Home > Salads > Garbanzo Bean Salad Garbanzo Bean Salad August 24, 2020 | 56 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Garbanzo Bean Salad is loaded with veggies, dressed in an Italian-inspired vinaigrette, and finished with some herbaceous parsley! For a similar salad with a slightly different flavor profile, try our Mediterranean-inspired chickpea salad! Garbanzo Bean Salad We’re obsessed with this fresh and lively salad! It’s loaded with texture and color, plenty of nutritious ingredients, and also happens to be vegetarian! But, trust me, you will not miss the meat in this salad. The garbanzo and black beans have loads of protein, making this salad super substantial. Then we pair those beans with good-for-you fats from the avocado and you’ll be amazed just how satiating this salad is. Of course, you can always serve this salad up with a side of protein — chicken, steak, or salmon would all be delicious accompaniments. I’ll share more serving suggestions below along with some details about the dressing and tips for making this salad. Italian-inspired dressing The dressing can be made in advance; just be sure to shake it up again before dressing this Garbanzo Bean Salad. We use all the dressing in this salad (it’s a lot, but we love it!), but you may want to use less. Refrigerate any leftover (or made ahead) dressing. If the dressing separates or hardens in the fridge, don’t be alarmed– olive oil does this at cold temps. Simply set it out at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes and then shake it vigorously to re-combine. Garbanzo Bean Salad Tips Fully ripe avocados are game changers for this salad. A ripe avocado can add an incredible creamy texture and a far superior flavor. You can tell an avocado is ripe by gently pressing near the stem. If the avocado yields to that gentle pressure, it’s ripe and ready to be added to this salad! I recommend Persian (sometimes labeled as mini cucumbers) or English cucumbers. These cucumbers are nearly seedless and very crisp (instead of watery). They have a sweet, mild flavor and a great crunch; they’re the perfect complement to all the other veggies and will keep the salad from getting watered down. Tame the bite of red onion. If you’re sensitive to the flavor of raw red onion, soak the diced onions in ice-cold, salted water for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly before using in this Garbanzo Bean Salad. Garbanzo Bean Salad Tips Continued Make sure to get flat-leaf Italian parsley, as opposed to curly for this recipe. Flat-leaf parsley has a more robust flavor and curly parsley is used more commonly as a garnish. Curly parsley won’t add much flavor to this salad. Cut veggies in even sizes throughout this salad. Don’t forget to taste before serving. Depending on the ripeness of veggies and actual ingredients used in the dressing, you may need additional seasoning. Taste the salad a few times before serving and add a touch more salt and/or pepper if the flavors seem at all flat. The flavors in this salad should sing! You may be surprised how much salt this salad needs, but with raw veggies and un-seasoned beans, it benefits greatly from generous seasonings. Let’s talk corn If you have access to fresh corn on the cob, I highly recommend it for this salad. And if not, frozen (thawed) or canned (and well-drained) corn works well too. If using corn on the cob, you can cut it right off the cob and add it to the salad. We love the flavor and crunch of raw corn in Garbanzo Bean Salad! If you aren’t too sure about raw corn, you could grill it up before adding it to the salad. I go into detail about grilling corn (I promise it’s easy!) in this Elote post. Garbanzo Bean Salad FAQs1What are garbanzo beans good for?Garbanzo beans are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They’re also very high in protein which make them a great source for plant-based protein in meatless diets. 2What is the difference between chick peas and garbanzo beans?Chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the same. The reason they’re sometimes called different names is that “chickpeas” is the English name while “Garbanzo” is the Spanish name for them. A lot of companies will now label the cans (and bags) by both names to avoid confusion. 3Can you eat garbanzo beans raw?Yes. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to consume the dried beans (you may break a tooth in the process!), but canned garbanzo beans are actually pre-cooked so you can eat them straight out of the can! I do recommend thoroughly rinsing the canned beans to wash out excess sodium. 4What goes well with chickpeas?Chickpeas pair so nicely with other veggies– which is why this salad is loaded with them! Cucumbers, peppers, fresh herbs — they’ll all pair nicely with these beans. I also like combining chickpeas with other beans (like the black beans in this salad). Not only does it further increase the protein of the salad, but it also makes for a nice complementary texture and flavor. 5What goes well with this Garbanzo Bean Salad?We love serving Garbanzo Bean Salad with grilled chicken, a grilled flank steak, or these tasty fish tacos. It makes a great salad to bring to a potluck (and a refreshing change from the typical mayo-laden potluck salad). More Delicious Salad Recipes Cowboy Caviar with a lime vinaigrette Cucumber Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette Panzanella Salad with fresh corn Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with a lemon vinaigrette Israeli Salad cucumber, tomato, and parsley salad FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Italian Garbanzo Bean Salad 4.82 from 43 votes - Review this recipe This Garbanzo Bean Salad is loaded with veggies, dressed in an Italian-inspired vinaigrette, and finished with some herbaceous parsley! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Italian Garbanzo Bean Salad 4.82 from 43 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe This Garbanzo Bean Salad is loaded with veggies, dressed in an Italian-inspired vinaigrette, and finished with some herbaceous parsley! Course Salad Cuisine Italian Keyword garbanzo bean salad Prep Time 30 minutes minutes Total Time 30 minutes minutes Servings 6 -8 as a side Chelsea Lords Calories 371kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $6.71 IngredientsDressing▢ 3/4 cup olive oil▢ 1/4 cup red wine vinegar▢ 1 tablespoon dried parsley▢ 2 teaspoons dried minced onion▢ 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice▢ 1 teaspoon EACH dried basil, dried oregano, salt▢ 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese▢ 1 teaspoon white granulated sugarSalad▢ 2 cans (15.5 oz. EACH) garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), drained and rinsed▢ 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed ▢ 2 ears fresh sweet corn (or 1 can corn, drained)▢ 1-1/3 cups chopped English (or Persian/Salad) cucumbers, (~3 Persian/1 English cucumber)▢ 1 large red bell pepper, diced▢ 1 large ripe avocado, peeled and chopped▢ 3/4 cup diced red onion (~1/2 of 1 onion)▢ 1/3 cup finely diced flat-leaf Italian parsley (~1/2 of 1 bunch)▢ Fine sea salt and fresh cracked pepperUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsDRESSING: Add all of the ingredients to a Mason jar, place the lid on the jar, and then shake vigorously until ingredients are incorporated. Place in the fridge while you prepare the salad. I like to make this first so it can chill and flavors can intensify.SALAD: Drain and rinse the garbanzo and black beans; shake in a colander to rid of any excess water. Place in a large bowl. Add the corn, the chopped cucumber, diced pepper, chopped avocado, diced red onion, and finely diced parsley.DRESS: Remove the dressing from the fridge and give it a good shake. Pour over the salad (See Note 1) and gently toss to coat. We like to use all the dressing in this salad, but if you'd like a less-dressed bean salad, add less. Season with additional salt and pepper (I add another 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, but add to preference.), tasting often. The amount of salt needed will vary, depending on the freshness/ripeness of ingredients used). Toss salad once more and enjoy.STORAGE: Store salad, avocado, and dressing separately. Combine right before eating a portion. Salad (stored separately) will last 3-4 days in the fridge. The dressing will stay good for up to 2 weeks. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: If you want to have leftovers, do not add dressing (or avocado) to that part of the salad as it doesn't store well. Only pour dressing on the salad amount that will be consumed immediately. Nutrition FactsServing: 1serving | Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 94mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1005IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 1mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
Just made this, turned out great! Really nice flavor and great tip about not using the dressing until ready to to be consumed. I used fresh basil from my garden instead of dried basil. Reply
Love this salad!! It’s so fresh and it definitely delivers on taste. I was curious about the nutrition info as I couldn’t seem to find it. Please let me know! Reply
Hi there! This sounds absolutely delicious! Do you have the nutritional info for the recipe? Thank you!! Erin Reply
I use my fitness pal and plugging in all the ingredients has it come to 204 calories per serving. I also used good seasoning Italian dressing instead of making my own. Same ingredients Reply
I use my fitness pal and plugged in all ingredients it’s about 204 calories per side serving. Also I used the Italian seasoning dressing packets- it’s basically all the ingredients in the dressing that was given. Reply
Just made this. Omitted the parmesan from dressing for a vegan meal. So,so delicious!! Will definitely make again. Reply
I’m glad I read your comment. I was thinking of making this for a friend who is vegan, and did not think about the Parmesan not being vegan friendly! Reply
HOLY. MESS. I found this recipe on google and frankly, didn’t expect much. It looked pretty and, ?, healthy for my diet. I made it last night, kept the dressing on the side, and just put a bowl together for a snack before dinner. I was thinking I would only make it halfway through before it got ugh and boring. THIS IS DELICIOUS. Like, also gonna have it with my dinner delicious. Packing some for lunch tomorrow delicious. Not sad a about my diet delicious. So. Freaking. Good. #happyhappyhappy Reply
Yay!! So happy to hear this was a hit! Thank you so much for your kind comment and review Andrea 🙂 Reply
This is a wonderful appatizer and is super healthy and the taste is so delish and flavorful I can’t even put it in words and is the perfect salad for my child he loves gerbonzo Beans. Five stars Reply
Sounds like the perfect salad to me! I picked yours over everyone else’s because it contains all the amino acids and I have a difficult time getting food in these days Because I am sodium restricted, I cook my own beans up and will withhold most of the sodium. I am not worried about calories, but sodium and nutrition are important to me. I tend to look for that at the bottom of recipes. Thank you so much for your recipe! I am excited! Reply
Took forever to find the recipe hidden among all the ads and video ads slowing down my computer and distracting my reading. You can’t even type a review without video change overs of different advertisements interrupting your typing! Chelsea’s apron isn’t the only thing that’s messy! Reply
Perfectly balanced flairs, colors and textures in this salad. The dressing is great on other veggies and salads as well! I find myself making this salad about every other week as a go to staple recipe. Reply
I’m late to the party!🥳 I made this today for lunch and it is so delicious. I can’t think you enough for the recipe! Reply
Salad looked great and then I took all the ingredients to my son house and made it and ol’ man was it Greatttt! Thank you so very much. Reply
Im glad I found this recipe, made it on Father’s Day for myself. Since I just started a vegan diet it was perfect, very delicious and refreshing. Reply
I made this for an Italian themed Christmas party, and brought home leftovers that my teen/college age girls LOVED. We now make it at least once a week, to have for a meal, to bring to work for lunch, for whatever. Sooooo good. I do not add the avocado, as I did not have it on hand originally, and have only made with canned corn, again what was on hand, but absolutely fabulous. Easy to prepare, too. I usually ask a daughter to cut up some of the veggies while I open up the cans and mix the dressing, so super quick to prepare. Thanks!!! Reply
I made this black bean corn yesterday for super bowl and it was a bit,,, thank you. It was very healthy and delicious 😋 Reply
Garbanzo Bean Salad was over the top! Easy to prepare. I have never seen my son take such a large helping of salad before, you would have thought it was a dog bowl! We all enjoyed! Thank you! Reply
I made this for my grandson’s first birthday party, and it was a HIT! I doubled the recipe and also the dressing. We used about 3/4 of the dressing from one container only. I am def making this again! Ps, I did not add avocado, as we traveled 3.5 hours to get there🥑 Reply
I made this recipe for my grandson’s first birthday. It was a huge hit! Leftovers were just as delicious. So…I am making it for a Halloween party this week. Thanks! Reply
Made this salad for a Super Bowl party. It was a huge hit. The combination of the ingrediants and the dressing were so delicious. Thank you so very much for sharing your recipe with us. Laura Reply
To add to my previous comment… I forgot to mention that this salad is so beautiful and festive. Reply
Amazing recipe. Best bean salad I’ve ever made in my long life. Delicious and healthy-tasting. At 3 pounds of beans, it’s enough for everyone for 2 meals at least. Thank you! Reply
