Avocado & Chickpea Salad

This chickpea salad is a delicious bowl meal starring chickpeas, cucumber, avocado, salty feta, and crunchy pepitas.

Last month we took a summer trip to Traverse City, Michigan. Everything about it was magical: the dunes, that aquamarine water, the company, and the food: especially this salad. We came across it at a venue called The Little Fleet, a rotating gathering of food trucks stationed in a permanent location with picnic tables and a bar. A fabulous idea, really. This chickpea salad idea came from a salad I ordered from a truck called EZ Cheesy, known for its gourmet grilled cheese. Since I had ordered a grilled cheese with ramen and kimchi (yes, a sandwich filled with noodles!), I felt compelled to balance it out with some veg and ordered this chickpea salad.

How to make avocado & chickpea salad

Alex and I both fell pretty hard for this chickpea cucumber salad (I did let him have a few bites). The combination of the fresh veggies, salty feta, and crunchy pepitas with the light and tangy vinaigrette was somehow unexpected and refreshingly delicious. It made me feel like the healthiest person on the planet, even after my grilled cheese stuffed with noodles.

After we returned we promptly started trying to recreate this chickpea salad, with mixed success. I ended up contacting the owner for the recipe and to my delight, he provided it! We’ve tweaked it a bit, but it’s very close to the original. It’s best eaten freshly made, so we’ve included some notes in the recipe with how to prepare it when made ahead. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Thanks again to EZ Cheesy for the chickpea cucumber salad recipe.

Below is EZ Cheesy at The Little Fleet in Traverse City, Michigan. Our friends Megan and Mike of Wild Measure and The Fresh Exchange introduced us to the place, and also did the branding / logo work for the truck. How fun is that? 

Video: how to cut an avocado

The hardest part of this avocado and chickpea salad recipe is cutting an avocado! Alex and I have a great method for avocado pit removal and how to cut avocado slices. You’ve heard about the injuries that can happen removing avocado pits, right? Here’s a safe way to do it! We use this method all the time. Watch the video to see me cutting an avocado in our kitchen!

Related: 20 Knife Skills Videos: How to Cut Everything!

Looking for more salad recipes?

Outside of this chickpea salad recipe, here are a few of our favorite salad recipes:

• Easy Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• Vegan Italian Pasta Salad
• Peach & Burrata Caprese Salad
• Incredible No Mayo Potato Salad
• Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Seriously Simple Three Bean Salad
• Radish Chopped Salad Recipe

This recipe is…

This chickpea salad recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, dairy-free, and plant-based, omit the feta.

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Avocado & Chickpea Salad

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This chickpea salad is a delicious bowl meal starring chickpeas, cucumber, avocado, salty feta, and crunchy pepitas. Perfect for lunch or as a side dish!

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 2 to 3 as a main, 8 as a side 1x
• Category: Salad
• Method: Raw
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 large cucumber
• 6 radishes
• 4 large carrots
• 8 Brussels sprouts (optional)
• 15-ounce can or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• ¾ cup feta crumbles
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 avocado
• ¼ cup roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

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Instructions

1. Peel alternating strips of the cucumber’s skin, then cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, remove the seeds with a spoon, and dice it. Place the cucumber in a strainer and sprinkle with kosher salt (this helps to drain the cucumbers of extra water while you cut the other vegetables.)
2. Thinly slice the radishes (cut them in half or quarters if large). Peel the carrots, then dice them. If using Brussels sprouts, thinly slice them. Mix all the vegetables together with the chickpeas and the feta crumbles.
3. In a medium jar, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey or maple, and salt. Gradually whisk in the olive oil tablespoon by tablespoon until fully incorporated. If making ahead, stop here and refrigerate the vegetables and dressing until serving.
4. When ready to serve, pour 6 tablespoons dressing onto the vegetables and mix gently to combine. If possible, let sit for a few minutes to marinade and allow all ingredients to come to room temperature.
5. Dice the avocado, then garnish each serving with avocado, pepitas, and extra dressing (if desired). Serve immediately. With any leftovers, keep the vegetables separate from the avocado and pepitas (and dressing if possible); add these toppings directly prior to serving.

Notes

Adapted from the EZ Cheesy food truck