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 that’s ready in 15 minutes!
It’s mashed, creamy, and delicious —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…
- Mashed Chickpea Salad
- Cranberry Walnut Vegan ‘Chicken’ Salad
- Sonoma Chickpea ‘Chicken’ Salad
- ‘Chickpea of the Sea’ Tuna Salad
- Curried Chickpea Salad
- Mashed Chickpea Avocado Sandwich
They each have a special place in my heart, and I’m excited to add another one to the mix because they are so versatile and satisfying.
This Mediterranean chickpea mash is outstanding! I especially love the saltiness of 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!
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 – preferred 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 its place! Use 1/3 cup tahini plus 4 – 5 tablespoons of water.
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.
- 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!
Salad Tips
- The 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.
How To Store
- Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days.
Serving Suggestions
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 by adding a serving on top of a bed of leafy greens, 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.
- 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 for taking along to parties, potlucks, and picnics.
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.
PrintMEDITERRANEAN SMASHED CHICKPEA SALAD
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!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Entree, Snack
- Method: mash, mix
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 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)
- 5 – 6 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.
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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 😋
This was fantastic! Definitely going in the rotation. Thank you for the great recipe!
This salad is beyond delicious. Easy and quick and it’s soooo good. I used tahini for the dressing.
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.
Yummy!! Ingredients are easy to find in the grocery store. Easy to assemble. Tasty with a variety of Textures. Versatile.
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.
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
I love your chickpea salads; especially in this can’t-do-anything-instantly-sweating summer weather! :D
Thank you!
Much love! :)
Thank you! Yes, this summer weather has been crazy hot. Enjoy them all! :)
Hi,
I’m allergic to peppers, what would you suggest substituting for them?
Thanks!
Diced cucumber would be great, adding a cool, refreshing flavor!