Jessica’s Marinated Chickpeas
These marinated chickpeas are a little spicy, a little sweet, and totally irresistible. This recipe as great on its own as a light meal or appetizer, or served on salads or inside pitas.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
My friend Jessica’s new book is here, and I’m so excited for her! The Pretty Dish is bursting with 150 colorful, flavor-packed recipes in Jessica’s true How Sweet Eats style, and all of them can be made in under 60 minutes. Well, slow cooker recipes excluded. Plus, she included 50 beauty DIY recipes. Homemade bath melts? I’m into that.
Jessica is as bubbly, witty and adorably self-deprecating in person as she is in writing. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and the book’s cover is the most perfect representation of her colorful personality and the vibrant recipes inside.
I was drawn to this chickpea recipe because it’s so simple and reminds me of some of my favorite deli salads. These marinated chickpeas with feta and basil are spicy and garlicky.
They’re a little sweet, too, thanks to the roasted red peppers and a touch of honey. They strike an irresistible balance between the two, and I could not stop going back for more.
If spicy and garlicky aren’t your thing, you can decrease the amount of red pepper flakes and garlic. As a spice-lover, though, I think she has struck the perfect balance. Don’t plan on eating this salad before a hot date, garlic breath!
Jessica says that this recipe is delicious the minute you mix it all together (it’s true; I was tempted to eat it all right then). However, if you let the mixture chill for at least 30 minutes, the flavors mingle and you end up with an even tastier dish.
The only change I made to Jessica’s recipe is that I went ahead and doubled it, because you’re definitely going to want more of it. The amounts offered below yield the amount you see in the photos here.
Be sure to check out a copy of Jessica’s new book, The Pretty Dish! And please let us know in the comments how you like these chickpeas.
Jessica’s Marinated Chickpeas
These marinated chickpeas are a little spicy, a little sweet, and totally irresistible. This recipe as great on its own as a light meal or appetizer, or served on salads or inside pitas. Recipe yields about 6 side servings.
Ingredients
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- ⅔ cup chopped roasted red peppers (I used most of a 12-ounce jar)
- ⅔ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey
- 4 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (scale back significantly if sensitive to spice)
Instructions
- In a medium serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, red peppers, feta and basil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Pour the dressing over the chickpeas and stir. Cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, for best flavor. The salad keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Recipe from The Pretty Dish by Jessica Merchant. I doubled it.
Make it dairy free: I think you could replace the feta with sliced Kalamata olives and/or sliced pepperoncini peppers, to taste. They won’t make up for the creaminess of the feta, though.
Change it up: Jessica suggests that you can substitute cannellini or great Northern beans for the chickpeas.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’ve making a lot of health changes the past year or, so and am always looking for healthy ways to dress up sides. I made this recipe last week and it was amazing! I had stop my husband from eating all of it at once. Thank you, Kate. Keep the great healthy recipes coming!!
Thank you, Monica! I appreciate the review!
So good! Very quick and easy to make.
Thank you, JM!
I made Jessica’s Marinated Chickpea Salad for New Years Day and my guests gobbled it up! I made it a couple days ahead and the flavor kept building. Truly delicious and a good healthy way to start the New Year. I’ll be making it throughout the year. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Gayle!
This was one of the most delish salads I have had in a long time. I could eat it every day and probably will for some time!
I’m happy you hear you loved it, Sophie! Thanks for commenting.
Made these tonight and they are outstanding!!! I added cucumber because I had so much dressing in it the bowl, and subbed a can of northern beans for one of the cans of chickpeas (like you suggested). I served it over a bed of mixed greens and fresh chopped veggies – the perfect meal. It tasted like a five star restaurant salad. Thank you!
Hooray! You’re welcome, Suzanne. Great way to serve this dish.
When planning our vacation I was looking for recipe that was cool, tasty, and was made with chickpeas. I found it on your website. Now that we are here on at a busy ocean side place and have already been to the store a few times I realizard unfortunately I forgot the feta. Has anyone tried a different cheese. I have a white cheddar and goats cheese.
Goat cheese usually works well as a substitute for feta. Let me know what you think, Debra!
Can one use fresh roasted peppers? I roast them on my burner on a gas stove, turning them until almost completely blacked, put them in a plastic bag and seal until cooled, remove as much black skin as possible, devein and de seed, then chop into desired dice.
You could try it!
Wow it’s delicious. I could have eaten the whole bowl myself!
I love that! Thanks for the review, Donna.
The base recipe is great, but I had to added 1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder, red onion, 3 tbls lime juice, artichoke hearts and sliced black olives, and it was over the top good. Wish I had Kalamata olives instead of black. I will add the sliced pepperoncini peppers tonight. Thank you for this one.
Thank you for sharing your variation, Jim!
This is by far the best chickpea salad I ever had!!!!!!
Love to hear that! Thanks for the review, Krissy!
This looks so good! I would add sundried tomatoes. I love sundried tomatoes. LOL.
Thank you, Rhonda!
So delicious!
Thank you, Ania!
Do you have the macros for this recipe? How big is a serving?
Cant wait to try this.
Hi Shelly! The nutritional information is below the notes of the recipe. I hope you love it!
You can make it non dairy staying close to original concept by subbing cubed tofu for feta!!
Thanks for sharing, Lisa!
This was a huge winner with me and my partner!!! Absolutely going into our regular meal rotation. Thank you Jessica and Kate!
You’re welcome, Diana! Happy you loved it.
This was fantastic! I could not believe I ran out of honey so I used a tablespoon of sugar instead which turned out excellent to me! Next time I will make sure I have honey though! I added some baby cucumbers I had on hand but otherwise, this is a go to recipe! Thank you so much for the share! I love the sweet and spicy flavor!
I’m glad you loved it, Jenifer!
Just made this and it exceeded my expectations! Delicious the the minute you mix it!
Great to hear, Jo!
Okay, so the recipe is in the refrigerator waiting to “marinate, for best flavor.” I’m very excited as everything i’ve made from this blog ha been fantastic. Jury is out. Will report back. Giving 5 stars in anticipation.
What did you think?
I’m happy to say that it turned out beautifully. Quite delicious. The entire batch was eaten in one sitting as I fed some friends who had just disembarked a flight returning from Mexico. They loved it! Will definitely be making it again.
Ok, so I made this again. It, again, is sitting in the refrigerator in order to “marinate, for best flavor.” My vegetarian girlfriend has just returned from France and is coming for lunch tomorrow with some dear friends. It is so nice to have a solid, dependable recipe to share with them. Incidentally, I added a can of whole artichoke hearts that I chopped up. Also will be serving your crazy avocado dip with sliced cucumbers, carrot sticks, celery sticks, sliced bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. I will continue to enjoy exploring your recipes. Thank you.
Hi! I made this today, and we are about to sit down to have it for dinner. When I clicked on the Nutrition Information button, there’s only s note stating that the nutrition information provided is from an online calculator. Perhaps the link to the actual info is broken? Thanks!
Hi! I’m sorry you are having issues. I’m currently looking into it with my web team!
Made this for a cookout today and it is fantastic! Better love garlic! (Which I do!) Easy to put together. Will make again and again!
Great to hear, Jen!
Just made this salad on our holiday in Tuscany. Really nice, had to use lemon juice as we didn’t have red wine vinegar. Will definitely make again. Thank you
I love it! Thank you for your review, Doug.
I accidentally opened 2 cans of chickpeas thinking they were black beans, so marinated chickpeas it is. I didn’t have roasted peppers, so used 2/3 cup chopped fresh red pepper, also didn’t have basil, so I just added all purpose seasoning. Initial tastes are amazing, but I’m letting it hang in the fridge. I have a vegetarian daughter who lives chickpeas, so I think she will love this salad too!
This is a great recipe. I LOVE the spiciness and mix of flavors. I’m not a fan of roasted red peppers, so that would be the only thing I’d want to change–maybe fresh bell pepper instead?
These delicious beans are so easy to make! They’re a great lunch on the go and when thrown on a pile of fresh greens. I used cannellini beans and I added pine nuts, hemp seeds, and chia seeds for protein. I also used parmesan instead of feta. I added regular diced red peppers and lemon juice for freshness. I love how simple, freshe, and versatile this recipe is!
Made it last night for NYE at a friends. It was a big hit! I added diced cucumber and tomatoes to it and I will definitely be making it again.
A great dish to have for a fun time with friends! Thanks for sharing, Kara.
I just made it and It is DELICIOUS I just bought your book and can wait to star cooking everything. This chickpea Salad is pretty good…
I made this last night and I can’t say enough about how delicious and fresh this is!! My husband and I could have eaten the whole bowl (and almost did). I have yet to dislike anything I have made from this website. The dressing itself would be good on a shoe! Keep doing your thing!
Thank you, Greta!
This is an AWESOME recipe. I’m not a big chickpea lover, but this is my go to recipe especially if I’m trying to increase my fiber. The flavors go together well. Can’t get enough of it. Thanks for sharing.
This has become my new favorite side dish. I have been eating it all week at lunch and have already bought more ingredients for next week too! Thank you so much for sharing it!
This was so divine. I had to make a few substitute due to not having everything but seriously WOW. I added a tin of kidney beans and parsley as I only had a tiny bit of basil. Then I ran out of Olive Oil, so topped up plain olive with an Olive Oil infused with fennel. That just took it to a new leavel and served it on a bed of lettuce. Thanks
My husband said this is the best salad he’s ever eaten. So that’s some high praise! I added a big handful of shrimp meat to make it more like a meal. Absolutely delicious!!! I think I’ll add some diced cucumber next time.
I’m going to make this with homemade almond feta and raw red bell pepper. I’ll let you know how it goes.
This was by far the best chickpea salad Ive ever had! I did use low fat feta and made a day before serving. Was perfect
Thank you! love this chickpeas salad, I made them 3 times already.
Can I substitute the same amount of agave nectar or maple syrup for honey to make it vegan?
Yes, you can! I generally opt for maple syrup, but the neutral flavor of agave might be a better fit here. I haven’t tried this recipe without the feta/with an alternative sweetener, though. If you want a vegan chickpea salad that will for sure turn out great, I’d try my carrot and chickpea salad.
This was very delish. Served in whole-wheat pita pockets. Switched roasted peppers for sun-dried tomatoes. I also cooked dry chickpeas…word of caution… although I don’t believe the flavor changed, the heat from the still-warm chickpeas melted the cheese (I used goat instead of feta)… so I suggest letting the chickpeas cool completely before adding the cheese.
This is so fast & easy. I always have these ingredients except fresh basil so I used dried. Next time I will try adding some red onion and fresh parsley. I will also experiment with some other tips I just read in the comments- serve on greens or add celery for cruch. Kalmata olives sound good too. So many options!
I made this recipe for a cookout with friends, and as the only vegetarian there, I was unsure if people would choose this bean salad over their smoked brisket. Well, everyone LOVED it! Such a great dish, delicious on its own, fantastic on a salad I even put some in a sandwich – yummy! I highly recommend this recipe. I didn’t have enough roast red peppers, so I added some sun-dried tomatoes, really good.
I gobbled this up! Delicious! Thank you so much
I just love the flavors of this salad. I did not use cheese (trying to avoid cow dairy). I substituted with olives (green cerignola) but I think I’d even try a little crumbled goat cheese next time! I may even add some purple cabbage to add extra color. Thanks for sharing your talent, Kate!! I can’t wait to make again
Love the chickpea salad. Thank you for sharing!
This really opened my eyes. The writing skill alone kept my interest. Thank you for sharing!
Yay! I’m so glad you found this post helpful! Good luck!
Just discovered this recipe and it is SO GOOD. I love Au Bon Pain’s premade caprese chicken boxes and the marinated chickpeas in it taste identical to this. I replaced roasted red peppers with sun-dried tomatoes as I’m not a huge pepper fan. I might replace the pepper flakes and honey with Mike’s Hot Honey next time!
Thank you for sharing!
What a great read – I’ll be sharing with my husband. This is appreciated!
Super interesting.
Hi Kate – the nutrition info is missing on this recipe x
Hi Shae! It is showing for me. You may need to give it a second to load. If you still are having issues, please let me know.
Another gem I had somehow overlooked. Perfect as written and the best part is NO COOKING required! Perfect for a hot summer night, potluck, picnic…
Thank you for always coming to the rescue with meal planning and delicious never fail recipes.
This salad is a total win–even my 4 year old gobbled it up. After I had eaten the salad my husband looked at the vinaigrette left in my bowl and was like, “you’re going to want to drink that.” Yes, it’s all that good. Glad you posted the picnic recipe lineup–this is going into our summer rotation!
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Jacki.
This recipe is perfect for the hot day we’ve had in Vancouver. Quick, refreshing and delicious!