I love quick fixes because I am busy and if something takes me more than 15-30 minutes to prepare, chances are I’m not going to do it, especially if it’s not my day off. So this Pesto Chickpea Salad was the perfect answer to lunch this week. It only takes about 10 minutes to make, it’s so creamy and delicious, and you can eat it a number of ways. Everything about this chickpea salad is my style!
Originally posted 12-5-2012, updated 6-3-2021.
How to Serve Pesto Chickpea Salad
This super simple chickpea salad can be enjoyed several ways. You can serve it as an appetizer with crackers for dipping, like in the photo above, it can be a side dish with dinner, or you can use it as a filling for a sandwich (toasted whole grain bread, a hearty bun, or in a wrap). …Or, if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself just digging into the bowl with a fork. ;)
What Kind of Pesto is Best?
There are a lot of different types of pesto on the market, offering a little something for everyone. If you’re looking for the most budget-friendly, ALDI makes a super affordable basil pesto that I use in a lot of recipes. Today I happened to be shopping at a different store, so I went with Filippo Berio Classic Pesto, which was still pretty affordable and it had a really incredible flavor. Barilla also makes a very affordable pesto. And since pesto is the main flavor in this recipe, you definitely want to go with a pesto that you know you like.
How Long Does the Salad Keep?
This Pesto Chickpea Salad will stay good in the refrigerator for about four days, making it great for meal prep!
Soak Your Onions for a Softer Flavor
If you’re sensitive to red onions, here’s a trick that will make life so much more enjoyable. Soak your sliced onions in cold water for about five minutes before adding them to your recipe. The water pulls out that super sharp flavor, leaving a nice mild hint of red onion that will flavor your dish without hurting your stomach. :)
Pesto Chickpea Salad
Servings 4 ¾ cup eachIngredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise ($0.40)
- 1/4 cup basil pesto ($1.30)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.06)
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked pepper ($0.01)
- 2 15oz. cans chickpeas ($1.10)
- 1/4 cup red onion ($0.10)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley ($0.17)
Instructions
- Stir together the mayonnaise, pesto, lemon juice, and pepper in a bowl.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Roughly chop the parsley. Finely dice the red onions (soak the red onions in cold water for 5 minutes for a milder onion flavor). Add the chickpeas, parsley, and onion to a large bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the chickpeas, parsley, and onion. Stir to combine. Serve as is or slightly mash the chickpeas for a thicker consistency. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
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Love chickpea salads? Check out my Scallion Herb Chickpea Salad, Curry Chickpea Salad, or Sriracha Chickpea Salad Wraps!
How to Make Pesto Chickpea Salad – Step By Step Photos
Start by making the creamy pesto dressing. In a bowl, stir together ¼ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup basil pesto, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and ⅛ tsp freshly cracked pepper.
Rinse and drain two 15oz. cans of chickpeas, then place them in a bowl. Roughly chop about 1/4 cup fresh parsley. Finely dice about ¼ cup red onion (soak for 5 minutes in cold water if you want a milder onion flavor).
Add the dressing and stir to combine. You can either serve the salad just like this, or…
Or you can slightly mash the chickpeas in the bowl to make it hold together a little more like a potato salad. You can use a potato masher to do this, or just mash some of the beans with a fork against the side of the bowl.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat!
So much flavor, so little effort. ;)
This is SO good & SO quick to make.
I left out the onion (didn’t have any) & added tuna.
Really delicious!
YES! This was so good! I added tuna because I had it on hand & served on a bed of lettuce. I also cooked up my chickpeas from dried since I didn’t have any canned. Awesome recipe for a healthy filling lunch, I’m in love!
Looks so good and so healthy I have to try it. Tomorrow is my shopping day, so I’ll buy in the necessaries on your recommendation. Of course, if I don’t like it, I’ll never visit your site again (small chance!)
Best wishes to all and sundry, 2RM.
Serena – Although every grocery store will be different, sometimes you can find pesto in a couple different places. Try looking near the pickled vegetables like artichoke hearts and kalamata olives. Some stores will also stock pesto and sun dried tomatoes near the produce section too. If you can’t find a good price at that store, try exploring other grocery stores, too.
I’m sure you all already know this, but the main ingredients of pesto are pine nuts and basil. Neither are cheap, individually, so don’t expect low prices. The best thing to do is keep an eye on the product price, over weeks and months if necessary, and buy special offers when the opportunity strikes!
Where do you find pesto? The only one I found was by speghetti sauce and it was $5.99.
As a vegan I love using a single veryvery ripe avocado in this instead of mayo. Absolutely fabulous and a new go-to on nights I don’t want to cook!
Going to try this tonight!
Excited for the book and +1 about the metric measurements comment.
I made this for a work potluck party and everyone LOVED it. I have sent this link to so many people who were asking me about the recipe. Its sooo delicious… I added a bit extra mayo.
What a yummy and easy salad. And my kids loved it! I don’t use pesto (though I imagine pesto would be delicious, but it isn’t the healthiest). I also use a LOT more lemon juice (probably 4T) and 2T of dried dill instead of parsley.
I make something like this quite often for sandwich filling to take to work. I don’t use pesto (though I imagine pesto would be delicious, but it isn’t the healthiest). I also use a LOT more lemon juice (probably 4T) and 2T of dried dill instead of parsley. That helps up the flavor! A recipe of this size makes about 6 sandwiches.
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What a yummy and easy salad. And my kids loved it! I served it with roasted veggies with feta and cold sliced chicken. Delish!
I used chickpeas I had cooked in the crockpot and frozen-brought the cost down even further!
Beth, I just made this, and I absolutely loved it. So many good tastes together. It was delicious.
I am a huge fan of yours. Keep these awesome recipes coming!
Christoph – Glad you liked the salad!! I don’t have too many details on the book yet (still in the recipe development phase), but I think there are plans to sell international versions… if so, hopefully they’ll be converted. I’ll remember the request when we get to that stage!