Smashed Chickpea Salad

This vegan chickpea salad is an easy, healthy lunch idea that will be your new favorite! Smashed for maximum flavor and meal-prep friendly this one is lunchbox ready.

Jump to Recipe

I shared this recipe during my recent cooking demo. The theme was “Plant-Based Tastes Great.” That’s a big promise to fill but I was up for the challenge. Thankfully, this vegan chickpea salad was a hit with the crowd so I couldn’t wait to share it with you!

In this healthy eating game, flavor is a major player. No matter how nutritious a dish might be, if it doesn’t taste good, it’s not getting any play. Point. Blank. Period. Well, this vegan chickpea salad is a winner.

How to make smashed chickpea salad

Why Smashed? Smashing the chickpeas not only keeps them from rolling all over the place but crushing them with the onion, garlic, and peppers help distribute the flavors throughout the salad. Plus it’s a fun way to do meal prep in one bowl!

This easy chickpea salad holds up well for the week. So it’s a good choice for meal prep much like my gluten-free pasta salad where the beans are blended into the pasta.

So you might be thinking… rice cakes? Really? As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I’ve spent years helping people realize that a healthy diet doesn’t have to mean rice cakes and celery every day. In fact, I’d written them off. However, when I ran across brown rice cakes recently, I started thinking of the many new ways rice cakes could be part of a healthy diet. They make a fun and crunchy base for this chickpea salad and keep the meal gluten-free. So yeah, I guess I’m reinventing rice cakes with this one.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think. You can play around with the ingredients based on what you have in the kitchen. If you don’t have fresh lemon, try red wine vinegar. No parsley, sub in any fresh herbs you have on hand.

It’s clear that I’m a bit of a chickpea fanatic. I’m not ashamed. I could eat chickpeas almost any kind of way but this one is now on my list of all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy it too!

Looking for more chickpea recipes?

Smoky Chickpeas and Spinach

Vegan Chickpea Pesto Pasta

Chipotle Chickpea Taco Salad with Avocado Cucumber Dressing

Print Recipe

Smashed Chickpea Salad on Crunchy Rice Cakes

This vegan chickpea salad is an easy, healthy lunch idea that will be your new favorite! Smashed for maximum flavor and meal-prep friendly this one is lunchbox ready.

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Entree, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Keyword: chickpea salad

Servings: 4 (2 rice cakes with 1/2 cup salad)

Calories: 220kcal

Author: Marisa Moore, RDN

Ingredients

• 8 brown rice cakes
• 1- 15 oz. can low sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 3/4 cup cooked)
• ½ small red bell pepper, diced small
• ½ small red onion, diced small
• 2 tbsp pitted Kalamata olives, diced small
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, toss the garbanzo beans, bell pepper, olives, garlic, and onion. 
  
• Using a potato masher or back of a fork, mash the mixture leaving it chunky. Stir in the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Portion the chickpea salad evenly onto the rice cakes (about ¼ cup each). Serve. 

Notes

Recipe by Marisa Moore, RDN. All rights reserved.

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal

PIN this recipe for later.