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MEDITERRANEAN SMASHED CHICKPEA SALAD

Mediterranean Smashed Chickpea Salad with chickpeas, bell pepper, Kalamata olives, artichoke and dill is full of flavor and makes a great wrap or sandwich filler, dip or salad! Ready in 15 minutes.

head on view of mashed Mediterranean chickpea salad sandwich.

It’s mashed. It’s creamy. It’s another delicious smashed chickpea salad to add to the recipe collection!

Whether smashed or not, I love my chickpea salads! So much so that you’ll find 6 variations on the blog, each one as delicious as the next…

They each have their special place in my heart and I’m excited to bring another one to the mix as they are so versatile and satisfying.

This Mediterranean chickpea mash is super amazing! I especially love the saltiness from the olives, which pair perfectly with everything else in this salad!

I know you’re going to love this version, so let’s get started!

top down view of ingredients used to make mashed Mediterranean chickpea salad.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This recipe is super easy and only requires a few simple ingredients! Here is everything you’ll need:

  • chickpeas – use canned or freshly cooked garbanzo beans
  • red bell pepper
  • red onion
  • artichoke hearts – pref in water
  • kalamata olives
  • fresh dill
  • hummus or vegan mayo
  • salt + pepper
  • lemon

What if I don’t have hummus or vegan mayo on hand? Tahini will work beautifully in it’s place! Use 1/3 cup tahini, plus 4 – 5 tablespoon of water.

top down view showing the process of mashing chickpeas in a bowl with items surrounding.

How To Make Smashed Chickpea Salad

  • If using hummus, mix in a few tablespoons of water to thin it out a little.
  • Prep and dice the red onion, bell pepper, artichokes and olives.
  • Roughly mash about 3/4 of the chickpeas, leaving a few whole.

top down view showing the process of adding thinned hummus to salad ingredients.

  • Add the veggies to the bowl with the mashed chickpeas.
  • Pour the hummus dressing, lemon juice, dill, mineral salt + pepper (shown above).
  • Give a good mix (shown below) and enjoy!

Top Tips

  • Recipe can easily be halved. Although I highly recommend making the full batch so you have leftovers. You’ll be glad you did!
  • Adjust to taste. As with all my recipes, feel free to adjust any of the ingredients to suit your taste.

top down view of freshly made mashed Mediterranean chickpea salad.

How To Store

  • Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5  – 6 days.

How To Serve Smashed Chickpea Salad

For lighter fare:

  • Wraps: Lettuce wraps are cool and refreshing, use romaine or bibb lettuce. Top with sliced cherry tomatoes and julienned cucumbers.
  • Salad: Make a salad, adding a serving on top of a bed of leafy greens, along with tomatoes, cucumber slices and a squeeze of lemon.
  • Dip: Serve as a dip, scooping it up with crackers, freshly sliced cucumbers and red bell peppers, or endive works great too.
  • This salad would also be great used in these Stuffed Avocados!

And for a heartier meal:

  • Sandwich: It’s great as a sandwich filler using olive bread or your favorite bread. Add sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, along with a layer of hummus on the bread. Mashed avocado would be great too!

When searching for lunch, dinner, and make ahead meals, keep this smashed chickpea salad in mind! It’s also great as a snack and perfect to take along to parties, potlucks and picnics.

top down view of platter with Mediterranean chickpea salad with crackers, lettuce and cucumbers.

If you try this easy chickpea salad recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

Print

MEDITERRANEAN SMASHED CHICKPEA SALAD

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

Smashed chickpea salad is a flavorful mix of Mediterranean flavors including chickpeas, red bell pepper, artichokes, kalamata olives with a simple hummus dressing. Great sandwich and lettuce wrap filler, ready in minutes!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 15 min
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Category: Entree, Snack
  • Method: mash, mix
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cans (14 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored and finely diced
  • 1/3 medium red onion, finely diced
  • 1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts, diced (pref in water)
  • 56 oz jar kalamata olives, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
  • salt + pepper, to taste
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2/3 cup vegan mayo or 1/2 cup hummus + 3 – 6 tablespoons water to thin (see notes)

Instructions

Dressing: In a small mixing bowl, add the hummus and water, mix well, set aside. If mixture is too thin, add more hummus. If mixture is too thick, add more water. Consistency should be creamy, not too thick, not too thin. Use your best judgement. If using mayo, you may consider adding 1 teaspoon garlic powder.

Mash chickpeas: In a large mixing bowl, add the chickpeas. Using the back of a fork, or potato masher, roughly mash about 3/4 of the chickpeas, leaving some whole.

Assemble: Add to the smashed chickpeas the remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Use this chickpea salad in lettuce wraps, on a bed of leafy greens with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, scoop up with crackers of vegetables, or use as an amazing sandwich filler. A few pepperoncinis on the side would be great too!

Serves 6

Store: Leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Notes

Hummus can come in different blends and consistencies. Some are thicker than others. Start by adding the lower amount of water, adding more as needed to thin. For variation, garlic hummus would be great here!

If you don’t want to use hummus, vegan mayo will work too, use about 2/3 – 1 cup, starting with the smaller amount first. Alternately, tahini will work as well, use 1/2 cup tahini + 4 – 6 tablespoons water, adding more water as needed.

Updated: Smashed Mediterranean Chickpea Salad was originally published in August 2018. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in June 2020.

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11 Comments

  1. So delicious!!!
    I used vegan mayo and it turned out great! Not too much work either. I’m going to try rolling mine up into a spring roll first, just to see if I can do it without making too much mess 😋






  2. This was fantastic! Definitely going in the rotation. Thank you for the great recipe!

  3. This salad is beyond delicious. Easy and quick and it’s soooo good. I used tahini for the dressing.






  4. Katharina says:

    Loved this chickpea salad, used vegan mayo and little extra virgin olive oil, added the garlic powder, then the other ingredients except the dill and It still came out really good. I definitely recommend.






  5. Yummy!! Ingredients are easy to find in the grocery store. Easy to assemble. Tasty with a variety of Textures. Versatile.






  6. Hi, Julie. I made this yesterday and it was one of the best sandwich fillings I’ve ever tasted! I followed the recipe exactly, using the hummus. I served this on toasted vegan rye bread. I woke up this morning craving another sandwich – it’s that good! Thanks so much for the recipe.






  7. I haven’t tried this yet, but making some chickpea salad wraps is ALL I can think about right now, because this sounds amazing! Planning on using some Ithaca lemon dill hummus and diced baby rainbow peppers when I finally make this for some lunch meal-prep <3

  8. I love your chickpea salads; especially in this can’t-do-anything-instantly-sweating summer weather! :D
    Thank you!
    Much love! :)

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Thank you! Yes, this summer weather has been crazy hot. Enjoy them all! :)

  9. Hi,
    I’m allergic to peppers, what would you suggest substituting for them?
    Thanks!

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Diced cucumber would be great, adding a cool, refreshing flavor!

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