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 FAQs
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.
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.
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.
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.
We love serving Garbanzo Bean Salad with grilled chicken, a grilled flank steak, or these tastyย 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
Italian Garbanzo Bean Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 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 sugar
Salad
- 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 pepper
Instructions
- DRESSING: 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 Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Jeff! ๐
To add to my previous comment…
I forgot to mention that this salad is so beautiful and festive.
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
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Laura! ๐
Would like to try this
You need to try this!!
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!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Deborah! ๐
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 there๐ฅ
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Deborah! ๐
I am making this again for a Halloween Party on Saturday๐
Yay!! I’m so happy you’re enjoying! Thanks Deborah! ๐
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!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Bonnie! ๐