The flavors are bold and fresh, and the recipe can be made a day or two in advance. Makes 16 servings.

Mediterranean inspired chickpea salad with olives, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, in a white bowl on a blue background sitting next to a small bowl of capers, a parsley sprig and a white and red striped kitchen towel.

How I made my Mediterranean chickpea salad dairy free:

As of March 2018, this recipe has been updated to make it dairy free. I’ve added capers in place of feta cheese, and I cut back the amount of oil in the dressing to make it a bit healthier.

Without the saltiness of the feta cheese, I decided to use Kalamata or Greek olives in place of the black olives I used to use. I love the salad both ways, so I’m keeping both versions of the recipe on this post, for readers who are still looking for the original version.

Mediterranean inspired chickpea salad with olives, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, in a white bowl on a blue background sitting next to a small bowl of capers, a parsley sprig and a white and red striped kitchen towel.

I love having chickpeas in a salad. It makes any salad more filling and seemingly more healthy. I made this Mediterranean chickpea salad as an alternative to my corn & chickpea fiesta salad, which was one of my first blog recipes.

Ever since, I had been planning on making another version of it, and this is it. It’s simple, refreshing and so easy to make.

Garbanzo bean salad made with olives, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, in a white bowl on a blue background sitting on top of a small bowl of capers, a parsley sprig and a white and red striped kitchen towel.

I made when we were on our houseboat in Amsterdam (minus the oregano but it was still fantastic) and I brought it to Julia’s to eat before a game a few weeks ago. And now, I’ve made it again for you.

It makes a lot of salad so feel free to cut the recipe in half if you only want a few servings, and you can increase the amount of olives if you like them – Marc isn’t a big fan so I usually keep the olives to a minimum for his sake.

garbanzo bean salad made with olives, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, in a white bowl on a blue background sitting next to a small bowl of capers, a parsley sprig and a white and red striped kitchen towel.

Tips for making the best mediterranean chickpea salad:

  • Use the best beans you can. I’ve used “cheap” brands in the past, and I find that the beans aren’t a soft or as flavorful, so I spend the extra fifteen or twenty cents on name brand cans.
  • Make the salad ahead, but keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to serve because the salt will draw out the juices from the vegetables and the longer they sit, the more bland they’ll get. So just wait.
Mediterranean inspired chickpea salad with olives, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, in a white bowl on a blue background sitting on top of a small bowl of capers, a parsley sprig and a white and red striped kitchen towel.

More chickpea recipes you’ll love:

Mediterranean inspired chickpea salad with olives, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, in a white bowl on a blue background sitting on top of a small bowl of capers, a parsley sprig and a white and red striped kitchen towel.
Pin Print
4.75 from 8 votes

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

By: Melissa Belanger
This protein-packed Mediterranean chickpea salad is filled with vegetables and hint of salty capers with a simple vinaigrette. It’s a great side dish and it can pull double duty as a healthy, vegan lunch to last through the week.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 16
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Ingredients 

For the salad:

  • 3 15- ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 English cucumbers, seeded and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup diced red onion, amount to taste
  • 3/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons capers

For the dressing:

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice, or white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions 

  • Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
  • Add dressing to salad, stirring to coat evenly, about 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 65kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 6g, Sodium: 239mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin C: 18mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

For the original version with feta, use these ingredients and the same dressing & mixing method:
  • 3 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1 English cucumber, seeded and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup sliced black olives
  • 1 cup crumbled feta

Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

Read more about me

You may also like:

4.75 from 8 votes

Leave a comment

When leaving a comment or rating:
Feel free to share your recipe feedback, ingredient swaps, or tips for other readers. Rating a recipe you changed isn’t helpful to anyone - drop it in the comments instead. Keep it kind and on topic - disrespectful comments and ad complaints will not be approved.

Recipe Rating




53 Comments

  1. Millie says:

    5 stars
    I absolutely loved this recipe when I tried the original version with feta, and I’d love to remake it. However, I see on this page you say you still have both up, but I only seem to see the new one, is the original still available?

    Reply
    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      Hi! I honestly just deleted the old version yesterday because the search engines are getting confused with the recipe formatting. The only difference is that the new version uses capers instead of feta, and kalamata olives instead of black olives. Feel free to switch them out and use add as much or as little feta as you like. I promise it will be the same though if you just make those two swaps.

      Reply
      1. CWebb says:

        I saw the original recipe a few years ago and tried it. It is now a staple on our menu and for potlucks. We use feta cheese, and kalamata olives, a dash of Italian seasoning and no capers. It’s so versatile. Thank you!

        Reply
  2. hicountryho says:

    5 stars
    I started eating this without even adding the dressing and it is perfection. I find capers and olives add enough salt. I have a jar of roasted red bell peppers, may add some.

    Reply
  3. Mlb says:

    3 stars
    I liked the old recipe with the feta cheese much better than the dairy free version.

    Reply
    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      You could add the feta if you want! It’s your salad. It’s just not dairy free. The only difference is that I swapped the capers for feta and used a different type of black olive.

      Reply
  4. Lisa says:

    Hi There,

    I was looking for the version that had the feta cheese, but can’t seem to find it. Am I missing a link as you mention that you will keep that version within this post. Thank you!

    Lisa

    Reply
    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      I’m not sure what happened to it, if it got deleted in an update or what, but I’ve added the original list of ingredients below the recipe card! Sorry about that.

      Reply