Mediterranean Chickpea Cauliflower Salad

Mediterranean chickpea cauliflower salad is a healthy, vegetable loaded salad that is perfect for the warmer months. This simple salad travels well, so bring it to your next BBQ or picnic. It also makes a great packed lunch for those on the go!

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Why You’ll Love This Mediterranean Chickpea Cauliflower Salad Recipe

I love salads and they are always on repeat at my house. While meal prepping for the week ahead I make at least 2 salads every week. This easy cauliflower chickpea salad is on rotation with my Greek Chickpea Salad.

After sharing my recipe for Cauliflower Tabbouleh got on a bit of a cauliflower kick and knew I had to use cauliflower rice in a version of my favorite Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. I love adding cauliflower rice to salads as it keeps the salad light, but gives it great texture and crunch.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Bean Salad

• Cauliflower: This recipe requires 3-4 cups of cauliflower rice, for ease I use a 16 ounce bag of cauliflower rice.
• Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas in this salad.
• Red Onion: A finely chopped red onion adds a milder onion flavor to the salad, you could also use shallots which also have a milder flavor.
• Tomatoes: I use cherry tomatoes in this recipe as they have a great sweet flavor.
• Cucumber: I like to use an English cucumber for this recipe but you can use a regular cucumber.
• Carrot: Matchstick sized pieces of carrot add great crunch and texture to this salad.
• Green Onions: I finish the salad with some chopped green onions to add a burst of fresh onion flavor.
• Fresh Herbs: I use both freshly chopped mint and parsley for a burst of herbal freshness in the salad.
• Cheese: Feta cheese adds a salt, creamy element to the salad. If you can find a fresh block of feta buy that and crumble it yourself otherwise just buy crumbled feta.

Salad Dressing

• Oil: When it comes to salad dressings I always opt for extra virgin olive oil as it has the best deep nutty flavor.
• Vinegar: I have used red wine vinegar in this recipe, but you could swap in white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar.
• Lemon: For the best flavor I use fresh lemon juice in this recipe.
• Honey: I sweeten the dressing with a little honey.
• Spice: Flavor the dressing with your favorite spice, I like to use sumac or za’atar.
• Seasoning: I season the salad dressing to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

For exact ingredient amounts and instructions, see the full recipe card below. 

Recipe Variations

This recipe is versatile and easy to adapt to taste:

• Dairy-Free: leave out the feta cheese, or swap it for a dairy free alternative.
• Vegan: use a dairy free cheese and also swap the honey for maple syrup or agave syrup.
• Pulses: I’ve used chickpeas but you can swap these for white beans like cannellini or navy beans.
• Grains: Substitute the cauliflower rice with grains like bulgur, quinoa or couscous.
• Vegetables: Add extra vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers, celery, radish, artichokes or fire roasted tomatoes.
• Cheese: Swap feta cheese for any variety of cheese, goats cheese would be a great alternative.
• Nuts & Seeds: Add some crunch and texture with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
• Dried Fruits: For a pop of sweetness add a handful of dried fruits like cranberries, raisins or golden sultanas.
• Dry Spices: You can add any variety of dried spices to the salad dressing. I like to add a teaspoon of sumac or za’atar, but you could also use smoked paprika, Greek seasoning, Italian seasoning or dried oregano.
• Chili: Add a touch of chili heat with some cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes or jalapeno.
• Other Ingredients: You also can add in kalamata olives, easy marinated tomatoes, oven roasted tomatoes, roasted red peppers, pickled red onions, or pickled vegetables to this salad.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Expert Tips for Mediterranean Chickpea Cauliflower Salad

• If you can’t find ready prepared cauliflower rice, make your own cauliflower rice by grating 1 medium sized head of cauliflower.
• I use English cucumber in this recipe, you can peel off the skin if you prefer.
• If time allows I like to place the salad in the refrigerator for a couple of hours as that allows the cauliflower rice to absorb some of the salad dressing as it marinates.
• For a more substantial main salad, try adding some protein like grilled chicken or steak, seared shrimps, or tuna steak.

Serving Tips

• You can enjoy this delicious salad as a main salad serving, with a side of crusty bread, some toasted pittas and a great tasting hummus, like my Lebanese Hummus, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, or Lemon Hummus.
• It also makes a great side salad with a variety of main dishes, including soups and stewed dishes. Try this traditional Greek salad with my Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup, Crock Pot Beef Stew or Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder Roast.
• My easy white bean salad also works really well with grilled meat and seafood, try it with my Lemon Salmon Kabobs, Baked Cod with Lemon, Greek Marinated Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce, or my Greek Marinated Chicken Kabobs with Lemon.

Store the salad in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Recipe FAQs

More Salad Recipes

• Summer Orzo Pasta Salad
• Mediterranean Bean Salad
• Mediterranean Lentil Salad
• Easy Lebanese Salad
• Mediterranean Eggplant Chickpea Salad
• Mediterranean Eggplant Salad
• Tomato Cucumber Feta Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Farro Salad

4.60 from 5 votes

Mediterranean Chickpea Cauliflower Salad

By Julia

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Mediterranean Chickpea Cauliflower Salad is a healthy, vegetable loaded salad that is perfect for the warmer months. Bring this salad to your next BBQ or picnic or make it ahead for your weekly meals.

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

For the salad:

• ▢ 3 to 4 cups cauliflower rice,, I used a 16 ounce bag of cauliflower rice/grated cauliflower or 1 medium sized cauliflower, grated
• ▢ 1 – 16 ounce can of chickpeas,, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1/2 small red onion,, chopped {about 2/3 cup}
• ▢ 2 cups cherry tomatoes,, halved {or tear drop tomatoes work}
• ▢ 1/2 english cucumber,, diced {you can peal the cucumber if you want}
• ▢ 1 cup matchstick carrots,
• ▢ 8-10 thinly sliced green onions,, about a bunch-green parts chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves,, chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh parsley,, chopped
• ▢ 3/4 cup feta cheese,, crumbled

For the dressing:

• ▢ 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 lemon,, juiced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon honey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon of your favorite spice {I like to use sumac or za’atar}
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 

• In a large mixing bowl combine the cauliflower rice, chickpeas, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber, matchstick carrots, green onions, mint, parsley and feta cheese.
• In a marson jar or a salad dressing container combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, your favorite spice, salt and pepper and mix well.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and gentry toss to combine.
• Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. If you plan to make this salad ahead I suggest only using half of the dressing and saving the remaining dressing to toss the salad in when you are ready to serve the salad}.

Notes

• Try white beans instead of chickpeas.
• Add a variety of other vegetables like zucchini and bell pepper.
• If you like your salad to be a bit spicy try adding cayenne pepper to the salad dressing or even jalapeños.
• You can easily add grilled chicken, steak or seafood to this salad to create a hearty meal.

Tried this recipe?Mention @acedarspoon or tag #acedarspoon!