Tangy Chickpea Cucumber Salad is packed with freshness and flavor thanks to the addition of fresh parsley, black olives and a zesty marinade.
Jump to RecipeLong before my husband and I made the switch to a whole food, plant based vegan lifestyle (check out our favorite vegan recipes), I loved chickpeas. That feeling hasn’t wavered even now that they are an almost daily part of life.
I have loved this salad for years. It is just bursting with flavor and there are so many different ways to enjoy it. The kids – even those that aren’t necessarily “bean fans” – love it, too.
Although this Chickpea Cucumber salad has a more summery vibe, I think it is a perfect fit any time of the year — as long as you can find fresh, ripe cucumbers. We enjoy it all year, especially for lunches. It’s perfect to meal prep on the weekend and then enjoy throughout the week.
How to make Chickpea Cucumber Salad
It honestly doesn’t get much easier than this recipe! With just about 10 minutes worth of prep, you can throw the salad together and then enjoy it for days afterward. Plus, it’s naturally gluten free and vegan!
To make the salad, you’ll start by combining chickpeas, sliced cucumber and black olives in a large bowl. Then you’ll whisk together the marinade. Combine olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, Italian seasoning or Oregano, and fresh parsley and whisk to mix well. Pour the marinade over the beans and veggies, toss to combine and refrigerate until ready to eat.
You can eat the salad right away, but the flavors mature the longer it sits. I like to make it at least 3 hours before we plan to eat.
The prepared salad will keep for at least 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Variations, substitutions and additions
This is a great recipe to play around with! The base is so simple and flavorful that it opens up all kinds of options. So, feel free to customize to your hearts content.
Here are some additions that we’ve loved over the years:
- capers
- diced red onion
- julienned fresh spinach
- feta or goat cheese
- diced fresh tomatoes
- avocado slices
- farro
- quinoa
- pine nuts
- walnuts
- kale
Feel free to mix and match until you find the combination that you love!
If you are adding several additional options, you might want to double up on the marinade.
Meal ideas
I love the versatility of this salad almost as much as I love it’s customization friendliness.
You can enjoy it as a side dish with all kinds of meals. It’s the perfect accompaniment to BBQ, sandwiches, hamburgers or bratwursts, and baked chicken or pork of any kind. Take it to a picnic or potluck without concern since you don’t have to worry about it staying cold.
It’s also great on its own for lunch or a quick dinner. To make it heartier, add some of the options above. My favorite lunch combinations are spinach and walnuts or farro and walnuts on a bed of fresh, massaged kale. You can also tuck the salad inside pita bread for an amazing sandwich.
However you decide to enjoy this salad (and you really can’t go wrong any way), I know that you’ll love it. It’s:
- versatile
- customizable
- vegan
- gluten free
- easy
- flavorful
- & delicious
Chickpea Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 1 large cucumber (peeled, quartered and sliced)
- 5 oz. can sliced black olives (rinsed)
- 1/3 c. olive oil
- 2 T. apple cider vinegar
- 1 t. sugar
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 1/2 t. Italian seasoning or oregano
- 1/4 c. fresh parsley (diced)
Instructions
- Combine chickpeas, cucumber and black olives in a bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir in parsley and pour over chickpea mixture.
- Toss to coat and refrigerate until serving.
Notes
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Make sure you use fresh, crisp cucumbers.
- Mix it up with some of the options above.
- If you add a lot of additional options, you will probably need to double the marinade.
- You can eat this salad as soon as it is mixed together but for the best flavor, let it chill in the refrigerate for a few hours before enjoying.
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