Chickpea Lentil Salad
on Sep 15, 2025, Updated May 01, 2026
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This quick and easy Mediterranean chickpea lentil salad is one I come back to again and again. I’ve made countless variations of it and it’s often in rotation as an easy, healthy meal or side dish.
I like to make it on Sundays so I’ve got lunches ready for the week. It’s got chickpeas, lentils, olives, artichokes, fresh herbs, and a lemony Mediterranean dressing that tastes even better the next day.
I love this recipe because it’s so versatile. If you’re missing artichokes or olives, try sun-dried tomatoes or capers. No chickpeas? White beans work, or just double the lentils. You really can’t go wrong.
Why You’ll Love Chickpea Lentil Salad
- Made with simple pantry staples and fresh veggies.
- High in plant-based protein and high-fibre.
- Works for meal prep.
- Bright, fresh, and satisfying, never boring.
- Naturally plant-based and gluten-free.
- Made with canned lentils so you’ll just need about 10-15 minutes to assemble it, depending on your chopping speed.
If you are looking for more bean salads, this Sun Dried Tomato Bean Salad, Edamame Bean Salad or Mediterranean Barley Salad are perfect to try next.
🔍 Recipe at a Glance
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Servings: 6
Per Serving: 420 calories, 23g protein, 27g fibre
Diet: Vegan, gluten-free.
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is a brief overview of what you’ll need to make the salad and possible substitutions. Once you’re ready to make the recipe, use the recipe card at the end of the post with the full ingredient list and measurements.
- Lentils: I use canned lentils for this salad. They have the perfect texture and convenient. If you don’t have canned lentils on hand, use 2 cups of cooked le puy, black or French lentils. Green lentils work if you don’t have one of those varieties. This Harissa Roasted Vegetable Lentil Salad also uses canned lentils.
- Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas. You can substitute white beans.
- Artichokes: Use canned artichoke hearts. I recommend the plain ones, not marinated in oil though those can work as a substitute.
- Olives: I use kalamata olives in this salad but you can substitute black olives or another variety. Capers work well as a substitute.
- Herbs: The recipe calls for fresh parsley. I’d recommend keeping the parsley but if you’d like to experiment with extras, mint, dill, basil or cilantro work well.
- Vegetables: The recipe calls for bell pepper, cucumber, tomato and red onion. The amounts don’t have to be exact. Approximately 1 bell pepper (orange, red or yellow works), 1/2 a cucumber or 1 cup diced, about 1 cup chopped grape or cherry tomatoes but Roma or any other tomato works and about 1/2 of a small red onion. Take the time to dice the veggies so you get more in every bite!
- Vinegar: I like red wine vinegar in this salad but you can substitute white vine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Variations
- Use barley, farro or quinoa instead of or in addition to chickpeas or lentils for grain-based version.
- Add roasted vegetables like eggplant and zuchinni.
- Add 1 tbsp tahini or hummus to the dressing to make it creamy.
- Try sun-dried tomatoes in addition to or instead of olives.
How to Make Chickpea Lentil Salad
Step 1. Add the dressing ingredients to a large salad bowl and whisk until fully combined.
Step 2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I actually prefer canned lentils in this salad and they just make it so easy. That said, you can absolutely cook your own lentils too, just skip red lentils as they’ll be too mushy. Green, brown, black, le puy or French lentils all work well.
Yes! This is a great salad for meal prep and holds up well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. This salad is not suitable for freezing.
This salad makes a great light meal on it’s own or with a scoop of hummus and some pita. You can also serve it over greens or pair it with any protein like chicken, salmon or prawns.
Deryn’s Notes
- Take care to finely chop the cucumber, bell pepper, onion, artichoke hearts and parsley so you get more flavour in every bite! You can slice or quarter the cherry or grape tomatoes.
- If you have time to let the salad sit 10-15 minutes before serving, this helps the flavours really come together.
How to Store Chickpea Lentil Salad
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavours actually deepen over the first day or two as everything marinates in the dressing.
- Freezing: Not recommended .
- Serving at room temperature: Perfect for picnics and potlucks. Safe to leave out for up to 2 hours before serving.
If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
Chickpea Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 clove garlic, grated or crushed
- 1 tsp grainy or Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
- 1 can lentils (19 oz) , drained and rinsed
- 1 can chickpeas (19 oz), drained and rinsed
- 1 can artichoke hearts (14 oz), medium diced
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, lightly packed, finely chopped
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon, garlic and mustard to a large mixing bowl or serving bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
This recipe looks yummy and nutritious! Before I try it, what could I use instead of the oil in the dressing?
Thank you, Sue
You can just omit it, that’s fine, thanks.
Perfect! Thank you! Can’t wait to try it.
Let me know how you like it!