This Chickpea Broccoli Salad is an easy, protein-rich, hearty and gluten-free salad made with simple savory ingredients and tossed in a tangy lemon and olive oil dressing.
Looking for simple recipes that can be prepared and made ahead of time? You'll find this broccoli salad with chickpeas makes a perfect salad for meal prep. Make it on the weekend and enjoy it throughout the week.
Not only is this salad easy to make, but it's also wholesome, broccoli and chickpeas are high in dietary fiber, calcium and potassium.
This Mediterranean Pasta Salad is another easy salad that can be prepped ahead of time and perfect for weekday lunches or summer gatherings.
Jump to:
How to Make it
This salad is easy to make, doesn't require a lot of prep work and can be ready in 30 minutes!
This delicious recipe is naturally gluten-free and you can also make it vegan by omitting the Feta cheese or substituting with your favorite crumbly vegan cheese.
Here's an overview of the main ingredients and steps to making this simple chickpea salad. The ingredient amounts are available in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Ingredients Overview
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed tastes better.
- Garlic clove: Use a small clove.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Raw broccoli florets: You can use a head of broccoli and chop it into florets or purchase a package of broccoli florets.
- Chickpeas: For convenience, I like to use canned chickpeas. Simply drain and rinse under cold water.
- Red onion: Can be replaced with green onions if you find the flavor of red onion too strong.
- Kalamata olives: Pitted and sliced.
- Feta cheese: Omit for a vegan salad.
- Fresh parsley
Possible Variations
This broccoli and chickpea salad is inspired by mediterranean flavors, so feel free to add your favorite mediterranean ingredients.
- Chop a small red bell pepper and toss it in with the remaining of the ingredients.
- Include a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
- You can also add toasted pine nuts, pistachios or sliced almonds to the salad. If nut allergies are a concern, you can add sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
- Add more fresh herbs. Fresh oregano or mint would also taste delicious with the other ingredients in this salad.
Steps Overview
This salad is made by only lightly steaming the broccoli which makes it more tender than raw broccoli but keeps it still firm enough so it doesn't fall apart in the salad. The broccoli also remains a vibrant green color which makes it so much more appealing and appetizing.
- Chop the head of broccoli into florets and rinse under cold water.
- Steam the broccoli florets for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the steamer and set aside to let cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, prepare the olive oil and lemon vinaigrette by adding all of the salad dressing ingredients to a jar, shake well and set aside.
- Chop the red onion, olives and parsley. Crumble the Feta cheese.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the steamed broccoli florets, chickpeas, chopped red onion, olives, parsley and half of the crumbled Feta cheese.
- Add ¾ of the dressing, toss well and taste. If needed, add the remaining dressing.
- Transfer salad to a large serving plate or salad bowl and top with remaining crumbled Feta cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this salad immediately after tossing it or store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it.
This broccoli salad with chickpeas is perfect for healthy weekday lunches. It can also be served as a side dish for dinner. It would be delicious with these Kafta Kebabs or Chicken Shawarma Kebabs, this Roast Chicken or with this Baked Rainbow Trout.
Storage Instructions
Store any remaining salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You may need a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil to brighten up the flavors after a few days in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Summarize and Save This Content On
More Delicious Salads to Try
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Have you made this recipe? Let us know how it turned out! Leave a star rating and a comment below, we'd love to hear from you.
Chickpea Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups raw broccoli florets
- 400 ml chickpeas drained and rinsed (approximately 1 ⅔ cups)
- ¼ cup red onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives pitted and sliced
- ¼ cup Feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, washed, dried chopped
Olive oil Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 garlic clove, minced small
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- Rinse broccoli florets and steam for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Remove broccoli from the steamer and set aside to let cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the olive oil and lemon vinaigrette. Add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a jar, shake well and set aside until ready to use.
- In a large bowl, combine steamed broccoli florets, chickpeas, red onion, olives, parsley and half of the Feta cheese. Add ¾ of the dressing, toss well and taste. If needed, add the remaining dressing. Top salad with remaining crumbled Feta cheese.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Avoid over steaming the broccoli by only steaming it for 5 to 7 minutes maximum. Remove broccoli from steamer to let it cool.
- Refrigerate remaining Chickpea Broccoli Salad in an airtight container for up to 5 days. A squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil will brighten up the flavors of the salad after a few days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in April 2022. It has been updated with additional details, recipe remains unchanged.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Your broccoli salad with the chickpeas, feta and Kalamata olives sounds like a great side dish to take to a potluck summer party.
Fida | Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thanks Karen, I think so too!!