This cilantro lime chickpea salad is an easy garden-to-table recipe made with cherry tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, herbs, and a zesty homemade dressing. Enjoy it as a summer side dish or a fresh and flavorful light lunch.
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I cannot believe how well my cilantro is growing this year. Apparently, all I had to do was plant it in a pollinator container garden with a few different types of flowers. Previously, I've tried growing it in its own pot, or with other herbs, and it's always died on me. This year, my cilantro is big, bushy, and thriving. But I know with the super hot weather we've had that it's probably about to bolt. So I've been trying to use as much of it as I can.
Eventually, I'll give it a good chop to preserve it (most likely in ice cube trays and/or drying it). In the meantime, I'm trying to use my cilantro beyond fresh salsas, or a sprig or two tossed into Mexican-inspired dishes - think salads, sauces, and even pickled veggies. Recently, I threw together a chickpea salad with a cilantro lime dressing. - bold, flavorful, and made with a medley of fresh ingredients, some picked right from our garden.
Along with protein-packed chickpeas, this salad is also made with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and peppers from the garden. There's also avocado for creaminess and a small amount of garlic chives for extra herbal flavor and bite. The salad is then finished with a tangy cilantro lime dressing. It's simple, summery, and a delicious way to use up some of our fresh cilantro that's growing like crazy.
Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad
I used what I had to make this salad recipe. While a green bell pepper would work just fine in this recipe, we have a variety of peppers growing in the garden. So I made this salad with some of our coolapeños (heatless jalapeños) that are doing really well right now and tossed in a hot burrito pepper for a touch of heat.
To start this salad, I added chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, the peppers, onion, cilantro, and chives to a mixing bowl.
Then, I whisked olive oil, fresh lime juice, lime zest, honey, grated garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper together in a small mixing bowl to create a simple, but delicious dressing.
The dressing was then poured over the salad and tossed together until everything was evenly coated.
While you can serve the salad right away, it's even better if you let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. When you're ready to serve it, gently fold in the avocado and garnish the salad with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.
Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad
Equipment
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 small mixing bowl
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 - 15 oz. can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup mini cucumber sliced into half-moons
- 1 cup diced sweet pepper like bell pepper or coolapeños
- 1 hot burrito pepper or other hot pepper, optional
- 3 tbsps. red onion chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves roughly chopped
- 2 tbsps. garlic chives chopped
- 1 small-medium avocado diced
For the dressing:
- 3 tbsps. olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp. lime zest
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 small garlic clove grated
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onion, cilantro, and chives to a large mixing bowl. Gently stir to combine.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper together.
- Pour dressing over the salad and toss to coat and combine.
- Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld together.
- Before serving, gently fold in avocado.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge. Serve chilled.
Notes
I love a chickpea salad during the summer. It's an easy side dish as well as a light lunch. Eat it by itself, stuffed into a pita, or served with tortilla chips for scooping. This salad will last about 5 days in the refrigerator making it perfect for meal planning.
Did you make this Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
