Simple Chickpea Salad with onions, cucumber, dates and a dressing made with paprika, oregano, olive oil, mustard and red wine vinegar!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chickpeas (raw, 205 grams, soaked overnight)
  • 1/2 cup red onion (chopped)
  • 1/3 cup cucumber (diced)
  • 1/3 cup olives (I used mix of green and black)
  • 3 medjool dates (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (extra-virgin, 45 ml)
  • 1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar (22 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1/2-3/4 tablespoon maple syrup (adjust to taste)
  • 1-2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)

Method

  1. Soak chickpeas overnight in 3 cups water. In the morning, drain the water, rinse the chickpeas and transfer then to an Instant Pot with 2-3 cups water. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Or you can use 2 3/4 cups of canned chickpeas.
  2. Transfer the cooked chickpeas to a bowl. Add the chopped onions, cucumber, olives and dates. Add the dried oregano, paprika, salt and pepper.
  3. In another jar or bowl, make the dressing by mixing together olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and maple syrup. Mix until it's all well combined.
  4. Pour dressing over the salad and mix really well until everything is well combined.
  5. Add in the freshly chopped parsley and mix. You can serve this chickpea salad immediately but I like to cover and chill for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. This helps in brining the flavors together.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.