Chickpea Salad with Olives and Walnuts
This green olive chickpea salad with walnuts makes a delicious gluten-free and vegan lunch that's ready in minutes with only 5 ingredients plus salt and pepper to taste! Pile it on a sandwich, scoop it onto crackers, or serve it over greens for an easy gluten-free meal.
One of my signature sandwiches before giving up meat was chicken salad with olives and walnuts.
It was inspired by a cream cheese and olive finger sandwich I once had.
The combination of the saltiness of the olives and the subtle crunch of the walnuts is sooooo perfect.
And it works great with chickpeas instead of chicken too!
How to make Garbanzo Salad
Start by adding olives, walnuts and chopped shallot to the bowl of a food processor.
I use green olives here because they're briny without being too overpowering. Kalamata olives work too, but they'll give the salad a darker color and stronger flavor. Pitted olives save time.
Raw walnuts are fine, but toasting them in a dry pan for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant adds depth. Let them cool before adding to the food processor.
Pulse 10-15 times, scraping the sides as needed. Add chickpeas and pulse approximately 7-10 more times until desired consistency is reached, again scraping the sides as needed.
Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in your favorite vegan mayonnaise plus salt and pepper to taste. You can lighten up this recipe by using our low-fat, oil-free vegan mayo.
Refrigerate until ready to eat.
No food processor? You can mash by hand with a fork or potato masher, but the texture will be chunkier and the olives and walnuts won't distribute as evenly. Both work, but the food processor gives you more control.
Walnut Chickpea Salad Variations
This recipe is flexible. Here are some swaps I've tested:
Different nuts: Cashews work in place of walnuts. cashews are sweeter, and still give you that crunch.
Add fresh herbs: A handful of fresh dill or parsley stirred in at the end brightens everything up. I like dill especially in the summer months.
Extra vegetables: Diced celery adds crunch. Chopped sun-dried tomatoes add sweetness and chew.
Lemon variation: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon) works especially well if you're serving it over greens.
Ideas for serving
Enjoy this salad as a sandwich on your favorite bread with lettuce, microgreens, a slice of vegan cheese or whatever else you like to put on your sandwiches. 🙂
You can also serve it on your favorite crackers, in a wrap or over greens.
Need side dish ideas? A simple cucumber and tomato salad pairs well, or serve it alongside soup for a filling lunch.
Storing
You can store the chickpea salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Give it a good mix before using.
More vegan sandwiches
- Tempeh Bacon
- Vegan "Egg and Cheese"
- Copycat Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich
- Chickpea and Avocado Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup pimento-stuffed green olives (packed, no liquid)
- ½ cup raw walnuts (packed)
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
- 1 (15 oz.) can, no salt added chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise *See notes
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add olives, walnuts and chopped shallot to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until finely chopped (approximately 10-15 times), scraping the sides as needed.
- Add chickpeas and pulse approximately 7-10 more times until desired consistency is reached, again scraping the sides as needed. The consistency should be somewhat similar to tuna salad.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in mayonnaise plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I just made this, and I love it! I substituted toasted slivered almonds for the walnuts and served on a red cabbage leaf. So good...did I mention that I love olives? Thank you for this recipe!
We are so glad you loved it! Almonds seem like a great substitute for this!
Delicious! I've made it several times. One of the BEST sandwich spread recipes out there!! For some reason it reminds me of me mom's old fashion ham salad. Sometimes I add carrots or celery.
Delicious! I toasted the walnuts. Teen boys loved the sandwiches I made with it (toasted sourdough bread). Thanks for creating this recipe!
Thanks Leanne! That's a great idea to toast the walnuts; I will have to try that. So glad you and the boys enjoyed it! 🙂
We're going to have it inside a jacket potato later!
Sounds delicious, Anne! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Another amazing recipe that uses a great pantry staple being chickpeas! This sounds so good and I bet my husband would love it because he adores them.
Thanks Christie! It's definitely one of my favorite lunches! 🙂
This salad sounds fantastic! I love adding walnuts to 'mushy' salads for crunch. (Mushy being used in a good way here!). I'll be making this soon.
Thanks Kate! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Hello, you caught my attention at the mention of chickpeas. I'm a huge fan of any recipe that uses them. Have you tried the dry skinless ones yet? If not they are fabulous!!
Thanks Heidy! I love chickpeas too! I haven't tried them yet but I am in love with the roasted ones for my salads. 🙂
Wow, how amazing does that look! I'm sure this is incredibly delicious! Love everything about this recipe! Looks VERY tasty!
Thank you so much Neli! 🙂
This is such a good idea! I love all the ingredients but haven't had them together - sounds delish!!
Thanks Lauren! Olives and walnuts are sooooo good together! 🙂
Walnuts are such a great ingredient make anything hearty and nutty flavored, the combo with the olives is a classic indeed. Nice idea and story!
Thanks Adriana! I LOVE walnuts ♥
Make that SHERRI with an i! 🙂
Great salad and great story, Sherry! Perhaps I should pursue small town journalism - woman's club meetings sound delicious!
Thank you so much, Allie! 🙂
I love the story about The Geraldo Rivera Show. This chickpea salad sounds wonderful. I have never thought of using chickpeas in a sandwich such as this. Love it.
Thanks so much, Dawn! I couldn't believe I found those autographs! 🙂