Tzatziki Chickpea Salad

Think of this Chickpea Salad as a better-for-you potato salad. Except – it can do so much more! Chickpeas mixed with an extra chunky tzatziki dressing, use this to make protein-laden salad bowls, super-food sandwiches, serve as a side or scoop with crackers.

Whether you think of this as chickpeas hidden in tzatziki, or tzatziki filled out with chickpeas, this big unassuming bowl of little white blobs is going to take you by surprise. It is really, really tasty. Which, given it’s made using canned chickpeas and we don’t “do anything” to them (like braise in a flavoured liquid or marinate them), is saying something from someone who wants to eat more legumes but is regularly disappointed by attempts to turn them into a simple tasty meal.

But this! It’s so good! Excellent side dish (I treat it like potato salad, great one to take to picnics) or blank canvass for so much more, from salads to scooping with crackers to stuffing into bread rolls.

All the ways you can enjoy this

I’ve popped a full section of all sorts of ways to eat this in a section below (lengthier than you would expect, so many ideas!). But to give you some initial inspiration, here it is in a protein-loaded meal-worthy-salad form, with some canned tuna. Mix it all up so it’s jumbled together, and eat with a spoon. Such great warm weather food!

And here it is, in Chickpea Salad Sandwich form, with smushed avocado on the base which kind of acts like a “glue” to keep more of the chickpeas in place. This was really, really good. So satisfying, and so moreish!

There’s plenty more ideas in the section below, so for now, let me show you how simple this is to make. And if you’re already thinking – ugh, do I have to buy a whole bunch of dill just for this??! The answer is – highly recommended, but I have alternatives. Tried and approved!

Ingredients in Tzatziki Chickpea Salad

Tzatziki ingredients + canned chickpeas + a bit of desirable crunch from celery + much needed briny pops from capers = simple, yet oh-so-good!

Chickpeas – I use canned for convenience though it’s extra good if you cook your own chickpeas because it’s got a firmness to it that you never get with canned chickpeas. I’ve popped directions in the recipe notes.
Celery – Finely sliced, for a bit of crunch which I felt this needed. I also like that because it’s pale green, you can barely see it in the salad. You could substitute with finely sliced cucumber (for a double cucumber hit!!).
Capers – This adds tang, freshness and salt so it kind of does the work of what a handful of other ingredients would do, like red onion or green onion which I’d ordinarily include for some freshness. Great shortcut here because you don’t need much (just 2 tablespoons), and melds nicely into the tzatziki!

Yogurt – Greek yogurt is best (thicker, richer), else a Greek style yogurt or a plain unsweetened yogurt.
Cucumbers – You need 2 regular cucumbers about 18cm / 7″ long, or one long Telegraph/English cucumber about 30cm / 12″ long. Goal:3/4 cup cucumber after shredding and squeezing out the excess water.
Lemon juice – For a touch of fresh tang.
Extra virgin olive oil – I use a little more in this recipe than I use when making regular tzatziki, so it’s got an edge of dressing-like richness (because this is intended to be a salad).
Fresh dill – This really elevates this dish, so highly recommended! Though if you don’t have it or it’s outrageously priced, substitute with green onion plus garlic and onion powder which gives it a ranch-dressing edge instead.
Garlic – It’s not tzatziki without garlic! Use one large clove or 2 regular size ones.

How to make Tzatziki Chickpea Salad

Really try to squeeze as much water as you can out of the cucumber else it will dilute the tzatziki and make it watery.

Grate the cucumber using a standard box grater.
Squeeze as much water as you can out of the cucumber. I use a tea towel but you can use your hands, working one small handful at a time.

Quantity – We wanted 3/4 to 1 cup cucumber after the water has been squeezed out. Slightly more that what I use for tzatziki so it makes it a little chunkier which is a deliberate choice because this recipe is intended to be a salad.
Put all the tzatziki ingredients in a large bowl (yogurt, dill, capers, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper).

Mix until combined.
Chickpeas – Then add the chickpeas and celery and mix it through.

Then that’s it! You can eat it straight away though I like to leave it for at least 1 hour to let the flavours meld (the flavour of the capers and garlic spreads throughout the yogurt better) and it’s even better the next day.

How I eat this Tzatziki Chickpea Salad

I treat this as a side dish that goes with just about any protein (chicken, pork, fish, prawns/shrimp, lamb) and a blank canvas for so much more! Here are some ideas:

Side-dish – Serve it like you would a potato salad. Except, point out to the eaters that it’s better for you! 😂 No mayo, and more nutritional value in the chickpeas than potato. Also, this is a two-in-one that combines both starch (chickpeas) and a respectable amount of greens (cucumbers and celery);
Meal salad (see photo at top) – Add canned tuna, boiled egg, or sliced, chopped or shredded poached chicken for a protein loaded good-for-you meal that will keep you feeling full (thank you Mr Chickpeas!);
Chickpea salad sandwich (see photo at top) – It’s so good! I like to add some avocado which kind of acts like a glue to keep the chickpeas in place. Try this in a wrap (you’ll see me do this in the video), bread rolls (see photo above) or yes! Regular bread slices will work as well!
Dipping/scooping – I can totally see myself serving this as a chunky salsa-style dip for scooping with crackers, or pinching with torn up pieces of Lebanese bread.
Piling – Imagine serving this on a bed of finely shredded lettuce, aka vegetarian prawn cocktail style. I see it, and think it would be delicious!
Fill out Chicken Gyros or Shawarma wraps – Add this to your DIY gyros/shawarma wraps spread for people to roll up with the grilled marinated chicken, to fill it out and add extra texture with a built-in tzatziki sauce!
Chickpea pasta salad – This chickpea salad is generous on the sauce because it’s bulked out with so much shredded cucumber. Which means it could be stretched out to make an a great volume of food by tossing it through cooked pasta. Think – Greek Chickpea Pasta Salad. Yes! (PS Be sure to cook the pasta in salted water and cook it beyond al dente, see my big, easy pasta salad for ramblings on this topic).