Chickpea Tomato Salad
Avocado adds the perfect creamy touch to this Chickpea Tomato Salad and there’s a tasty lime and chile dressing and chopped cilantro! Just use a bit more thinly sliced green onion to replace the cilantro if you’re not a cilantro fan.
PIN the Chickpea Tomato Salad to try it later!
I first made this Chickpea Tomato Salad years ago, and the original version of the salad and the later version with avocado added were inspired by two blogs that are no longer posting, so I guess I am happy I’m still enjoying both my blog and this tasty salad!
And if you like garbanzos, tomatoes, and avocado, I bet you’ll love this simple salad that has a delicious lime and chile dressing. I thought this was a wonderful treat for a summer lunch. And it would also be a great side dish salad for something cooked on the grill.
Of course if you have fresh garden tomatoes, that will make this amazing salad even better; enjoy!
What ingredients do you need for this salad?
- canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- fresh tomatoes
- green onion
- chopped cilantro
- avocado
- fresh-squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice for part of lime juice
- extra-virgin olive oil
- ground Chipotle chile pepper (affiliate link) (see notes)
- Chili Powder (affiliate link)
- ground cumin (affiliate link)
- Onion Powder (affiliate link)
- zest from one lime
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
What if you don’t like cilantro?
You can skip the chopped cilantro and add some thinly sliced green onions if you’re not a cilantro fan like I am, but of course I loved the addition of chopped cilantro.
Want more Summer Tomato Salads?
Check out 20 Summer Tomato Salads to find more great recipes for using garden tomatoes.
How to Make Chickpea Tomato Salad:
(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)
- Rinse the chickpeas well (until no more foam appears) and then let them drain.
- Combine the lime juice, olive oil, ground Chipotle chile pepper (affiliate link) (or hot sauce), chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, and lime zest to make the dressing.
- Then mix the dressing into the drained garbanzo beans, using a bowl that’s big enough to hold all the salad ingredients. Cover the beans and let them marinate in the flavorful dressing for at least 30 minutes. If you can leave them a bit longer, even better.
- When you’re ready to make the salad, dice avocado and toss with 2 teaspoons of lime juice.
- Cut up one cup of garden tomatoes, or if you’re using grape or cherry tomatoes cut them in half lengthwise.
- Chop up a generous bunch of cilantro (about 1 cup chopped cilantro) or use a bit more thinly sliced green onion if you’re not a cilantro fan.
- Toss together the marinated garbanzos, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and green onion.
- Then gently mix in the diced avocado and the salad is ready to serve. YUM!
More Summer Salads with Chickpeas:
Cucumber, Tomato, and Garbanzo Salad with Feta
Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes, Olives and Herbs
Chickpea Tomato Salad
People who like garbanzo beans will love this simple Chickpea Tomato Salad with avocado, lime, and chile dressing, and chopped cilantro! Just use more sliced green onion if you're not a cilantro fan.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- one 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup green onion, sliced
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 avocado, diced
Dressing Ingredients:
- 2 T + 2 tsp. fresh lime juice (see notes)
- 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. ground Chipotle chile pepper (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- zest from one lime
- salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain beans into colander and rinse until no foam remains. Let beans drain well while you make the dressing.
- Zest the lime and squeeze the juice.
- Mix together the lime juice, olive oil, ground ground Chipotle chile pepper (affiliate link) or hot sauce, chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, and lime zest to make the dressing.
- Put the beans and dressing into a plastic container with a snap-on lid and shake a few times to combine. (Use a bowl that’s big enough to hold all the salad ingredients.) Let beans marinate in dressing 30 minutes or longer.
- Peel and dice the avocado and toss it with 2 teaspoons of lime juice.
- Dice tomatoes, place in colander with a small amount of salt and let tomatoes drain 10 minutes while you dice onions and chop cilantro (You can skip that step if using cherry tomatoes or if your tomatoes aren’t that juicy.)
- Thinly slice the green onions and wash, dry, and chop the cilantro.
- Combine marinated beans with dressing, tomatoes, green onion, and cilantro and stir gently until well combined, then gently stir in the avocado (if using.)
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
I used my fresh-frozen lime juice for part of the lime juice. You could substitute hot sauce if you don’t have ground Chipotle chile pepper (affiliate link).
Recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from a blog that no longer exists.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 494mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 13gSugar: 7gProtein: 10g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Chickpea Tomato Salad is loaded with low-glycemic ingredients, which makes it a great choice for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. Remember that beans are limited to 1/3 to 1/2 cup for phase one, so eat a small portion for that phase. Since beans, tomatoes, and avocado all have carbs, this salad is probably too high in carbs for traditional low-carb diet plans.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more salads like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe
This recipe was first posted in 2006, adapted from a blog that no longer exists. It was improved in 2011 with new photos and the addition of avocado, and the recipe was updated and improved with more information in 2022.
31 Comments on “Chickpea Tomato Salad”
Kalyn, I just made this for lunch. Another fantastic recipe! Thanks so much.
By the way, I noticed as I made it that you asked us to dice/slice the onion and chop the cilantro twice. Just thought I'd let you know in case you want to delete one of the places (both in same paragraph). I'm an editor/proofreader by trade, so I guess those things jump out at me. 🙂
I'm hungry so I'd enjoy it. I will be making and enjoying.
Paz, hope you like it!
You KNOW I gotta make this tomorrow, right! Can't wait for tomorrow. ;-D
Karla May, I really like the idea of adding shrimp to this. Glad it was a hit.
Lydia, I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I can take an old post I feel slightly embarrassed by and bring it up to current standards!
It's so much fun to revisit old recipes and think of ways to improve them. This salad looks pretty and delicious.
I added fresh boiled shrimp to this for some protein, and it was a HIT with the family…even the 6 yr. old. Thanks for the recipe!!
Maria, me too!
Jeanette, hope I get to see you again soon!
Love your updated salad with avocado (and photo!). Bummed I won't be able to make it to BlogHer this year, but hope to next year, especially if it's on the East Coast. Hope you have fun!
I will take mine with avocado:) Love this salad!
Looks really cool and delicious! Thanks for the clarification re cilantro and chinese parsley. Good to know.
Paz
This sounds great and is right up my alley this week with the heat! I think I even have all of the ingredients on hand. Thanks Kalyn!
kaylyn this sounds delish and you know my fondness for cilantro is about as high as gonzola 😉 could you drizzle a bit of the cilantro oil I made for this as well as your dressing?
I love love love cilantro and tomatoes! Love it! I am going to have to try this when I get home from my business trip!
Cherie, let me know if you like the recipe.
Steven, I like the sound of your version too. Basil and white beans are made to go together.
I was going to make this tonight, but I didn’t have garbanzos or lime, so I made it a bit more Italian and used canellini beans, basil and lemon. Next time I’ll try it your way. BTW it was still good 🙂
Mmmm, can’t wait to try this recipe!
Count me as a cilantro-lover. Although when I first encountered it, I was almost 20 (not a very adventerous kid when it came to food), and in Costa Rica for the summer on a study-abroad program. We ate lunch at the same place almost every day and everything had this funny-to-me taste. At first, I didn’t like it at all so I kept ordering something different, but all the dishes had this taste. I wouldn’t call it soapy, but I thought it tasted like mildew smelled. Weird, right?
I soon discovered it was cilantro and learned to love it. Now, mildew still reminds me of cilantro and I kind of like the smell 🙂
Mooncrazy, hope you like the salad. I am beyond excited about Blogher and I’m sure it will be so fun.
Sher, thanks. I love the camera. I’m glad you’re excited about Blogher, I wondered if anyone was even reading the things I was writing about it. I wish you were going!! Next year it’s on the East Coast.
Kalyn, that new camera is fabulous (I’m assuming you were using it). The colors look amazing!! Well, I’m getting very excited about Blogher–and I’m not even going there! :):)
Garbanzo salad looks great and I just happen to have everything on hand. Have fun at the conference.