Chickpea Iceberg Salad

This Chickpea Iceberg Salad is full of crunchy cucumber, tender chickpeas, and crisp iceberg lettuce. The simple vinaigrette with fresh dill makes this dish taste amazing.

This salad is so delicious, it's a favorite in my house. Made with crisp iceberg lettuce leaves, crunchy cubes of cucumber, seeds, dried fruit, and tender chickpeas, this dish has a great texture. The pungent red onion and herbaceous fresh dill add a nice flavor that's complemented by the oil and vinegar dressing. This salad is a healthy snack or light meal that you won't want to miss.

Iceberg lettuce is great because it's so crunchy and even with dressing it can hold on to its texture. This salad can be prepped and stored in the fridge and then dressed and served for dinner. Or you can save some for lunch the next day. It's also a versatile recipe that is easy to make changes to so it fits your preferences or craving for the day. Let's look at the ingredients that you'll need in more detail for this Chickpea Iceberg Salad.

Video Tutorial

Main Ingredients

• Iceberg Lettuce. Or Romaine lettuce can be used.
• Chickpeas. Cook them yourself or use canned chickpeas.
• Red Onion. Or white onion.
• Cucumbers. Peel them or leave the skin on.
• Salad Seed Mix. I used a combo of pepitas, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries.
• Dill. Or another herb you prefer.
• Apple Cider Vinegar. Or lemon juice.
• Avocado Oil. Or olive oil can be used.
• Salt & Pepper. To taste.

How to Make Chickpea Iceberg Salad

1. Place the chopped iceberg lettuce, cucumber, red onion, chickpeas, dill, and salad seed mix in a bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar, avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and serve.

Tips for the best Chickpea Iceberg Salad

• Use fresh herbs. Whether you are using dill like I did or another herb, go with fresh. Fresh herbs have a better aroma and flavor and they can really make a big difference in your salad.
• Chop everything to the same size. Keep your vegetables to about the size of the chickpeas. This way, each bite is not dominated by any one ingredient and this makes a delicious chopped salad.
• Use canned chickpeas to save yourself time. While it's fine to use dried chickpeas that have been soaked or cooked and then drained, it will save you tons of time to use canned chickpeas. This makes this salad so much more convenient.
• Make only as much as you need. Once you have added the dressing, your salad will begin soaking in the liquid. If it sits too long, it will become soggy. So only make as much as you plan to serve or save some salad on the side without dressing to store for later.

Variations to this Recipe

• Use other vegetables. Substitute or add in other veggies, like corn, bell peppers, zucchini, radish, cabbage, or tomatoes.
• Use another type of beans. You can make this iceberg salad with other beans, such as kidney beans, black beans, navy beans, or cannellini beans. Canned or dried beans are fine.
• Add protein. Besides the protein you get from the chickpeas, you can beef up this salad (pun intended) with some bacon bits, steak bites, cubed tofu, Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast, or Cajun Shrimp.
• Substitute a different dressing. This delicious vinaigrette is great with this Chickpea Iceberg Salad, but you could also use Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, Greek Salad Dressing, Ginger Carrot Salad Dressing, or Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing.

How to Store it

Store this Chickpea Iceberg Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If possible, store the salad before the dressing is added to keep it from getting soggy. After 2 days though, the cucumbers and lettuce will leak water, so make sure to enjoy it within that time period.

What to Serve this with

• Proteins. Serve this with Spinach Stuffed Flounder, Roasted Pepper Stuffed Chicken Breast, or Shrimp Fajitas.
• Soups. Pair this salad with a bowl of Hearty Mushroom Soup, Quick Orzo Soup, Chickpea Noodle Soup, or Turkey Cabbage Soup.
• Pasta. Enjoy this Chickpea Iceberg Salad alongside some Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp, Paccheri Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce, Rasta Pasta, or Cheesy Cavatappi Pasta.
• Breads. Serve this with some Air Fryer Garlic Bread, Potato Flatbread, dinner rolls, or toasted bread with herbed butter.

I hope you enjoy this simple, yet delicious Chickpea Iceberg Salad as much as we do. Serve it with dinner or enjoy it as a light lunch. It's wonderfully versatile to fit any situation. Enjoy!

More tasty salad recipes to try:

• Iceberg Lettuce Salad
• Spring Mix Salad
• Healthy Tuna Salad
• Jennifer Aniston Salad