Fresh, crunchy and filled with flavour, this delicious Chickpea Feta Cucumber Salad has everything you need for it to be a complete meal. With whole grains (quinoa), veggies, healthy fats and plenty of protein (19 grams per serve), this salad feels light while still filling you up. Having no leafy greens makes this salad perfect for meal prep as you can dress it ahead of time without the salad going soggy. In fact, it tastes even better after marinating in the dressing for a few days!
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If you love this recipe then I am sure you will also love my Quinoa Lentil Salad, Arugula Quinoa Salad or my viral Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad.
What’s to Love About This Chickpea Feta Cucumber Salad
- perfect to meal prep – no soggy veggies here! Prep this delicious salad and divide between airtight containers for quick and healthy grab-and-go lunches. Or whip it up to bring to your next gathering or potluck.
- allergy friendly – this recipe is gluten free, nut free and egg free. It does contain dairy but can easily be made dairy free.
- a complete meal – this salad provides 19 grams of plant-based protein per serve as well as 9 grams of fibre. It has everything you need for it to be a complete meal. Or serve as a filling side dish to your favourite protein.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Below is a list of all of the ingredients that you will need to make this feta cucumber chickpea salad, as well as any possible substitutions and ingredient notes. For the full recipe including ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- chickpeas – also known as garbanzo beans, I prefer to buy canned chickpeas as it’s just a whole lot more convenient. You can definitely cook your own, you will just need about 3 cups of cooked chickpeas.
- cucumber – I’ve used Lebanese cucumbers (my favourite, also known as Persian cucumbers) but you can swap for English cucumbers if that’s what is available to you.
- feta cheese – this salad is best with a firm feta that crumbles easily, like a Greek feta. I wouldn’t recommend using a softer feta like Danish feta.
- fresh dill – I love dill in this salad but really you could use any fresh herbs like fresh parsley (continental parsley would be best), fresh mint or basil.
- quinoa – I’ve used white quinoa in this recipe but you could just as easily use tri coloured quinoa, nutritionally they are very similar. If you’re not a fan of quinoa or don’t have any on hand then you can always swap it for brown rice.
- red onion – I’ve used fresh red onions in this salad but quick pickled red onions would also be really tasty.
- Sicilian green olives – these are my favourite olives as they’re not overpowering but still add a delicious flavour to the salad. You can swap them for your favourite type of olive if preferred.
- lemon zest
Salad Dressing Ingredients
- lemon juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- dried oregano
- fresh garlic clove – the garlic clove can be swapped for half a teaspoon of minced garlic.
- honey
- sea salt flakes & cracked black pepper
Optional Extras
Personally I think this salad is perfect just as it is, however if you’re wanting to change things up a bit or use up some other fresh vegetables or proteins in the fridge then here are a few extras that you can add.
- red bell pepper / capsicum
- cherry tomatoes
- avocado
- chicken
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How to Make Chickpea Cucumber Feta Salad
There is just so much texture in this salad, with crunch and flavour in every bite! To make this salad follow the instructions below.
First, cook the quinoa. I recommend adding the quinoa to a large saucepan and topping with water. Use your hand to swish around the quinoa to rinse off the excess saponins. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and then repeat this process another two times.
Tip: Saponins are an anti-nutrient that affect the absorption of other nutrients, which is why it is best to rinse your quinoa first.
Once rinsed, place back into the saucepan and top with two cups of water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until most of the water has been absorbed. Place the lid on and turn to the lowest heat. Once you can see that there is no water bubbling up through the quinoa, turn off the heat and let the quinoa steam with the lid on. Once it has steamed for around 10 minutes, remove the lid and let it cool a little before using.
While the quinoa is cooking, slice up the cucumbers, drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them both to a large salad bowl. Add the onion, dill, lemon zest and olives and then crumble the feta into the bowl.
Next, make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, honey, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl. While whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil and continue whisking until well combined.
Add the cooked quinoa to the salad bowl, drizzle the dressing over the top and toss well to combine.
Storage
Store salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If meal prepping, divide between four lunch containers and store in the fridge until ready to eat but consume within 4 days.
Chickpea Feta Cucumber Salad
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Mandolin optional
- Microplane or garlic crusher
- Large salad bowl
- Large saucepan
- Fine mesh sieve
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 Lebanese cucumbers, cut into thinly sliced rounds
- 2 400 g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 180 g traditional feta, firm
- small bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced into rounds
- 1/3 cup Sicilian green olives
- Zest of 1 lemon
Lemon garlic dressing
- 40 ml lemon juice, approximately juice of 1 lemon
- ½ clove garlic, peeled and minced (or ½ tsp minced garlic)
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Add the quinoa to a large saucepan and top with cold water. Use your hands to swish the quinoa around to remove excess saponins. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and then repeat the process another two times. Add the strained quinoa back into the pan along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until most of the water has been absorbed. Turn the heat to low to simmer with the lid on. When there is no more water bubbling through the quinoa, turn off the heat and leave covered to steam.
- To a salad bowl add the thinly sliced cucumbers, drained and rinsed chickpeas, dill, red onion, olives and lemon zest. Crumble the feta into the bowl.
- Next, make the dressing. To a small bowl add the lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano and honey. Whisk to combine and then slowly start pouring in the olive oil. Continue whisking until well combined and smooth. Season with sea salt flakes to taste.
- Use a fork to fluff up the quinoa and then tip out into the salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Notes
Make it Dairy Free
- swap the feta for a dairy free feta or leave out.
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