Cucumber, Avocado, & Crispy Chickpea Salad with Creamy Yogurt Feta Spread
Published on June 26, 2024
Quick Summary
Cucumber, Avocado, & Crispy Chickpea Salad- smashed cucumbers, creamy avocado, crispy roasted chickpeas, and fresh herbs are piled on top of a creamy yogurt feta spread to create the most amazing salad! Serve plain or enjoy as a dip with pita bread or pita chips as a dip! The flavors and textures are incredible!
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Pin ItChickpea salads are some of my very favorite salads to make and eat. I make my Easy Chickpea Salad, Chipotle Chickpea Corn Salad, and Chickpea, Avocado, & Feta Salad all of the time.
Whenever I want to impress my family and friends or just want a REALLY good chickpea salad, I make this Cucumber, Avocado, and Crispy Chickpea Salad with Creamy Yogurt Feta Spread. It sounds fancy, looks fancy, but it’s SUPER simple to make and the flavors and textures are phenomenal.
Let’s talk about the delicious elements of this salad. A rich and creamy Greek yogurt feta spread is the base of the salad. It is flavored with lemon, parsley, and dill. The spread is topped with refreshing smashed cucumbers, creamy avocado, and crispy roasted chickpeas. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, extra feta, herbs, and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes.
You can serve the salad plain or enjoy it as a dip with pita bread, pita chips, cracker, veggies, or naan bread. Every bite is DELICIOUS! Every time I make this salad I pat myself on the back. It is a WINNER!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Chickpeas– I use canned chickpeas to keep the recipe super simple. Rinse and drain well before using.
- Olive oil– for drizzling over the chickpeas.
- Garlic powder– to season the chickpeas.
- Greek yogurt– use plain Greek yogurt.
- Feta cheese– I like to buy feta in a block and crumble it myself. The feta crumbles aren’t as creamy.
- Fresh herbs– Italian parsley and dill.
- Lemon zest & lemon juice– lemon brightens up the spread!
- Cucumber– I recommend using an English cucumber, but Persian cucumbers work great too. You will just need to use several because they are smaller.
- Avocado– use a large avocado that is ripe and ready!
- Pita chips, pita bread, or naan bread– for serving! Optional, but SO good!
How to Make Cucumber, Avocado, & Crispy Chickpea Salad
- First, roast the chickpeas. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the chickpeas on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Toss until evenly coated. Roast the chickpeas for 30 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway through, or until crispy. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- While the chickpeas are roasting, make the yogurt feta spread. In a medium bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, feta cheese, parsley, dill, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Now for some fun, smashing the cucumbers! Place the cucumber on a cutting board. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice off the ends of the cucumbers. Then, slice the cucumbers in half, lengthwise.
- Place the cucumber halves, cut side down on the cutting board. Then place the side of the knife blade over the cucumber. Use the palm of your hand to pound the knife to smash the cucumber until it splits. Smash along the entire length of the cucumber.
- And if you don’t want to smash the cucumber, you can just chop them up! The salad is good both ways.
- Then, chop the cucumbers into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and set aside.
- Spread the yogurt feta spread onto a large plate or medium platter. Top with the smashed cucumbers, avocado, and crispy chickpeas. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
- Garnish with feta, fresh herbs, and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Serve with pita bread, pita chips, crackers, cut up veggies, or naan bread, if desired. You can also spoon onto a plate and enjoy plain.
How to Store
- This salad (or dip) is best eaten the same day it is assembled. You can make it a few hours in advance and keep it in the fridge before serving. Lightly cover it with plastic wrap.
- If you have leftovers, you can store it in an airtight container or covered in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, but the chickpeas will soften and the avocado will brown a little.
- If you want to make the spread in advance, you can make it and store it in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Stir well before using.
- You can also make the roasted chickpeas in advance. Roast, cool completely, and store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 48 hours.
More Salad Recipes
- Easy Chickpea Salad
- Easy Cucumber Salad
- Chickpea, Avocado, & Feta Salad
- White Bean Cucumber Salad
- Greek Chickpea Salad
- Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
Find more SALAD RECIPES HERE!
Cucumber, Avocado, & Crispy Chickpea Salad with Creamy Yogurt Feta Spread
Ingredients
For the chickpeas:
- 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt, to taste
For the salad:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped dill
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 avocado, chopped
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- For garnish: crumbled feta, fresh dill, parsley, crushed pepper flakes
- Pita bread, pita chips, cut up veggies, or naan bread, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the chickpeas on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Toss until evenly coated. Roast the chickpeas for 30 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway through, or until crispy.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, feta cheese, parsley, dill, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Place the cucumber on a cutting board. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice off the ends of the cucumbers. Then, slice the cucumbers in half, lengthwise. Place the cucumber halves, cut side down on the cutting board. Then place the side of the knife blade over the cucumber. Use the palm of your hand to pound the knife to smash the cucumber until it splits. Smash along the entire length of the cucumber. Then, chop the cucumbers into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and set aside.
- Spread the yogurt feta spread onto a large plate or medium platter. Top with the smashed cucumbers, avocado, and crispy chickpeas. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Garnish with a little feta, fresh herbs, and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, or naan bread, if desired. You can also spoon onto a plate and enjoy plain.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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I took this to our 4th of July party and everyone loved it. Easy too!
Yay!
This was a delicious appetizer with mini naan. I used cucumbers from my garden instead of English cucumber. The next day I ate the leftovers with rotisserie chicken for a protein packed lunch!
YUM!
This salad is amazing! The creamy avocado, crispy chickpeas, and smashed cucumbers on the yogurt feta spread are delicious. It’s simple to make and perfect as a dip or salad. Thanks for the great recipe, Maria!
You are welcome! I love this one!