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Enjoy this delicious Avocado Chickpea Tuna Salad for a nutritious, easy lunch or light dinner. Quick to make and filled with protein and healthy fats, this tuna salad recipe will bring freshness and variety to your healthy meal rotation.
You may also like my cucumber avocado feta salad and I love pairing it with this grilled chicken kafta.
This Avocado Chickpea Tuna Salad recipe is so easy to make and loaded with texture and flavor. So crunchy and fresh-tasting, this salad can be ready to enjoy in just 10 minutes with a no-cook time. The ingredients used to make this are pantry staples that you most likely have in your pantry and fridge. Enjoy it as is on its own or serve it as a side dish with lunch or dinner.
If you love salads, I have many more healthy salad recipes you will love.
Why I love this recipe
- Quick & easy: This recipe requires just a handful of simple ingredients that you toss together in one bowl. It only takes about 10 minutes to whip up!
- Perfect for meal prepping: If you meal prep, this chickpea tuna salad recipe is perfect for you. It stores well and tastes great the next day.
- Healthy and nutrient-rich: Made with wholesome ingredients, It contains plenty of lean protein from the tuna, plant-based protein, fiber from the chickpeas, and healthy fats from the avocado. Plus, there are a variety of vegetables mixed in to make this a very well-balanced meal.
Ingredients you will need
Made with fresh, wholesome ingredients that are easy to find at the grocery store. This salad is very versatile, so feel free to mix and match ingredients as you like. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Tuna: Use high-quality tuna packed in olive oil. You may use tuna packed in water, and then add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the salad.
- Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are the most convenient to use in this salad recipe, as they are already cooked. All you have to do is rinse and drain them.
- Avocado 🥑: Chunks of creamy avocado add richness to the salad. So good!
- Cherry tomatoes: For a delicious pop of flavor that bursts with juiciness. Grape tomatoes or even chopped Roma tomatoes will work as well.
- Cucumbers 🥒: I recommend using seedless cucumbers, also known as English cucumbers.
- Red onion: This salad uses red onion, which is sweeter than yellow and white onions and much more palatable. Feel free to sub with another onion variety, though.
- Herbs: Chopped fresh parsley for a clean and peppery taste with a touch of earthiness. Other options for this salad are dill, tarragon, or chives.
- Lemon or you can use lime.
- Kosher salt & pepper: To bring out all of the flavors in the salad.
How to make this chickpea salad
Once you have your veggies chopped and other ingredients prepped, this chickpea tuna fish salad is as easy as stirring everything together in a large bowl. Here’s the simple method:
Full, printable instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Prep ingredients: Drain the tuna and chickpeas, and then chop all of the vegetables.
Add ingredients to a bowl: In a large salad bowl, add the tuna, chickpeas, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and parsley.
Mix in flavor & serve: Drizzle with lemon juice and season to your taste. Toss to combine and enjoy!
Tips for recipe success
- If the flavor of raw onion is too intense for you, soak it in water with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, to take the bite out of it.
- Choose firm but ripe avocados. You want to make sure your avocados are on the firm side so that they won’t get mushy when you toss the salad together.
- For a make-ahead option, you can toss this salad together up to 6 hours before you plan to serve it. Simply reserve the avocado, then stir in right before serving.
- This salad is great served at room temperature or chilled. To serve cold, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to about 3 days.
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely! The mild flavor and creamy texture of the avocado complement the fish nicely. Many tuna salads are creamy and often made with mayonnaise or Greek yogurt. In this tuna salad recipe, there’s no need for mayo because the creaminess of the avocado is a great substitute.
Yes. If you prefer to use tuna packed in water go right ahead.
If you do not like tuna and would rather use another form of protein you definitely can.
If using canned chickpeas, I recommend you drain them and rinse them well. You do not want to consume the water the chickpeas come in. Not so good for you.
Recipe variations
Feel free to customize this dish to your taste preference and use the ingredients you have on hand. Here are some ideas:
- Vegetables: You can add other veggies to the mix such as corn, bell peppers, artichokes, or olives.
- Beans: Not a fan of chickpeas or simply don’t have any available? Sub with black beans, kidney beans, or cannellini beans.
- Cheese: Sometimes I like to sprinkle a little cheese into the mix such as feta or crumbled cotija.
Serving suggestions
- As-is: This salad is plenty satisfying and served alone or over a bed of fresh greens!
- Pita: Stuff your salad into half of the pita bread.
- Chips or crackers: Pair this salad with chips or crackers for extra crunch!
- Lettuce cups: Spoon the salad into romaine or butter lettuce leaves.
- Wrap: Add the salad to a tortilla and roll up tightly. Cut in half and serve.
More healthy salad recipes to try
- Roasted Chickpea and Avocado Salad
- Mexican Grilled Chicken Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
- Tomato Mozzarella Salad
- Classic Macaroni Salad
- Roasted Beet Salad
- Tuna Macaroni Salad
If you try a recipe and you like it, leave me some feedback in the comment section below, and don’t forget to rate it! I would love it if you shared it with friends and family.
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Avocado Chickpea Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 9 ounce can tuna in olive oil, one can, partially drained
- 14 ounce chickpeas, one can, drained and rinsed
- 1 large Hass avocado, diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 garden cucumbers, diced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 juicy lemon, squeezed
- Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, add all the tuna, chickpeas, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and parsley.
- Drizzle with lemon juice and season to your taste.
- Toss to combine and enjoy!
Notes
- Vegetables: You can add other veggies to the mix such as corn, bell peppers, artichokes, or olives.
- Beans: Not a fan of chickpeas or simply don’t have any available? Sub with black beans, kidney beans, or cannellini beans.
- Cheese: Sometimes I like to sprinkle a little cheese into the mix such as feta or crumbled cotija.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Quick and tasty
Really tasty, added a little bit of Dijon mustard to my salad
Turned out so tasty