Roasted Chickpea Salad
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This flavorful Roasted Chickpea Salad combines avocado, heirloom tomatoes, feta cheese and crisp cucumbers with roasted chickpeas and spices. It's a Mediterranean salad served with creamy blackberry feta dressing that's irresistible!
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Why You'll Love This Salad
- FRESH FLAVOR - features Mediterranean inspired flavors from feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh herbs
- QUICK RECIPE - this easy roasted chickpea salad can be made in 30 minutes or even less if you use an air fryer
- MEATLESS OPTION - packed with protein from garbanzo beans which provides an option for folks following a vegetarian lifestyle
- MAIN DISH OR SIDE - hearty enough to be served as a main course or perfect as a side dish to many entrees
- LIGHT AND EASY - perfect light summer meal to serve for lunch or dinner
What are Chickpeas?
Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans which are categorized as legumes. You can purchase them as canned chickpeas at the grocery store and use them in a variety of recipes.
Garbanzo beans are very affordable, which makes them a great option for crunchy toppings, tasty snacks or main meals.
Ingredients
Roasted Chickpea Salad is made with fresh ingredients that add incredible flavor to this dish. See recipe card for quantities.
Roasted Chickpeas
- garbanzo beans - also known as chick peas
- olive oil - extra virgin olive oil is best
- seasoning - greek, mediterranean or barbecue seasoning works well
Salad
- fresh arugula - adds a little kick - can substitute mixed greens if desired
- tomato - one large red tomato is perfect - can use heirloom or regular
- cucumbers - two mini or one medium English cucumber
- crumbly feta cheese - salty and creamy - can use goat cheese instead
- avocado - adds flavor and healthy fat to this dish
- lime - squeeze over vegetables to brighten the flavor
- fresh blackberries - to garnish
Dressing
- feta cheese - provides the perfect balance of salty flavor
- avocado - makes it creamy and rich
- blackberries - a nice sweet touch
- olive oil - use extra virgin for best results
- vinegar - gives a little zing
- fresh basil - provides bold flavor and balances out the feta
How to Make Roasted Chickpeas
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and drain chickpeas. Dry well with paper towels until all moisture is gone.
Spread beans on a sheet pan or baking sheet. Drizzle with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and work into each bean with your hands.
Roast at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until chickpeas begin to turn crispy and brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle generously with seasoning of your choice.
I like to use Trader Joe's BBQ rub and seasoning, (ad) but you can make your own spice mix or save time with one that's already pre-mixed.
Alternatively, you can cook roasted garbanzo beans in an air fryer by setting it on 390 degrees and cooking the chickpeas for 15 minutes. Shake a few times during the cooking process.
If you use an air fryer, you won't have to worry about drying the chickpeas at all!
Cool chickpeas completely before spreading on lettuce. They will be crispy and absorb whatever seasoning used.
Assembling the Salad
- Start assembling roasted chickpea salad by arranging arugula down the middle of a serving platter or large plate.
- Add juicy tomatoes on one side along with chunks of crumbled feta cheese at the bottom.
- Arrange sliced avocado and fresh cucumbers on the other side with a few blackberries as garnish.
- Sprinkle roasted chickpeas on top of arugula and garnish with a few lime slices.
- Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over salad and sprinkle a little seasoning over avocado and cheese. Serve with Blackberry Feta Dressing.
How to Make Blackberry Feta Dressing
- Place feta, blackberries, olive oil and vinegar in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add fresh basil leaves and continue to pulse until smooth and creamy. Serve blackberry feta on the side along with olive oil as an alternative.
- Dressing will be thick. Dressing will be thick. If you prefer it thinner, add a little milk or water and pulse until desired consistency.
- I like to add a smear of dressing on each plate and arrange the salad on the side for a nice presentation.
What to Serve with Chickpea Salad
The best thing to serve with Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is creamy blackberry feta dressing. But, you can also use a simple drizzle of olive oil or Greek dressing if preferred.
This easy chickpea salad can be served as a main course or as a side with many entrees like beef tenderloin marsala, my old fashioned salisbury steak recipe or a popular dutch oven pot roast.
Since it's a Mediterranean dish, it also goes great with antipasti penne, bowtie greek pasta or baked meatballs with feta. Use your prettiest platter or large plate to show all of the nooks and crannies of this beautiful salad!
Variations
- use different seasonings like Greek, Middle Eastern (Za'atar), Indian curry or Tajin
- make your own spice mix with garlic powder, black pepper, curry and salt
- substitute nuts or seeds in place of roasted garbanzo beans
- use fresh romaine lettuce or other leafy greens instead of arugula
- drizzle the platter with balsamic vinegar or Greek salad dressing
- throw in some kalamata olives, red onion and a splash of red wine vinegar
- substitute blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or another type of fruit
- use crumbled goat cheese as as substitute for feta cheese
- add fresh mint, thyme or rosemary instead of fresh basil
- add protein such as grilled chicken, steak or sliced pork tenderloin
Recipe FAQS
Absolutely! This superfood is a very popular because it contains all 9 amino acids which means it's a complete protein. It's a great addition to vegan and vegetarian diets for this reason.
Roasted chick peas have a nutty bean flavor and absorb whatever seasoning is added to them. When roasted, you can actually make them taste like bacon, barbecue or curried chick pea depending on what spice is used.
Sometimes the skins will start peeling off after you've rinsed and dried the peas. You can peel them off and discard the skins or leave them on. It won't hurt the roasting process. In fact, the skins are actually extra crispy.
Tips and Tricks
- Dry the garbanzo beans thoroughly with paper towels before roasting to ensure they stay crunchy. If they aren't dry before adding oil, they will turn out mushy.
- Skip the drying process completely by using an air fryer.
- Use enough olive oil to fully coat the peas before roasting to crisp them up. Mix them with your hands to ensure each bean is fully coated with oil.
- Add seasoning immediately after chick peas come out of the oven. If you season them before roasting, the spices will burn.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Wrap garbanzo beans separately from vegetables so they won't get soggy.
Lettuce doesn't keep well once dressing has been added. Store all ingredients separately from the salad and use just before serving.
Due to the fragile nature of lettuce, this salad cannot be frozen. However, it can be made ahead if each ingredient is stored separately in the refrigerator.
More Salads to Love
If you love this delicious chickpea salad recipe, be sure to try these other freshly made salads that are sure to please!
Recipe Card
Roasted Chickpea Salad
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Equipment
- 1 large platter or plate
Ingredients
Roasted Chickpeas
- 1 can (15.5 oz) garbanzo beans or chickpeas (drained, rinsed and dried)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
- ½ Tablespoon seasoning mix (such as Greek, Tajin, Za'atar or BBQ)
Salad
- 8 ounces arugula
- 1 large red tomato (diced)
- 2 small cucumbers (sliced)
- 4 ounces feta cheese (crumbled)
- 1 large avocado (sliced)
- 2 limes (sliced)
- 8 blackberries (to garnish)
Blackberry Feta Dressing
- 4 ounces feta cheese
- ½ large avocado
- 8 blackberries (can sub any berry)
- ⅛ cup white vinegar (can sub red wine vinegar)
- ¼ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 4 large fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Roasted Chickpeas
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and drain chickpeas. Dry well with paper towels until all moisture is gone.
- Spread chickpeas on a sheet pan or baking sheet. Drizzle with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and work into chickpeas with your hands.
- Roast at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until chickpeas begin to turn crispy and brown.
- Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle generously with seasoning of your choice. Cool chickpeas before adding to salad.
Salad
- Arrange arugula down the middle of a serving platter or large plate.
- Add diced tomatoes on one side along with chunks of crumbled feta cheese at the bottom.
- Arrange sliced avocado and fresh cucumbers on the other side with a few blackberries as garnish.
- Sprinkle roasted chickpeas on top of arugula and garnish with a few lime slices.
- Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over salad. Sprinkle avocado and cheese with a dash of seasoning. Serve salad with Blackberry Feta Dressing.
Blackberry Feta Dressing
- Place feta, blackberries, avocado, olive oil and vinegar in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add fresh basil leaves and continue to pulse until smooth and creamy.
- Dressing will be thick. If you prefer it thinner, add a little milk or water and pulse until desired consistency.
Notes
- Salad serves 4 as a side dish and 2 people as a main course.
- Dry the garbanzo beans thoroughly with paper towels before roasting to ensure they stay crunchy.
- Skip the drying process completely by using an air fryer set on 390 degrees for 15 minutes. Shake a few times during cooking.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Wrap garbanzo beans separately from vegetables so they won't get soggy. Crisp up in an air fryer or toaster oven.
- See post for variations and detailed notes.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
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This looks so yummy! I'm looking for a way to incorporate more chickpeas in my diet and this is definitely a must-try.
Awesome! Thanks for writing in! 🙂
Beautiful and tasty salad. Oh my goodness the dressing with this is so good! Love the chickpeas, too.
Thanks, Seanna! The blackberry feta dressing is my favorite.
Oh, I love chickpeas! So, I'm excited to try this new salad and especially with roasted chickpeas. The dressing sounds good too.