Garbanzo Bean Salad Recipe (Dense Bean Salad)

Name: Garbanzo Bean Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil; 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar; 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard; 1 Tbsp. honey; 1 tsp. sea salt; 2 15-oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed; 8 oz. mozzarella pearls; 3 cups diced cucumbers (16 oz.); 2 cups diced bell peppers (2 medium peppers); 1 cup roughly chopped castelvetrano olives; 1 cup chopped parsley; 1/4 cup diced red onion

Jump to Recipe·5 from 1 review

When you’re in the mood for a salad that’s incredibly delicious, fun to eat, and super nutritious, this garbanzo bean salad is what you’re going to want to make! Made with crunchy and fresh veggies, satisfying garbanzo beans, and a homemade vinaigrette, this salad can be prepped ahead for quick and healthy lunches or served as a side dish to your favorite protein.

Plate with garbanzo bean salad on it with fork

I keep coming back to this one!

I originally shared this recipe back in 2017, when I had a brand new baby and was relying on nutrient-dense meals like this one that could quickly and easily fuel me between feeding sessions.

The ingredients have changed a bit, but this is also the beauty of salads like this one – they are endlessly flexible and can be used as a guide, depending on what you have or what you’re in the mood for.

😋 Seriously delicious: Bright, herby, salty, and satisfying flavor in every bite.
🛒 Made with simple ingredients: Pantry staples plus fresh produce, this salad comes together with lots of staples.
🥗 Naturally vegetarian: High in plant-based protein (21 grams) and fiber (10 grams), yay!
💡 Meal prep-friendly: Holds up well in the fridge for days, this is an ideal meal prep salad.
⏱️ Ready in 15 minutes: Quick, easy, and no cooking is required.

You’ll also want to try Italian chopped salad, Greek quinoa & chickpea salad, black bean quinoa salad, and quinoa & arugula salad.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review

I serve this salad over salad greens or baby arugula for a healthy lunch! Thank you, it’s so good!!! –Lucy

Ingredient Notes

You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to make this salad: garbanzo beans, mozzarella pearls, cucumber, bell peppers, olives, parsley, red onion, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and sea salt.

garbanzo bean salad ingredients with text

Emily’s Tips & Tricks

DBS History: Dense bean salad videos rose to viral status in late 2024 thanks to creator Violet Witchel (aka Dense Bean Salad girl) who shared a Mediterranean bean salad meal prep at the end of 2023 and kept the bean salad recipes coming, eventually calling them dense bean salads. Her videos have millions and millions of views and thousands of raving fans. While the term dense bean salad may be new, the concept of bean salads has been around for decades – cowboy caviar was created in the 1940’s, almost 85 years ago! And the nutrition-nerd in me loves to see bean salads trending. You can read about my nutrition philosophy here, but I am all about adding nutrition INTO meals – always in delicious ways and bean salads like this one do just that.
Shortcuts: While this homemade dressing takes just a minute or two, I know that sometimes you don’t have an extra minute or two! You can easily use a premade balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing to make this easy recipe come together even quicker.
Additions: This salad is pretty flexible so you can easily add in or swap other ingredients. Cherry or grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, avocado, tuna, chicken, sunflower seeds, etc.

Garbanzo Bean Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

Author: Emily Dingmann of myeverydaytable.com
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 cups (6 servings) 1x
Category: Salad
Method: No Cook
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Print Recipe

Description

This healthy garbanzo bean salad is packed with fresh veggies, satisfying garbanzo beans, and a homemade vinaigrette. Easy to prep in 15 min.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. sea salt

For the Salad:

2 15–oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz. mozzarella pearls
3 cups diced cucumbers (16 oz.)
2 cups diced bell peppers (2 medium peppers)
1 cup roughly chopped castelvetrano olives
1 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup diced red onion

Instructions

Prep veggies and beans.
To a large mixing bowl, add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, honey, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Whisk until emulsified.
Add in beans, mozzarella, cucumbers, bell peppers, olives, parsley, and red onion. Toss together until coated with dressing.

Notes

The serving size is about 1 1/2 cups…or whatever the right amount for YOU is.
Storage: Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. I find the salad gets a bit soggy after more than three days so I don’t recommend prepping for a week at a time.
Ingredient notes: If you don’t love onions, you can mellow them out by soaking them in cold water for 5-10 minutes. Feel free to adjust the amount of onions, too. I kept it on the light side as I don’t love a ton of raw onions.
Prep ahead: Brew coffee in advance and reheat if needed, but froth milk fresh for the best texture.
Special tools: The vegetable chopper makes the chopping both super-fast and uniform.
Serve with: Rotisserie chicken salad, crackers, salad greens.

Serving Suggestions

While this is most certainly a salad recipe, I also love scooping it up with pita chips or crackers and eating it like a dip for an easy lunch!

Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Tuna salad
Toast, crackers, pita chips
Salad greens
Cooked grains like quinoa

FAQs

What’s the difference between garbanzo beans and chickpeas?

Chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the SAME BEAN! To make a really long story (and history!) short, garbanzo is the Spanish term, and chickpea is the English term. The terms are used pretty interchangeably.

Are canned garbanzo beans healthy?

Yes! Beans are a nutrient-dense food that is a great source of plant-based protein, fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals. I love that they are convenient, easy to add to meals, budget-friendly, and so versatile.

More Healthy Bean Recipes

If you like this garbanzo bean salad recipe, you might also like some of these other healthy bean recipes:

About the Author

Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.

Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.

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