This Chickpea Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette is light, bright, and bursting with Mediterranean flavor. With hearty chickpeas, fresh cucumber, briny olives, sweet tomatoes, and creamy feta, this simple Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is both satisfying and easy to make.
My Favorite Chickpea Salad
When it comes to quick and easy meals that are packed with both flavor and nutrition, it doesn’t get much better than this chickpea salad recipe!
Ready in minutes, this Mediterranean chickpea salad combines fresh tomatoes, olives, feta, oregano, olive oil, and red wine vinegar with canned garbanzo beans to create a simple salad that is loaded with nutrients and flavor.
Whether served as a salad, stuffed in a pita, or scooped up with pita chips, this easy chickpea salad is as versatile and uncomplicated as it is delicious.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
While this chickpea salad is extremely versatile, I have included notes on selecting ingredients and optional additions to ensure you have the best results.
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas, often labeled garbanzo beans, should be rinsed and drained before adding to the salad.
- Kalamata Olives: Don’t be tempted to use black olives in place of Kalamata olives. The kalamata olives have a bold, briny tates that is far superior to black olives.
- English Cucumber: A regular garden cucumber can be used in place of a seedless cucumber, but you will need to peel and remove seeds before dicing to keep this chickpea salad from getting watery.
- Tomatoes: Any variety of fresh, ripe tomatoes will work, but keep in mind that larger tomatoes should be deseeded and diced before adding to the salad.
- Onion: For the best flavor, opt for a red onion or sweet onion, not a yellow onion.
- Feta: Feel free to omit for dairy-free or vegan-friendly chickpea salad.
- Dressing: This salad is dressed simply with red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, and oregano.
- Optional Additions: Feel free to add roasted red peppers, fresh red bell peppers, pepperoncini peppers, or fresh dill, mint, or parsley.
How to Make Chickpea Salad
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Dressing. Whisk together the red wine vinegar, oregano, salt, garlic, and olive oil until well combined. I like to combine the dressing right in a large bowl to cut back on dishes, but you can prepare it it in a small bowl if desired.
- Combine Salad. To the dressing, add in the chickpeas, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and toss to coat.
- Chill. While you can enjoy this chickpea salad immediately after preparation, it is best if you cover and chill for 20-30 minutes. This will let the veggies soak up the dressing and the flavors meld together.
- Add Feta and Serve. Right before serving, crumble fresh feta cheese (and any fresh herbs, if using) over the salad, gently toss, and serve.
Serving Suggestions
This Mediterranean Chickpea salad is incredibly versatile and can be served chilled or at room temperature and in a variety of different ways. It can be served cold or at room temperature, making this an ideal dish for potlucks or to pack in a lunch for work or school. Below are some of my favorite ways to serve this Chickpea Salad.
- As a Side Dish: Serve this Chickpea Salad on the side of Marinated Greek Chicken, Chicken Shawarma, or Chicken Gyros.
- For Meal-Prep: Make a large batch on Sunday and serve as a gluten-free lunch throughout the week.
- As a Sandwich: Fill pita bread with the Chickpea Salad and a dollop of Tzatziki sauce or hummus for lunch on the go!
- Use for Quinoa Salad: Toss with 1-2 cups of cooked Instant Pot Quinoa for chickpea salad filled with plant-based protein.
- As a Dip: Serve with pita chips or crackers for a hearty, wholesome snack.
- For an Omelet: Use leftover chickpea salad as a filling for an omelet for an insanely delicious breakfast–so good!
More Easy Mediterranean-Inspired Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
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In large bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 cloves garlic (grated or minced), and ½ teaspoon kosher salt together.
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To the dressing, add the chickpeas, kalamata olives, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and olives and gently toss to combine.
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Cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to let flavors intensify.
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Right before serving, crumble feta cheese over chickpea salad and serve.
Tomatoes: Any fresh, ripe variety of tomatoes works in this salad. Vine-ripened or Roma tomatoes need to be diced and deseeded.
Toppings Ideas: Feel to add in roasted peppers, pepperoncini, green olives, red bell peppers, capers, fresh mint, dill, or parsley, etc to this salad as desired.
In place of canned chickpeas, feel free to use 2 cups of Instant Pot cooked chickpeas, but add in an additional pinch of salt to the salad.
Calories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 361mgPotassium: 199mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 393IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2025.
