Mediterranean-inspired vegan Chickpea Spinach Salad features carrots and Kalamata olives in a light lemony dressing. This colorful dish is easy to make with only 6 ingredients in about 15 minutes! Enjoy it for lunch or as a side dish any day of the week.
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a versatile plant-based protein that works well as part of a vegan Mediterranean diet.
I recommend keeping some cans on hand so you can make quick lunches like Chickpea Cucumber Salad and Vegan No-Tuna Salad. And if you like Mediterranean flavors, you're sure to enjoy this easy vegan Chickpea Spinach Salad, as well.
Simply combine the legumes with mild spinach leaves, sweet shredded carrots, and tangy black olives along with a little olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and you'll have yourself a delicious Greek-inspired dish in no time!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's loaded with Greek-inspired flavors, yet only requires 6 ingredients (plus salt and pepper).
- You can make it in about 15 minutes.
- It's perfect for lunch, but also works well as a starter or side with your favorite dishes.
Ingredients
Spinach: Packaged fresh baby spinach works well in this recipe. Or you can buy a bunch of spinach and chop it into bite-size pieces.
Carrots: You can either buy pre-shredded carrots or shred whole carrots yourself using either a box grater or a food processor.
Kalamata olives: Choose pitted olives, if available.
Variations
This Chickpea Spinach Salad is easy to customize to make it your own.
- Choose a different variety of olives such as California black or Spanish manzanilla olives.
- If you don't care for olives, leave them out or add diced avocado in their place.
- Add additional vegetables to your salad such as halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, or sliced red onion.
- Make the vinaigrette with red wine vinegar in place of fresh lemon juice.
- Add extra flavor to the dressing with some dried oregano or your favorite seasoning blend.
- Top your salad with some vegan feta cheese crumbles.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
As you can probably imagine, this recipe is very easy to make.
- First, add the chickpeas, carrots, spinach, and olives to a large salad bowl.
- Then mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in a small bowl or jar to make the dressing.
- Pour the dressing over and salad and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper, as needed, and serve.
This recipe makes 2 servings as a light meal. Or if you make it as a starter, 4 people can enjoy it.
Amy's tip
Serving suggestions
Enjoy this Chickpea Spinach Salad on its own or with some crunchy sourdough bread for a light yet filling lunch. My favorite is Bread SRSLY gluten-free vegan sourdough from San Francisco. Use code VEGGIESSAVETHEDAY for $5 off your first order.
Or serve smaller portions as a starter with your favorite dishes. It pairs well with everything from Roasted Romanesco Pasta to Mediterranean Tofu Tacos to Vegan Puttanesca Cauliflower.
Storing
Chickpea Spinach Salad is best stored undressed so the spinach leaves don't get soggy from the dressing. The salad and dressing can be kept separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
If you want to use dried beans, cook them in advance before making this recipe. You will need ½ cup of dried chickpeas which will be approximately 1½ cups when cooked.
Yes, they are one in the same. The word chickpea is derived from Latin, while the word garbanzo is derived from Spanish.
Kalamata olives have a richer, fruitier flavor than milder black olives.
More vegan chickpea recipes
And for even more recipes, join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook group for support, inspiration, and fun.
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ★★★★★
📋 Recipe
Vegan Chickpea Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 15 ounces chickpeas, (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained (1½ cups)
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add the chickpeas, carrots, spinach, and olives to a large salad bowl.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in a small bowl to make the dressing. Alternatively, add the ingredients to a small jar with a lid and shake to combine.
- Pour the dressing over and salad and toss well to coat.
- Taste and adjust for salt and pepper, as needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Rosie-d
This sounds delicious. Is there a way to make it oil free? I understand that olive oil is healthy, but my doctor has advised me to avoid oils unless it is used as part of a whole food.
Amy Katz
Hi Rosie, In this case, I would simply leave out the olive oil. I hope you enjoy it!