Fresh Cucumber Chickpea Salad (Printable)

Crisp cucumbers and chickpeas tossed with lemon and mint for a vibrant, healthy dish.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 medium cucumbers, diced
02 - 1 small red onion, finely chopped
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
05 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

→ Legumes

06 - 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

→ Dressing

07 - 3 tablespoons lemon juice (approximately juice of 1 large lemon)
08 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
09 - 1 clove garlic, minced
10 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine diced cucumbers, finely chopped red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, drained chickpeas, chopped mint, and chopped parsley.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt, and black pepper until emulsified.
03 - Pour the dressing over the vegetable and legume mixture. Toss gently to ensure even coating.
04 - Taste the salad and adjust salt or pepper as necessary for balance.
05 - Refrigerate the salad for 10 minutes to enhance flavors or serve immediately if preferred.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in the time it takes your oven to preheat, which means you actually eat instead of ordering takeout.
  • The lemon and mint make everything taste bright and alive, like summer in a bowl even when it's gray outside.
  • You can make it ahead and it somehow tastes better the next day when the flavors marry.
  • It's filling enough to be lunch but light enough that you don't need a nap after.
02 -
  • If you add the dressing too early and let it sit for hours, the cucumbers will get soggy and sad, so dress it close to serving time.
  • Rinsing the red onion in cold water for a few minutes is the difference between sharp and mellow, skip this if you want people to smell onion on you for hours.
  • Chickpeas straight from the can are cold and dense, let them come to room temperature or they'll cool down the whole salad.
03 -
  • Let the salad sit for ten minutes after tossing so the lemon juice can soften the onion and the herbs release their oils.
  • Use a microplane to grate the garlic instead of mincing it, the tiny pieces disappear into the dressing and distribute the flavor evenly without chunks.
  • If you're making this for a crowd, double the dressing recipe because people will want to spoon extra over their servings.
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