This Vegan Chickpea Salad is a healthy make-ahead lunch filled with plant-based protein. I love how quick and easy it is to prepare!
This recipe comes from Lisa Leake’s latest book, 100 Days of Real Food: On a Budget. In it, Lisa shares practical secrets for saving money in the kitchen, along with easy recipes that are $15 or less to help you cut out processed foods.
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It’s a great option for people who might be new to healthy eating, particularly if they are looking for recipes using whole wheat flour and no refined sugar. I love how Lisa breaks down the price of each recipe so you can plan ahead.
When I spotted this easy chickpea salad in the “Packed Lunches” chapter of the new book, I asked Lisa if I could share it here. I love how you can make it ahead of time, so you’ll have an easy lunch that’s ready to eat, straight from the fridge. It’s packed with fiber and protein from the chickpeas, to help keep you full throughout the afternoon.
How to Make Vegan Chickpea Salad
Making this salad is just about as easy as it gets. Most of the effort is simply chopping a few veggies! I cook my chickpeas from scratch in the Instant Pot (because I love how easy it is), but you can grab of can of prepared chickpeas if that’s more convenient for you. Either way should give you the same results.
I like to mix the simple red wine vinaigrette for this salad directly in the bottom of a large bowl, so I can add the chickpeas and veggies and toss them together without dirtying too many dishes. You can divide the salad right away into individual servings for a packed lunch, or simply store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
I thought I might want to add cheese to this salad (because I love a sprinkling of feta on most things), but I am pleasantly surprised by how satisfying and flavorful it is. No cheese necessary, if you ask me! I tend to use dried basil because that’s what I always have on hand, but you could use any fresh or dried herbs you love. I imagine fresh dill would be nice, too.
I packed my lunch using these cute glass storage containers (mine came as a set of 3).
Vegan Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (one 15-oz. can, drained and rinsed)
- 1 cucumber , finedly diced
- 1 red bell pepper , finely diced
- 1/2 red onion , finely diced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.
- Add in the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion, and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Serve right away, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Nutrition
Per serving: Calories: 233; Fat: 15g, Carbohydrates: 18g, Fiber: 5g, Protein: 5g
Recipe Notes:
- If you’d like to use less oil or another type of vinegar, I think that would be fine in this recipe. You can taste it as you go and adjust the seasoning. This entire recipe is pretty adaptable to use what you have on hand!
- For a properly combined lunch, you could choose sliced carrots and guacamole on the side to keep this a starch based meal.
As always, if you make any modifications to this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know how it worked for you. We can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: Do you have a favorite make-ahead lunch? Please feel free to share recipes or links in the comments below.
This recipe is reprinted with permission from 100 Days of Real Food: On a Budget, by Lisa Leake. I received a complimentary copy of this book, but I’m under no obligation to promote it. I just wanted to share Lisa’s work and this tasty recipe!
Thanks for sharing! I’m excited to make this for my lunches (:
Added 2 tbsp of lemon juice and it brought the dressing to life. Delicious
Thank you Megan, always on the look out for lunch meal prep ideas. Thank you!
Megan, this recipe is fantastic!
I make a somewhat heartier version of this salad with a handful of chopped dill, picked gherkins, roasted peppers, olives and shallots! If I have a crowd to feed I would toss in 3-4 different types of beans besides the chickpeas (black, red, etc.), a can of corn + a couple of avocados. Olive oil + balsamic vinegar and everybody’s eating like they’ve never had food before 🙂
I’m making this tonight.
Are the containers you use here glass/Pyrex or plastic? Can you post a link? I LOVE my rectangular Pyrex dishes for lunches, but have always wanted ones with dividers/separate compartments!
Yes, they’re glass! I bought them on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XBLwJM
This is so delicious and easy to make. I added dill instead of basil, quite refreshing and filling.
Delicious. The dressing is a bit bland for us so I added another tablespoon of rwv and it’s perfect.
I cannot say how much I love this salad! I did make a couple of tweeks. I added some Kalamata olives, chopped and some goat cheese and put all of this on a bed of spinach. I also used a Greek vinaigrette (because I had it already made) So, so delicious!! And my picky husband cleaned his plate! Thank you for the great recipe. i plan on trying it exactly as you have it, as well as spicing it up in different ways.
This is a great recipe. My meat-eating husband loves it. I usually toss s bit of feta cheese into it.
My husband has been tested for a gluten allergy, but hospital doctors can only agree (after a year) that whilst not a true allergy he is very gluten intolerant. He is also lactose intolerant. As a result we have adapted his diet to avoid wheat and dairy. He LOVES chickpea salads for his lunch and you are correct, you can really play around with whatever you have to hand. Thank you for posting the above recipe which is now one of our every week staples.
Love it
Hi Megan, how would you make the chickpeas from scratch in the IP for this recipe?
Thanks 😊
Here’s my tutorial for cooking those: https://detoxinista.com/instant-pot-chickpeas/
This was super quick and delicious. My 11 year old helped me with it. We used balsamic vinegar instead, which is perhaps a bit too sweet, but we didn’t have the other. I would double the recipe next time.
Delish! I use this salad to assemble my mason jars with greens for work! It’s 👌
Hi Megan
You mention adding cheese like feta. Does that satisfy the food combining lists?
Also, another question… can I combine animal proteins like cheese and meat? Thanks!!!
I subbed 3 carrots for the cucumber and cut the dressing in half. I added it to a bed of mixed greens.
This salad is a great and filling lunch. I did add feta crumbles and they gave it a nice kick. Easy lunch to take to work.