Corn & Chickpea Fiesta Salad
This corn and 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.
Why I love this chickpea salad
This easy, chickpea 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.you talk about the recipe, something related to the recipe.
Searching for more chickpea recipes? Mediterranean chickpea salad / curry chickpea salad / roasted chickpeas / chickpea tuna salad
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Chickpeas – I use canned chickpeas for this recipe, but if you want to prepare your own from dried garbanzo beans, you can learn more here.
- Corn – This recipe is great for summer corn-from-the-cob, but it also works just fine with frozen corn. Simply thaw the corn before using.
- Lime – Fresh is always best for citrus, but bottled will work in a pinch. You can also swap out some of the lime for other citrus like lemon or oranges if you don’t have enough lime juice.
- Red onion – You can swap this for another type of onion.
- Cucumber – I recommend using an seedless cucumber for this recipe, but if you don’t have that, make sure you remove the seeds to prevent the salad from getting watery.
Melissa’s tips for recipe success:
- Don’t like cilantro? That’s ok! Try swapping out the cilantro for basil or parsley instead.
- Meal prep tip: I recommend prepping your salad ingredients and keeping them separate from the dressing until you’re ready to serve. This will prevent the cucumber and tomato from releasing too much of their juices and keeps the salad from getting watery.
- Save the chickpea liquid: It’s called aquafaba, and it’s normally used as an egg white substitute, but it makes a great swap for heavy whipping cream in my dairy free mousse. It’s also great to use in cocktails like my cherry vodka sour.
Frequently asked questions
More dairy free salad recipes: kale caesar salad / strawberry poppyseed salad / kale and Brussels sprouts salad / Mexican street corn salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups corn kernels
- 2 15- ounce cans garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
- 3 cups quartered grape tomatoes ((about 1 pound))
- 1 green bell pepper (diced)
- 1/2 red onion (finely diced (about 1/4 cup))
- 1 English cucumber (chopped)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup lime juice (4 tablespoons)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Make your dressing. In a medium bowl (or in a large glass measuring cup), whisk together the dressing ingredients. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
- Mix your salad. Combine your salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and stir until everything is mixed well.
- Chill the salad. Refrigerate until serving or at least for a half an hour to let the flavors blend and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper, to taste, before serving.
