Summer Greek Chickpea Salad

A delicious way to use the overabundance of the season, this Greek chickpea salad is both filling and refreshing – and bonus, no heat needed. It’s not so hot in our region this year but no one really wants to cook and bake so much for summer recipes.

With creamy chickpeas, piles of summer veg, and a simple lemon vinaigrette, this is an easy dinner or packable lunch. A tiny bit of onion goes a long way here to really boosting the overall flavour. This is a vegan version as keeps a bit longer as a result.

While feta is (obviously) missing here, and so are olives, it’s definitely inspired by a classic Greek salad. And of course you can add both! What better way to use some garden vegetables?

If you like this vegan Greek salad, you’ll probably also like our summer strawberry salad, vegan cucumber salad, and mango avocado salad. All make fantastic late summer sides!

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Chickpeas: cooked or canned. There are instructions in my book about how to cook chickpeas at home. Be sure to rinse very well if using canned chickpeas.
• Tomatoes: cherry or small plum tomatoes are ideal, but larger types cut into chunks works too. You’ll probably get a bit more liquid in the salad if using large tomatoes.
• Avocado: a little bit to replace the texture of feta, but great for the healthy fats, too. If using feta, you can omit the avocado if preferred.
• Onion: finely diced, to avoid a mouthful of onion. You can sub shallot here if preferred, and let the salad rest a little while if you don’t like it so sharp.
• Oregano: fresh makes a big difference – see below for substitutions.

Recipe Notes

If you like vegan feta, it could be added here, no problem. I’ve never found one I like – they just taste like salty tofu – so can’t recommend a brand or recipe. If you eat cheese, of course traditional sheep feta or another type can be used.

I think preserved lemon might add a bit of that salt kick if you’re craving it but don’t want to use cheese. I’ve only just started a new batch so haven’t tried this, but it seems like it’d be really good. Olives will add another element of flavour as well.

Don’t have oregano? Marjoram is the obvious sub, but mint or basil are good substitutions too. Make sure to use fresh herbs. Dried won’t be nearly as nice here and may overwhelm the salad. Parsley would work in a pinch too.

Change up the vegetables based on what you have on hand. The onion can be left out if you have a propensity to heartburn, and keep in mind that if you make this a few hours before you plan on eating it, the onion will mellow a lot in the lemon vinaigrette.

How to Store

Make Ahead: if you want to make this in advance, no problem. The salad can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The vinaigrette must be added in order to keep the avocado fresh.

Storage: leftovers can be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.

Expert Tips

• Choose a low-seed cucumber: english is the most readily available, but other varieties like suyo are excellent if you can grow your own or have access to a good market farmer. Too many seeds will make the salad a bit runny.
• Add some vinegar: if you like a more acidic vinaigrette, add a splash of white wine vinegar to the mix. I often do this.
• Season to taste: if you’re not adding feta or olives, you may want to add a little extra salt to make up for them. The recipe uses a fairly low amount of salt as a starting point and I usually add a bit more.

More Chickpea Recipes

Chickpea Noodle Soup with Parsley and Lemon
Cauliflower Tikka Masala
Chickpea Sweet Potato Burgers
Roasted Chickpea Tacos

If you make this Greek Chickpea Salad or any other vegetarian sides on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.

This post was first published in September 2018. It has been updated with slight improvements to the recipe as of July 2021.