Corn & Chickpea Fiesta Salad
This corn & chickpea salad is the ultimate summer recipe. This healthy garbanzo bean salad packed with cucumber, tomato and peppers, and tossed in a fresh cilantro lime dressing for a light, yet satisfying meal, or side dish.
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Why I love this vegan chickpea salad recipe
This easy, corn and garbanzo bean salad recipe is perfect for a healthy summer lunch – filled with cucumber, tomatoes and corn, with a cilantro lime dressing. It’s a flavorful vegan meal, but it’s also great for a healthy dish to pass at barbecues and summer gatherings.
For the past several days it’s been 90 plus degrees here in Angers (the city where we live in France) and the last thing I want to do is create extra heat in our non-air-conditioned apartment.
Normally the weather is pretty mild here – we even had a few days of snow last winter – but these last few days have been crazy-hot. Therefore, I’ve been on a mission to find recipes and ideas for cold salads or anything else that doesn’t need to be cooked.
This summer garbanzo bean salad definitely beats the heat, and it has one of my favorite flavor combinations – cilantro and lime.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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How to make this garbanzo bean salad
Make your dressing. In a medium bowl (or in a large glass measuring cup), whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Chop your ingredients & rinse your chickpeas. I like to make sure I get off all the excess aquafaba, and I usually leave my chickpeas in the strainer until I’m ready to add them to the salad.
Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. I like to salt my cucumber to prevent excess water in my salad, but if you’re in a rush or don’t feel like it, that’s completely okay.
FAQS and tips for making a chickpea salad
Chickpeas are a great in salads, curry dishes, and pasta. They can also be roasted in the oven for a crunch snack or made into hummus for a creamy dip!
This salad should stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, but always use your best judgment.
Yes, canned chickpeas are already cooked and preserved in water. Be sure to drain the liquid (or save it as an egg white substitute) and rinse before eating.
Yes. They are the same thing, just a different name based on different languages. They can also be referred to as chi chi beans.
More chickpea recipes:
More dairy free salad recipes:
- Black eyed pea salad
- Kale caesar salad
- Strawberry poppyseed salad
- Kale and Brussels sprouts salad
- Mexican street corn salad
Corn & Chickpea Fiesta Salad
This corn & chickpea salad is the ultimate summer recipe. This healthy garbanzo bean salad packed with cucumber, tomato and peppers, and tossed in a fresh cilantro lime dressing for a light, yet satisfying meal, or side dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the chickpea salad:
- 2 1/2 cups corn kernels
- 2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups grape tomatoes, quartered (about 1 pound)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 English cucumber, chopped
For the cilantro lime dressing:
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the salad ingredients in a big bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and stir until everything is mixed well.
- Refrigerate until serving or at least for a half an hour to let the flavors blend.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 157
- Sugar: 3.7 g
- Sodium: 398.3 mg
- Fat: 8.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.8 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 5.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Published: July 27, 2012. Updated: October 2, 2023.
Made this for a potluck over the weekend, boy was it a hit!
We made this tonight and it ROCKS!!! This will definitely become my go-to dish to bring over to summer bbq’s…sorry pasta salad, you’ve been replaced!
Thanks Rachel! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
Found this recipe via Pinterest. I’m making it tonight. I saw a few great recipes listed in your recipe index that I hope to make one day. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you love the salad as much as I do 🙂
How long will this keep in the fridge?
The salad should keep in the fridge for about 3 days 🙂
Just had this at a potluck today. It was sooooo yummy, I had to stalk my friend for the recipe. She got it from Pinterest… and her pin led me here. Success! Thanks!
I love your pictures and recipes, they are mouth watering. Would love for you to share them with us at foodieportal.com. We are new but at foodieportal.com we are not photography snobs, we are just foodies.
Yum, yum, yum! I made this tonight and everyone in my family loved it, even the two-year-old! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Your food photos are amazing. You can share your mouth watering photos with us at foodienewz.com and your photos published on FoodieNewz without any editorial review.
I made this last night and we loved it! Thank you so much!!! What a perfect summer meal on a hot day! It was so good that I had to blog about it today. 🙂 http://madibella.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/summer-menu/
I made this last night along with some grilled marinated teriyaki chicken. It was such a nice, light summer meal and my husband loved it. I used edamame instead of green pepper just because it sounded yummy. I just found your blog and I love it! I plan on making many more of your delicious looking recipes. Thanks!!
Yes! More recipes like this please! So yummy, colorful and most importantly healthy!
The fresh flavours, ingredients and vibrant colours of this salad are really making me wish I had a bowlful to devour now. Just divine!
looks delicious! I love chickpea and cilantro! pinned!
hi
I want it for my daughters bday …
I want to make it at night and serve it next day afternoon
Will the onions smell or should I add onions just one he before
Pls let me know ..
You can add the onions when you make it, but I would recommend covering it before storing in the fridge. Otherwise, I would add the onions just before. Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Thank you for this recipe. I love it.
Am always trying to find ways to use/eat more beans in my family meal planning.
Your website shows great talent. Beautiful photos and very clear user friendly directions.
Thanks! I’m really glad to hear that you like it! 🙂
Made this tonight and it was awesome! One question, What is the measurement for 1 serving?
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it. I honestly wrote this recipe so long ago, I never measured anything as for as serving sizes go, so I can’t really say. I would say about 1 cup!
We made this today, with only one change, subbing the cucumber with edamame.
Perfect side dish as the days start to warm up. Thanks for the post!
Yummy…yummy but much more so after sitting overnight! Thank you for sharing a healthy alternative to other picnic salads.
I’m not a huge fan of cilanto. Is there something else I can substitute for it?
Would this survive for a week if I did it as a meal prep?
I think so! But I would hold off on dressing it until you’re ready to eat.
Made this twice in the last several weeks, it’s a variation on one of my favorite summer dishes. I made it as suggested, but added just a bit of smoked paprika and cayenne to the sauce for a bit of zing!! Thanks for the recipe.
It’s so good! I use a lot less oil (40mls) and it tastes great. Thank you!
When four couples get together for a group dinner and you are responsible for bringing a salad, this is it! Rave reviews. We are not dairy free, so I crumbled up a large chunk of feta on top. Other than that, I followed the recipe and it was delicious. Thanks for the alternative to typical salad! I will definitely make this again.