Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

This no-cook Vegan Mediterranean Cucumber Chickpea Salad is an easy and healthy recipe to meal prep a vegan, gluten free lunch or dinner. It's one of my favorite side dishes!

A few months ago, I was looking to make a healthy dinner for my husband and myself and we all we had in the fridge was one lousy cucumber and a handful of tomatoes. Not exactly the makings of a gourmet meal, eh?

Not in the mood to make another trip to the grocery store (I go at least 5x a week for work!), I grabbed a can of chickpeas from the pantry, plenty of dried herbs and ingredients for an easy mediterranean salad dressing.

The result, surprisingly, was magic!

The tart, herby mediterranean dressing paired perfectly with refreshing cucumbers and juicy tomatoes. I let the chickpeas infuse the flavor for a few minutes - my husband typically hates chickpeas - and we both ended up eating the whole bowl.

Since then, I've made this salad for us at least once a week. I actually had it for dinner last night! I never - and I mean NEVER - crave salad, but I'm making an exception for this one. There's something so addictive about the salty + tangy +herby + fresh flavor combo!

Even better: it's incredibly easy to switch it up with a variety of vegetables. Last night I added in some sliced mini bell peppers that I needed to get rid of. They were a fantastic addition! I also love adding in quick-pickled red onions (I always have a jar in the fridge), vegan feta cheese, and sometimes even avocado.

My husband is truly one of the pickiest eaters I've EVER met. When he gives the stamp of approval on a recipe (especially a vegan recipe!), I know it's a keeper.

In case you need more convincing...

Meal prep

With school back in session and schedules heating up, everyone's looking for ways to save time. Meal prepping is one of our favorite ways to save time on the weekdays. It also allows us to keep eating healthy, well-balanced meals without spending more time in the kitchen.

A little bit of meal planning means that we have nutritious, satisfying vegan lunches and dinner on hand when our days get away from us. Plus, it keeps us from spending on take-out.

Of course, we spend so much time in the kitchen during the week making recipes for all of you. So come Saturday and Sunday, we aren't always looking to spend another day over the stove.

That's why this no-cook easy cucumber chickpea salad checks all of our meal prep boxes.

1. It's super fast to make. You just need one bowl plus a dressing container. To make it really fast, you could even mix the dressing right in the salad bowl before you add the veggies.
2. This is a deeply flavorful salad. Our herby vinaigrette dressing brings major flavor without weighing down the fresh veggies.
3. It's packed with healthy vegetables. Crunchy cucumbers, plump tomatoes, and bright red onion.
4. This salad is full of plant-based protein. Two cans of chickpeas add heft and heartiness to this otherwise veggie-packed salad.
5. It stores well. After you toss the simple ingredients together, store the salad in airtight containers in the fridge. You can divide it into portions for each day of the week. Pack them up, along with some dressing, and you've got a healthy vegan lunch. We like to dress the salad right before eating to avoid wilting the delicate tomatoes and cukes.
6. This salad is very versatile. You can stretch this chickpea cucumber salad even further with a few extra ingredients. For example, a cooked grain would add even more filling protein and carbs.

Vinaigrette ingredients

This salad packs some serous Greek-inspired flavors. Greek food is some of the freshest tasting in the world. It's crunchy, savory and bright. And it relies a lot on fresh herbs, fresh cheese and ultra-fresh vegetables.

That's why we dress up this chickpea cucumber salad with a quick and easy herb-packed vinaigrette!

This vegan salad dressing really couldn't be simpler. It's our twist on a classic vinaigrette. Here's what you'll need:

• Good-quality olive oil. Most of the flavor in this cucumber salad comes from the dressing. So don't skimp when it comes to a flavor-packed olive oil. It may be a bit more expensive, but it doesn't have to be wildly pricy. This is the kind of olive oil that you wouldn't necessarily cook with, but you love the taste of raw.
• Red wine vinegar. Brighter and lighter than balsamic, red wine vinegar is common in Greek salad dressings.
• Lemon juice. For extra brightness and a citrusy kick, lemon juice brings a new dimension to the chickpea salad.
• Herbs. We use oregano, basil and thyme. These complement the Greek flavors in this vegan salad. Plus, you probably already have them on hand.
• Bonus: sumac. This Middle Eastern spice is totally optional for this cucumber chickpea salad. However, it does add a delicious lemony punch to the vinaigrette.

Serving suggestions

Not a meal-prepper, or serving this crunchy salad as a side dish?

Dozens of other recipes complement this salad to make a full meal. We love pairing it with other Middle Eastern and Greek-inspired recipes.

Here are some of our favorites:

• Lentil Stuffed Eggplant Boats with Tahini Sauce
• Vegan Mediterranean Stuffed Avocados
• Mediterranean Grilled Tofu
• Mezze Platter

Ingredient Notes

Before you get tossing, there are a few things to take note of.

First of all, you may want to quick-pickle your red onion. Maybe you're not a huge fan of the bite from raw red onions (I'm most definitely not!). Or, maybe you have an important meeting after lunch (we've all been there).

Don't worry, you can still enjoy this vibrant salad thanks to the magic of quick pickling!

Simply turn your raw red onions into quick pickles. It takes just a few extra minutes, and the result is delightfully bright-tasting onions without the harsh bite. Here's how to make nearly any veggie into a quick pickle in just a few minutes.

Secondly, we made this salad 100% vegan, so we used a vegan feta substitute. We love the "Just Like Feta" from Violife. If you're really going for it, you could make your own vegan feta.

Of course, if dairy isn't an issue for you, you can certainly use the real stuff. You can also omit it completely - there's enough saltiness and tang in the dressing that it's not a crucial ingredient.

More vegan meal prep recipes

• Vegan Burrito Bowls
• Moroccan Chickpea Lentil Stew
• Vegan Red Lentil Soup
• Easy Vegan Spring Roll Bowls with Crispy Tofu
• Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad

If you make this vegan Mediterranean chickpea salad, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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