Creamy Lemon Chickpea Salad with Goat Cheese
I had real trouble naming this recipe because there are so many delicious ingredients that I wanted to include in the title – but I don’t think ‘creamy chickpea salad with lemon, goat cheese, walnuts, red onion and arugula’ would have been particularly catchy.
So, here’s where I ended up. But really, this easy chickpea salad is a mish mash of wonderful flavours and textures, with a bit of crunch, some freshness, creaminess, and a nice bit of tang… it’s got a bit of everything.
This recipe was inspired by my creamy chickpea salad sandwiches – but this time I added lots of extra tasty bits to take it to the next level. The original recipe is super adaptable, as you can see! Chuck in whatever you like, for a super quick and easy vegetarian lunch.
This time I stuffed the creamy salad into pitta bread, but you could equally use it as a sandwich filling in some crusty bread, scoop it up on crackers, or dollop it over your favourite salad leaves.
⭐️ How to make a Tasty Chickpea Sandwich Filling
As with most of my recipes, you can really make this one your own. If you’re not a fan of my chosen ingredients, feel free to mix things up! You could make this creamy chickpea salad every week, and never make it the same way twice.
If you like, you could stick with the same ‘formula’ to ensure you end up with a nice balance of ingredients.
- Veggies – I used red onion, but you could swap for spring onions, chopped bell peppers, sweetcorn, black olives, grated carrot, diced cucumbers, or whatever else you fancy.
- Nuts – I used some chopped walnuts for a wonderful bit of crunch. You could swap these for pine nuts (toasted, if possible!), peanuts, cashew nuts, or whatever’s your favourite.
- Cheese – I used some soft goat cheese, but crumbled feta, grated cheddar, or even a dollop of garlicky cream cheese would be amazing additions.
- Greens – I mixed some arugula (rocket) through my chickpea salad, which works really well, as it’s a tasty, peppery leaf. You could swap it for any other greens, like watercress or chopped spinach, if you prefer.
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🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy chickpea salad. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.
- chickpeas – I always use canned, for convenience.
- mayonnaise – this is what holds everything together. If you prefer, you could use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead.
- arugula (rocket)
- soft goat cheese
- lemon juice – I used freshly squeezed, but lemon juice from a bottle also works.
- walnuts
- red onion
Becca’s Top Tip
This salad is best served chilled, so if possible, prepare it in advance, and store it in an airtight tub in the fridge for an hour or two before serving, to make sure it’s nice and cold. It’s best eaten up within a couple of days.
🖨️ Printable Instructions
Creamy Lemony Chickpea Salad
If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin Comment(if you suffer from allergies, please double check all ingredients before eating)
Ingredients
- 1/2 small red onion (or 1/4 large red onion)
- 40 g (~ 1 1/2 oz) walnuts
- 60 g (~ 2 oz) soft goat cheese
- 400 g tin chickpeas, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 1 large handful fresh arugula (rocket)
- 1 heaped Tablespoon mayonnaise (I used light)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Finely chop the red onion, walnuts, and goat cheese. My goat cheese was a little gooey for my liking (rather than crumbly), but it still worked just fine.
- Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, and mix well to combine.
- If you have time, chill the salad in the fridge for an hour before serving. I served mine inside a toasted pitta bread.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
💭 Recipe FAQs
If possible, you’ll prepare the salad an hour or so before you need it, to give it a chance to chill in the fridge. However, it can be eaten straight after mixing if needed. It can also be stored in an airtight tub in a fridge for a couple of days if needed.
This lemony chickpea salad is ideal served in pitta bread, or as a sandwich filling with crusty bread. It could also be scooped with crackers, or dolloped over a salad or jacket potato.
This looks delicious, will be trying ! I cook my own beans all the time, both for price and avoiding the cans (and liners). I like knowing what goes in there for sure, and I also find that the chick peas I boil at home make a far better hummus. By far the easiest way for me is to use the crock pot. I just toss the dry beans in with water and let it cook for a couple of hours on high. I store them in glass jars in the freezer.
Oooh I love the idea of using the slow cooker, I think even I could manage that ;) maybe I’ll give it a go!
That looks delicious! I have been using goats cheese in just about everything recently, love the stuff. And chickpeas have been one of my favourites for years so this is right up my alley! Thanks for sharing!
This looks so good and fresh. Love how simple and yummy it is.
This looks and sounds incredible. I will definitely be trying this recipe out soon!
Let me know how you like it! :)
Yep you have me at goats cheese! Fantastic! :)
wow these look amazing! I mean seriously they are perfect! i just wish i could afford to buy goat cheese so I could make these! haha oooh living on my own :-P
Aw is it expensive? I get a lump of 120g for £1.28, so the cheese in this recipe only cost about 50p. Feta could work too if that’s any cheaper for you?
Ya :( unfortunately a small container here is about $5-6. I might try it with feta though, what a great idea!!
If you have a Cosco you can get two pretty big logs for 6 bucks , or trader joes has good ones too
The simplicity and fresh flavors of this dish are so great! Would love to grab them for a quick lunch.
This looks fabulous! Love a good chickpea sanger
Well, I definitely soak and boil all kinds of beans, including chickpeas, but I don’t see that much difference in taste. It’s more of a difference in price! This salad sounds so good–fresh & perfect for a summer lunch.
Ah ok, I get 3 tins of chickpeas for £1 so I guess the cost isn’t enough to make me bother soaking my own! ;)
One advantage of soaking is that, to speed things up, you could just soak for 2-3h and then boil for ca. 45-60 mins. If you boil in broth, it’s a way of adding extra flavor.
Thank you for this recipe! Just made it. It’s awesome. Topped it off with some green (mild) salsa, which worked well too.
You don’t have to soak and boil. My husband just amazed me by putting the chickpeas into a pressure cooker and they were done within 40 mins. No soaking involved
That would be great if I had a pressure cooker! :P
Dried beans taste MUCH better. I have only used dry recently. They are also more economical. I still have the canned beans(chick peas, pinto, etc.) on hand because I don’t always plan well.
This recipe looks yummy. I am going to try it ASAP! Thank you.
So glad you managed to make it to dry land! Your wraps look so appetizing! I might do mashed avocado as a mayo substitute (fully acknowledge my weirdness!), and ohmygoodness, do I love chickpeas, lemon, and goat cheese :)
Also wondering about the dried version, as I’ve only had canned chickpeas, too.
Ooh yes avocado could work! Good idea!