Layered textures and flavors make this vegan recipe for herby chickpea salad with basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, celery, cucumber, sunflower seeds and more. The chickpeas are marinated in lemon juice, garlic and dried herbs overnight. When they’re done, you mix everything together. It’s delicious on sandwiches, on a bed of arugula, on crackers–whatever you think sounds good!
This recipe makes enough for ~4 sandwiches, depending on how generously you distribute it and the size of your bread.
Two things..
- Why marinate it overnight? Well, first the chickpeas soak up all the delicious flavor. And second, they also soak up all the lemon juice, so you don’t end up with a super liquidy herby chickpea salad. I do not recommend skipping the marinating.
- While testing this recipe, I tried it on a number of different breads. Far and away, sourdough tasted the best with it.
Gear up for delicious flavor and satisfying texture! And discover additional UVK recipes, like Vegan Italian Herb Risotto, Beet Potato Salad with Sauerkraut, Creamy Chickpea Salad, Tempeh Marinade with Garlic, Thyme, and Hungarin Paprika, Green Bean and Tomato Salad and more.
Herby Chickpea Salad with Basil, Thyme and Parsley
15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp dried thyme
Black pepper, to taste
¼ tsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise (I used Follow Your Heart Vegenaise)
¼ cup finely chopped celery (OR ~1 celery stalk, finely chopped)
½ cup finely chopped English cucumber with the seeds removed
1 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp finely chopped Castelvetrano olives (OR green olives)
1½ Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1. First you’ll prep the chickpeas for the herby salad. Add the chickpeas to a food processor and pulse a few times to break them up. No food processor or don’t want the hassle? Add the chickpeas to a mixing bowl and break them up with your hands or a fork. You might have a few whole ones and that’s fine.
2. In a container that has a lid that can seal, add the lemon juice, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, and dijon mustard. Stir together. Add the chickpeas and stir together. Seal the lid. Refrigerate for, at least, 8 hours or overnight.
3. When the chickpeas are done marinating, add them to a mixing bowl with all the remaining ingredients. Stir together the herby chickpea salad. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed (more salt? dijon? herbs?). Serve on sandwiches, a bed of greens, on crackers or whatever sounds good to you 💚