No-cook Chickpea, Feta & Pomegranate Salad
Bright, no-cook summer dinner — hearty tinned chickpeas, vegetarian feta, pomegranate and herby lemon-tahini dressing. Ready in 50 minutes.
This is summer dinner made ridiculously easy: no heat, no fuss, just a bowl of satisfying flavours and textures. Tinned chickpeas give the heft, vegetarian feta brings creaminess and pomegranate adds a cheeky pop. Make it when it’s too warm to cook or when you want a bright, healthy meal in under an hour. It keeps well in the fridge for 1–2 days, making it great for leftovers or a relaxed picnic.
Ingredients
- 480 g tinned chickpeas — drained weight from about 2 x 400g tins
- 400 g cherry tomatoes — halved
- 1 cucumber — about 300g, deseeded if you prefer
- 1 red pepper — discard core and seeds, diced
- 3 spring onions — sliced thinly
- 30 g flat-leaf parsley — roughly chopped
- 15 g fresh mint — leaves torn
- 200 g vegetarian feta cheese — crumbled
- 100 g pomegranate seeds
- 45 g tahini — about 3 tbsp
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon — about 40 ml juice
- 5 ml Dijon mustard
- 15 ml honey
- 1 garlic clove — finely grated
- 5 ml sea salt
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
Instructions
Drain the tinned chickpeas into a sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear. Leave to drain well.
Prepare the vegetables: halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber and red pepper, slice the spring onions, and roughly chop the parsley and mint. Put everything in a large mixing bowl.
Make the lemon‑tahini dressing: in a small bowl whisk together tahini, lemon juice (juice the lemon), Dijon mustard, honey, grated garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Gradually whisk in half the olive oil, then add 25–35 ml cold water to loosen until the dressing is glossy and pourable.
Add the drained chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper and spring onions to the mixing bowl with the herbs. Pour over the dressing and use a large spoon to fold everything together gently — you want coated ingredients, not pulped tomatoes. Crumble over the vegetarian feta and scatter the pomegranate seeds on top.
Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to let flavours mingle — this is the only resting time needed.
Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning with extra sea salt, black pepper or a drizzle of the remaining olive oil if you like. Scatter a few more torn mint leaves and parsley on top and serve chilled or at cool room temperature.
Tips
- If tahini is thick or grainy, loosen it with warm water a tablespoon at a time until smooth before adding the other dressing ingredients.
- Dry the chickpeas well on kitchen paper after rinsing — excess water will dilute the dressing and make the salad watery.
- Make ahead: assemble, cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Add fresh pomegranate seeds and extra herbs just before serving for best colour.
- If you don’t like large tomato pieces, quarter them instead of halving, but avoid crushing; smaller pieces release more liquid.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days; bring to cool room temperature before eating for best flavour.
Substitutions
tinned chickpeas → tinned cannellini beans, same drained weight
Stays closevegetarian feta cheese → crumbled goat's cheese, same quantity
Noticeably differenttahini → natural Greek yoghurt, 100g, for a milder, tangy dressing
Noticeably differentpomegranate seeds → finely chopped apple or pear, 100g, for crunch and sweetness
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 618
- Calories
- 21 g
- Protein
- 48 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 780 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use dried chickpeas?
You could, but dried chickpeas must be soaked and cooked first. For a true no-cook dish use tinned chickpeas to save time and keep it no-cook.
How long will this salad keep?
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge it will keep 1–2 days. Fresh herbs and pomegranate are best added just before serving if you want the brightest colour.
Is this suitable for vegetarians?
Yes — the recipe uses vegetarian feta cheese. If your feta isn’t labelled vegetarian it may contain animal rennet, so swap if needed.
Can I make this nut-free?
The recipe is nut-free as written, but contains tahini (sesame). If you must avoid sesame, swap the tahini for natural Greek yoghurt for a different but still delicious dressing.
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