Description
This vibrant Chickpea Salad is a fresh and healthy dish perfect for a light lunch or a side. Packed with colorful vegetables, protein-rich chickpeas, creamy avocado, and tangy feta cheese, it’s tossed in a zesty homemade dressing combining avocado oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and a mix of herbs and spices, delivering a burst of flavor in every bite. Easy to prepare and ideal for make-ahead meals, this salad is both nutritious and satisfying.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (sliced)
- 1 cup English cucumber (diced)
- 1 cup green bell pepper (diced)
- ½ cup red onion (diced)
- ½ cup black olives (sliced)
- ¼ cup parsley (roughly chopped)
- 1 avocado (cubed)
- ¾ cup feta cheese
Dressing Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing: Combine all the dressing ingredients—avocado oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and black pepper—in a container with a lid. Shake well to emulsify and refrigerate it while you prepare the salad ingredients.
- Prepare the Salad Ingredients: Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Slice the cherry tomatoes, dice the English cucumber and green bell pepper, finely dice the red onion, slice the black olives, roughly chop the parsley, and cube the avocado. Placing the vegetables on paper towels helps absorb excess moisture to keep the salad crisp and fresh.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large bowl, gently toss together the chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, black olives, parsley, avocado, and feta cheese.
- Add the Dressing: Pour the prepared dressing over the salad and toss carefully to coat all ingredients evenly without mashing the avocado or feta.
- Chill and Serve: For best flavor, refrigerate the salad for up to 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld. If making ahead by one day, see notes for storage tips.
Notes
- To maintain optimal texture, especially when preparing the salad in advance, store the dressing separately and toss just before serving.
- The avocado may brown if mixed in too early; adding it right before serving can keep the salad looking fresh.)
- You can substitute feta cheese with a vegan cheese alternative for a vegan option.
- Adjust salt to taste, especially if using a salted feta cheese.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: Chickpea salad, Mediterranean salad, healthy salad, vegetarian, no-cook salad, avocado salad, feta cheese salad
