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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.

top view chickpea and tuna salad in a brown wooden bowl
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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.

Why we 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 easy chickpea tuna salad recipe is perfect for you. It stores well and tastes great the next day.
  • Healthy and nutrient-rich: This dish is packed with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. 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.
Chickpeas, veggies and avocado mixed in a salad bowl.

Ingredients and SUBSTITUTIONS

This chickpea tuna salad recipe is 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. If you prefer to cook chickpeas from scratch, make sure they are cooled before adding them to the salad.
  • 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: We recommend using seedless cucumbers, also known as English cucumbers. Although not entirely seedless, they have far fewer seeds than regular cucumbers making them taste sweeter.
  • 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: The juice of one lemon adds a bright, fresh flavor.
  • Kosher salt & pepper: To bring out all of the flavors in the salad.
Fresh vegetables and canned tuna displayed on a gray surface.

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.

Chopped tomatoes and cucumbers.

Add ingredients to a bowl: In a large salad bowl, add the tuna, chickpeas, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and parsley.

Ingredients for avocado chickpea tuna salad added to a large bowl.

Mix in flavor & serve: Drizzle with lemon juice and season to your taste. Toss to combine and enjoy!

A large bowl with a salad made with chickpeas and tuna.

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.
top view tuna salad with chickpeas in a wooden bowl

Frequently asked questions

What is the best tuna to use for tuna salad?

Not all brands of canned tuna are created equal, either in terms of their flavor profile or their health benefits. Look for a sustainable, dolphin-safe brand.
For this recipe, we suggest using tuna packed in olive oil. If you only have tuna packed in water, you can add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the salad. This chickpea salad also tastes great with canned salmon.

Is canned tuna healthy?

Canned tuna fish is an excellent source of high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals and is low in saturated fat. Ounce for ounce, tuna is lower in calories, fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than even the leanest cuts of beef and chicken. Just be sure to moderate your intake as large sport fish, like tuna, are known to contain mercury.

Does tuna pair well with avocado?

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.

Chickpea salad made with tuna, avocado and other vegetables.

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 we like to sprinkle a little cheese into the mix such as feta or crumbled cotija.

Serving suggestions

There are so many different ways to serve this chickpea tuna salad, and they all happen to be super delicious. Here are some options:

  • 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.
top closeup view of chickpea salad with tuna in a round wooden bowl

More healthy salad recipes to try

A bowl containing a mixture of chickpeas, tuna, avocado and vegetables.

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5 from 4 votes

Avocado Chickpea Tuna Salad

By: Rena
Servings: 4 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
top view chickpea and tuna salad in a brown wooden bowl
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.

Ingredients

  • 1 (9 oz) can tuna in olive oil, partially drained
  • 1 (14 oz) can chickpeas, 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 we like to sprinkle a little cheese into the mix such as feta or crumbled cotija.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 144kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 4gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0.1mgSodium: 97mgPotassium: 895mgFiber: 7gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1255IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @healthyfitnessmeals or tag #healthyfitnessmeals!

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