingredient list! I totally forgot to buy one at the store because of this! Other than that its a perfect recipe
Mallory
Hi Nikki, THANK YOU so much for pointing that out! I just added it to the ingredient list. I'm so happy to hear that you loved the salad! Thank you so much again. 😊