• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Crowded Kitchen
MENUMENU
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Sign Up
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
×

Home » Recipes » Salads

Spinach Chickpea Salad

Published: Feb 26, 2023 by Lexi

35 shares
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

This Spinach Chickpea Salad is quick and easy to make, with 6 main ingredients and a zesty lemon cumin vinaigrette. It's simple, hearty, and perfect as a side salad or a light meal!

Overhead of the finished spinach chickpea salad in a white bowl with a linen and serving utensils.
Spinach, chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, feta and a delicious vinaigrette!
Jump to:
  • Why We Love This Recipe
  • Ingredients
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Instructions
  • Tips and FAQs
  • More Salad Recipes to Enjoy
  • 📖 Recipe

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Quick and easy: This recipe can be made in just 10 minutes using ingredients you most likely have on hand. It's simple, quick, and super tasty!
  • Homemade dressing: We think our homemade lemon cumin vinaigrette tastes better than anything store bought. Plus, it's super easy to whip up in less than 5 minutes and complements the salad ingredients perfectly.
  • Flavorful: The dressing has so many flavorful ingredients, like lemon, dijon mustard, honey, cumin, and feta – all of which really pack a punch in this otherwise simple salad.
  • Side dish or light meal: This spinach chickpea salad is perfect as a side dish in just about any setting. It's also great as a light meal (especially lunch), thanks to the addition of chickpeas, which add some plant-based protein. For a full meal, you can also add in a protein and/or grain of choice.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this spinach chickpea salad:

Spinach chickpea salad ingredients including tomatoes and cucumbers.
Fresh ingredients + a homemade lemon vinaigrette makes for salad perfection.

Ingredient Notes

  • Chickpeas: we use canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) in this recipe for a quick & easy option. Check out this tutorial if you want to use dried beans instead! If you don't like chickpeas, you can also substitute with white beans or cooked and shelled edamame.
  • Spinach: We like to chop the spinach finely to make the salad much easier to eat. (Who likes getting a huge piece of lettuce?!) You can also sub spinach with arugula, baby kale or another green of choice.
  • Feta: Vegan or regular crumbled feta works great in this salad! This is the vegan feta we typically use. Shaved parmesan or crumbled goat cheese would also be great options.
  • Cucumber: We prefer using baby cucumbers for their refreshing crunch, but regular cucumber is also fine. You can leave them unpeeled or peel if preferred.
  • Cherry tomatoes: If you don't like tomatoes, sub with bell pepper or another vegetable of choice.
  • Parsley: Fresh is essential in this recipe. If you don't have any, just leave it out (don't sub with dry parsley).

Instructions

(1) Add all vinaigrette ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Left: lemon cumin vinaigrette before mixing. Right: vinaigrette after mixing.
You can also add all of the ingredients to a jar, seal, and shake to combine.

(2) Toss together chopped spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, chickpeas, avocado and feta in a large serving bowl. Pour dressing over the top.

Left: adding all the salad ingredients to a bowl. Right: pouring the dressing over the top.
If you're not serving right away, wait to add the avocado until just before serving.

(3) Toss well to coat. Optional: top with more feta cheese before serving. 

Left: tossing everything together. Right: finished salad with additional toppings on top.
Add a protein for a full meal, or enjoy as is!

Tips and FAQs

  • Make it a full meal: Consider adding in a protein, like baked tofu, grilled chicken or shrimp, etc. You can also add in ~1 cup of a cooked grain of your choice, like quinoa, brown rice, or farro.
    • NOTE: If you add extra ingredients, you will want to increase the quantity of the vinaigrette. Double the recipe and add to taste. If you end up with leftovers, simply save it for your next salad or use as a marinade.
  • Serving suggestions: This spinach chickpea salad is best served with a big piece of crusty bread and a warm bowl of soup. (We especially love it with our red lentil soup!) The ultimate winter comfort meal.
  • Storage: If you're not eating this salad right away, we suggest storing the lemon cumin vinaigrette separately. If you are making for meal prep, it's best to prep the ingredients and wait to toss until just before serving so the spinach doesn't get too soggy. You'll also want to leave out the avocado until ready to serve, otherwise it will brown.
  • Customizable: Feel free to change up this spinach chickpea salad by swapping in other ingredients. You can use white beans in place of chickpeas, baby kale or arugula in place of spinach, or experiment with various vegetables. You can also try another dressing recipe, like our creamy balsamic vinaigrette or our easy Greek dressing.
Close up overhead of the finished salad in a large white bowl.
We love this simple spinach chickpea salad as a light lunch or side dish.

More Salad Recipes to Enjoy

  • Greek Chickpea Salad
  • overhead view of chickpea fattoush salad with pita chips in wood salad bowl.
    Chickpea Fattoush Salad
  • overhead view of carrot cucumber salad in white bowl.
    Carrot Cucumber Salad
  • Vegan White Bean Salad

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

Print

📖 Recipe

clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Overhead of the finished spinach chickpea salad in a white bowl.

Spinach Chickpea Salad


  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

This Spinach Chickpea Salad is quick and easy to make, with 6 main ingredients and a zesty lemon cumin vinaigrette. It's simple, hearty, and perfect as a side salad or a light meal!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Salad:

  • 5 ounces spinach, finely chopped
  • 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 ½ cups cucumber, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 15 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (can use vegan feta)
  • 1 medium avocado, diced

Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette:

  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey (or agave/maple syrup)
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Add all vinaigrette ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  2. Toss together chopped spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, chickpeas, avocado and feta in a large serving bowl.
  3. Pour dressing over the top, tossing well to coat. Optional: top with more feta cheese before serving. 

Notes

Storage: If you're not eating this salad right away, we suggest storing the lemon cumin vinaigrette separately. If you are making for meal prep, it's best to prep the ingredients and wait to toss until just before serving so the spinach doesn't get too soggy. You'll also want to leave out the avocado until ready to serve, otherwise it will brown.

Spinach: We like to chop the spinach finely to make the salad much easier to eat. You can also sub spinach with arugula, baby kale or another green of choice.

Feta: Vegan or regular crumbled feta works great in this salad! Shaved parmesan or crumbled goat cheese would also be great options.

Make it a full meal: Consider adding in a protein, like baked tofu, grilled chicken or shrimp, etc. You can also add in ~1 cup of a cooked grain of your choice, like quinoa, brown rice, or farro. 

NOTE: If you add extra ingredients, you will want to increase the quantity of the vinaigrette. Double the recipe and add to taste. If you end up with leftovers, save it for your next salad or use as a marinade. 

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Category: Salads
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 397
  • Sugar: 4.9 g
  • Sodium: 769.8 mg
  • Fat: 30.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25.8 g
  • Fiber: 9 g
  • Protein: 10.6 g

Keywords: spinach chickpea salad

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

More Salad Recipes

  • Finished sumac dressing in a glass bottle.
    Sumac Dressing
  • Close up of the finished pumpkin quinoa salad in a blue bowl.
    Pumpkin Quinoa Salad
  • Close up of finished pomegranate couscous salad in a bowl.
    Pomegranate Couscous Salad
  • Overhead of finished pumpkin salad on a oval platter.
    Pumpkin Salad

Reader Interactions

Let us know what you think! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

More about us →

Featured in:

Featured in Buzzfeed, yahoo, Men's Journal, Huffpost, MSN, Food & Wine, Country Living, yummly, and Parade.

Spring recipes

  • The Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar
  • Super Green Vegetable Soup
  • Vegan Pasta Bake
  • Overhead view of spaghetti squash soup in a bowl.
    Spaghetti Squash Soup
  • overhead view of vegan mediterranean sheet pan dinner with tofu, chickpeas, vegetables and tahini yogurt drizzle.
    Mediterranean Sheet Pan Dinner
  • overhead view of vegan creamy beet pasta in large pot.
    Creamy Beet Pasta

Most popular recipes

  • How to make Infused Liquors (5 Ways)
  • close up overhead view of vegan bean soup in a bowl on white linen surface.
    Three-Bean Vegetable Soup
  • close up view of a passion fruit martini in a glass with dark backdrop.
    Passion Fruit Martini
  • overhead view of vegan mac and cheese in pot
    The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
  • Two tequila mule cocktails in copper mugs with lime and mint garnish on antique blue table.
    Tequila Mule
  • side view of limoncello spritz cocktail garnished with fresh mint.
    Limoncello Spritz

See more-->

Footer

Back to top ↑

About

  • Learn About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • See our Portfolio

Newsletter

  • Sign up for weekly emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Work With Us
  • As Seen In

Copyright © 2022 Crowded Kitchen