Balsamic Glaze Marinated Chickpea Salad

This Balsamic Glaze Marinated Chickpea Salad is layered with flavor and crunch. Prep the protein base in 10 minutes and use it to build your epic salad!

Top down view of a white bowl filled with spinach, quinoa, cucumber slices, baked pita chips, marinated chickpeas and hummus.

My favorite salads are loaded, which often means that they have more room for flavor and textures. And if you think that means you need to spare more time to prep, I’m here to share that this is not the case for this Balsamic Glaze Marinated Chickpea Salad. The marinated chickpeas take just 10 minutes to prep. You can make it in advance and have a delicious, savory, sweet and tangy protein base to build your salads around.

Why You’ll Love This Balsamic Glaze Marinated Chickpea Salad

  • Prep ahead of time. Make the balsamic glaze marinated chickpeas ahead of time and store in the fridge to use over salads, stuff into pitas or serve in a simple rice bowl.
  • Easy to prep. The chickpeas prep in less than 10 minutes. Just add your chickpeas to a bowl and combine with the ingredients. Stir to combine and let it marinate.
  • Convenient! This meal uses a mixture of premade ingredients to build a full and delicious salad. See tips for recommendations if you are in a time crunch.
Bowl of chickpeas, spices, lemon, fresh parsley, balsamic glaze, garlic and fresh pita on a working surface.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Chickpeas: To make this recipe really quick, use canned beans! I’ll also use freshly cooked chickpeas from scratch when I remember to make them.
  • Seasoning: I used ground coriander, onion powder, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. The pepper flakes are optional if you don’t like the kick of heat.
  • Balsamic Glaze: This is thicker and sweeter compared to balsamic vinegar. If you don’t have access to balsamic glaze, feel free to use a combo of balsamic vinegar and sweetener of your choice to balance the tang.
  • Lemon: Fresh lemon is best. Use both the juice and zest to give a pop of flavor. If you are a fan of preserved lemons, you can chop some up and add to the bowl as well.
  • Tamari: You can also use soy sauce or coconut aminos based on preference. If watching sodium, feel free to adjust the amount you use or opt for a reduced sodium soy sauce instead.
  • Onions: I prefer thinly sliced red onion in this preparation. Thinly sliced shallots are a great alternative.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You can leave this out if you prefer, but I like to add a little drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil to this for flavor and texture.
  • Parsley: Fresh parsley helps to add some freshness to this salad. You can swap with different herbs like fresh basil, cilantro or chives.
  • Baked Pita Chips: Use store bought if you need something quick! But, I like making these Crispy Baked Pita Chips myself for a cheaper alternative.

How to Make Balsamic Glaze Marinated Chickpea Salad

To a bowl add the drained chickpeas and top with the onions, seasonings, lemon zest and fresh herbs. Drizzle the balsamic glaze, tamari, lemon juice, and oil over top then give everything a good mix to combine. Taste and adjust with extra salt and pepper to preference, cover and allow to sit in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.

When ready to assemble your salad, grab a bowl and fill with spinach, sliced cucumbers, cooked quinoa, and a handful of pita chips. Top with the chickpea mixture and serve with some extra hummus on the side.

Top down view of a white bowl filled with spinach, quinoa, cucumber slices, baked pita chips, marinated chickpeas and hummus.

Expert Tips

  • Let the chickpeas marinate for at least 30 minutes. While the chickpeas taste good after mixing together, they taste even better the longer the chickpeas sit in the dressing.
  • If you have no access to balsamic glaze, you can make a version using balsamic vinegar. Combine 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar with 2 teaspoon maple syrup or brown sugar. Whisk together to combine. If using brown sugar, it can be helpful to whisk the mixture together in a small sauce pan over low heat to help dissolve the sugar into the mixture better.
  • Adjust the spice. I love adding spicy elements to my meal, but you don’t have to. The red pepper flakes are completely optional for those that are sensitive to spice. You can also reduce the amount used here in half to better suit your spice needs. So always start with less and add small amounts until it’s at your preferred heat level.
  • Make this super convenient with convenience items! Use frozen or shelf stable quinoa and pop in the microwave to heat up when needed. Prewashed greens like spinach also help save time on prep and can make creating a salad bowl really easy. And while freshly made chickpeas are fantastic, there is nothing wrong with using canned chickpeas to make this recipe quick.
  • Try this salad with homemade baked pita chips. I have a recipe for crispy baked pita chips that helps to elevate this salad even more as it is baked with some za’atar seasonings for more flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make this salad gluten-free?

Just leave out the pita chips or swap for these Simple Mills gluten-free pita chips!

Can I leave out the oil?

You are more than welcome to leave out or add more of any ingredient you prefer. If you leave out the oil, I do recommend adding some cubed avocado to the salad to help add better texture to the meal.

How do you store this salad?

Store the salad components in separate containers. Place the marinated chickpeas in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Use some prewashed spinach, pre-cooked or frozen quinoa and bagged pita chips to make assembly very easy. Assemble the base salad ingredients the day you plan to eat it and add the crispy pita chips right before enjoying.

Close up of a bowl of spinach, cucumber slices, quinoa, baked pita chips, marinated chickpeas and hummus.

How to Balance Your Plate

If assembling to make a salad as described, this salad is a complete meal including protein, whole grains, vegetables and healthy fats. You can always modify to your preference and use the chickpeas in other preparations as well! Try them stuffed in a pita with extra veggies and hummus or on top of rice for a fun rice bowl.

If you are looking to make this more protein rich, feel free to top with this marinated tofu feta. Want an alternative to feta? Try this with sliced avocado or serve with my favorite vegan tzatziki sauce.

More Wholesome Vegan Salad Recipes

Side view of a bowl of greens topped with cucumber, quinoa, baked pita, marinated chickpeas and hummus.
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Top down view of a white bowl filled with spinach, quinoa, cucumber slices, baked pita chips, marinated chickpeas and hummus.

Balsamic Glaze Marinated Chickpea Salad

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  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3 servings 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This Balsamic Glaze Marinated Chickpea Salad is layered with flavor and crunch. Prep the protein base in 10 minutes and use it to build your epic salad!


Ingredients

Scale

Balsamic Glaze Marinated Chickpeas

  • 1, 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp balsamic glaze
  • Juice and zest of one small lemon
  • 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp tamari
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic freshly grated
  • 1/2 tsp dry oregano
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Salad Assembly (divide evenly to make 3 salads)

  • 6 cups Spinach
  • 3 Persian Cucumbers, sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup Baked Pita Chips
  • 46 tbsp hummus

Instructions

  1. To a bowl add the drained chickpeas and top with the onions, seasonings, lemon zest and fresh herbs.
  2. Drizzle the balsamic glaze, tamari, lemon juice, oil and give everything a good mix to combine.
  3. Taste and adjust the chickpeas with additional salt and pepper to taste, cover and allow to sit in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
  4. The recommended ingredients makes up to 3 salads when divided evenly. When ready to assemble your salad, grab a bowl and layer with a third of the salad assembly ingredients including the spinach, sliced cucumbers, cooked quinoa, and a handful of pita chips. Top with a third or more of the chickpea mixture and serve with 1-2 tablespoons of hummus on the side and a drizzle of some of the chickpea marinade over top.

Notes

Let the chickpeas marinate for at least 30 minutes. While the chickpeas taste good after mixing together, they taste even better the longer the chickpeas sit in the dressing.

If you have no access to balsamic glaze, you can make a version using balsamic vinegar. Combine 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar with 2 teaspoon maple syrup or brown sugar. Whisk together to combine. If using brown sugar, it can be helpful to whisk the mixture together in a small sauce pan over low heat to help dissolve the sugar into the mixture better.

Adjust the spice. I love adding spicy elements to my meal, but you don’t have to. The red pepper flakes are completely optional for those that are sensitive to spice. You can also reduce the amount used here in half to better suit your spice needs. So always start with less and add small amounts until it’s at your preferred heat level.

Make this super convenient with convenience items! Use frozen or shelf stable quinoa and pop in the microwave to heat up when needed. Prewashed greens like spinach also help save time on prep and can make creating a salad bowl really easy. And while freshly made chickpeas are fantastic, there is nothing wrong with using canned chickpeas to make this recipe quick.

Add more protein! Top this salad with some marinated tofu feta. Flavor and packs in extra protein to make this salad even more filling.

If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.

 Catherine

This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!

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