This Mediterranean avocado chickpea salad is packed with amazing vegetables, feta cheese and vegetarian protein. Make this easy salad in less than 10 minutes, and serve it as a healthy side dish or entree.
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If you're looking for a quick, healthy, flavorful and colorful salad, this is the recipe for you. My go-to lunch salad this summer is this chickpea avocado and feta salad recipe, bursting with amazing flavors from seasonal vegetables.
This salad is easy to customize, but the suggested ingredients compliment each other beautifully. Every component is affordable and accessible, and the entire dish can be made in a matter of minutes with no cooking required.
Why you'll love it
- Quick and easy 10-minute recipe
- Filling and healthy
- A complete meal with healthy fat and protein
- Perfect for lunch or dinner
- Easy to customize
- Gluten free, with a vegan and dairy free option
Ingredients
Chickpeas: Use drained canned chickpeas. Dry chickpeas must be boiled before use, and are not suitable for this recipe.
Avocado: As ripe and soft as possible.
Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion: Amazing salad vegetables. Omit or substitute these if you wish.
Parsley: Fresh parsley add a lot of flavor. You can also substitute with leafy greens or other chopped herbs like basil or mint - or a combination of these.
Olives: I love kalamata olives, but use your favorites. Leave them out if you prefer.
Olive oil + seasoning: These make a basic salad homemade salad dressing.
Feta cheese: Optional, but tastes great and makes the salad more filling.
Lemon juice: Adds flavor to the dish, and also keeps the salad fresh for longer. You can also use lime juice.
Instructions
You can find full instructions + ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
One: Add diced red onion, diced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, olives, chopped parsley, crumbled feta cheese and drained canned chickpeas to a salad bowl.
Two: Add seasoning and olive oil to the salad.
Three: Add freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Four: Stir to combine the ingredients evenly, and serve.
Top tips
- Slice or dice the vegetables however you'd like.
- Feel free to omit, add or substitute the vegetables to include your favorites.
- The olive oil and seasoning can be substituted with your favorite salad dressing.
- The lemon juice will keep the vegetables fresh for longer.
- Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas thoroughly before use.
Serving suggestions
This delicious salad is best served as a light meal, or as a filling side dish for lunch or dinner. Here are some of my favorite entrees to pair it with:
- Baked Swordfish
- Pesto Crusted Salmon
- Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Herbed Lemon Butter Cod
- Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken
- Instant Pot Lentils
Variations
Vegan chickpea salad: Omit the feta cheese, or use a vegan feta cheese alternative. You can find these in most large supermarkets.
Other vegetables: Add or substitute the vegetables that you like. Diced peppers, celery, artichoke hearts, radishes, shredded carrots, spinach, basil and mint would all be great additions.
Other protein choices: Substitute the chickpeas with butter beans, black beans, shredded chicken, quinoa, bulgur wheat or any other protein source that you like. You can also add several of them to make the salad more filling.
Leftovers
Store leftover avocado chickpea salad in a sealed container in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. The lemon juice will keep the vegetables fresh for longer than usual, and it's key that you add it if you want the salad to last.
I often like to store the salad separately from the dressing, as I find that it improves the texture of leftovers. If you want to try this, you can combine the olive oil and seasoning in a separate container, and pour it over the salad when you're ready to serve it.
Frequently asked questions
You can add any vegetables you like to a chickpea salad with avocado, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs, spinach, lettuce, peppers, olives, onions and more.
A healthy salad should include a source of healthy fat, a source of lean protein and a variety of vegetables in several colors. Any salad which fills these criteria will be filling, satiating and packed with vitamins.
Absolutely. Salads are best if they are stored in a cold space, ideally in a refrigerator. If you want to bring it to school or work for lunch, I recommend keeping it as cool as possibly.
You might also like these recipes
- Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
- Halloumi Salad with Butternut Squash
- Beetroot and Feta Salad
- Black Bean Corn Salad
- Artichoke Chicken Salad
- Quinoa Black Bean Salad
If you make any of these recipes, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy! Follow Hint of Healthy on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest for more healthy recipes.
Recipe
Avocado Chickpea Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- ½ English cucumber
- 15 olives
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ lemon (juice only)
- ⅓ cup parsley
- 1 red onion
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Dice the onion, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber.
- Add the diced vegetables to a salad bowl or mixing bowl, along with chopped parsley, crumbled feta cheese and drained and rinsed canned chickpeas.
- Pour over olive oil and lemon juice, along with the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Stir to combine the ingredients evenly, and serve.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Omit the feta cheese for a vegan version.
- Feel free to omit, add or substitute any vegetables as you like. Peppers, radishes, shredded carrot, artichoke hearts and spinach are excellent additions.
- Serve the salad as a light meal, or pair it with an entree as a side salad.
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