Mexican Chickpea Salad

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Fresh, colorful, and bursting with bold Mexican flavors, this Mexican Chickpea Salad is the kind of recipe you’ll find yourself making all summer long. Tender chickpeas are tossed with charred corn, crisp zucchini, sweet bell pepper, juicy tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and salty aged cotija, then drizzled with a creamy no-mayo chipotle ranch dressing. It’s hearty enough to enjoy as a satisfying lunch, sturdy enough for meal prep, and just as welcome at backyard barbecues, potlucks, and picnics. Serve it as a side salad or make it a meal by adding grilled Tajín chicken, spicy Mexican shrimp, or your favorite grilled protein.

A colorful platter with Mexican chickpea salad shallow ceramic bowls, and wood salad tongs.

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – Why Mexican Chickpea Salad?

Why not would be my first response.😀 We’re in the throes of summer, and hearty salads make so much sense. This appealing, colorful chickpea salad with lots of fresh ingredients and a variety of textures and flavors is quick and easy to assemble with readily accessible ingredients.

But are Chickpeas Mexican?

While they are not indigenous to Mexico, they have been an important ingredient in Mexican cooking for centuries. When the Spanish colonized Mexico, they brought chickpeas (aka garbanzos), lentils, wheat, rice, garlic, onions, citrus, cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Many of these foods became an integral part of Mexican cooking. Chickpeas adapted well to the drier parts of northern and central Mexico, and today, Mexico is actually one of the larger producers of chickpeas in the Americas.

Although black beans, pinto beans, and other native beans are more common, chickpeas appear in many traditional dishes. Some traditional Mexican dishes that include them include:

Caldo Tlalpeño: A famous traditional soup from Tlalpan featuring shredded chicken, carrots, green beans, and a generous amount of chickpeas in a smoky tomato-and-chipotle broth, typically garnished with avocado and queso fresco.
Sopa de Garbanzo: A comforting, hearty homestyle soup combining cooked chickpeas with vegetables like onions, tomatoes, and carrots, often simmered with smoked pork chops or bacon and finished with fresh spinach.
Cocido: Caldo de Res, also known as “Cocido,” is a traditional Mexican soup made with tender beef chunks, hearty vegetables, and chickpeas. This comforting dish features a rich broth that is simmered with carrots, zucchini, cabbage, celery, corn, and potatoes.
Guásanas – Guásanas Fresh green chickpeas boiled in the pod and eaten as a seasonal snack in Sinaloa and neighboring states.

📋 Ingredients Notes

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

Ingredients for Mexican chickpea salad including charred corn, zucchini, and chickpeas.

chickpeas – Known as garbanzos in Mexico, we’re starting with cooked chickpeas rinsed and drained. Cooked from dried is even better!
zucchini – Raw summer squash like zucchini, yellow, crookneck, etc. are all fine.
corn – I love fresh corn off the cob, and lightly charred in a hot cast iron skillet in just a bit of canola oil. You can use canned or frozen corn if you prefer.
tomatoes – Tiny tomatoes cut in half lengthwise are my preference. Use whatever you like!
pickled jalapeños – We love the textural and flavor contrast they provide, but they are spicy. If you’re heat averse, omit. You could also substitute fresh jalapeños or add additional bell peppers.
bell pepper – I love colorful food, so I choose the most colorful bell pepper.
aged cotija – Aged cotija is a crumbly Mexican cheese that is somewhat salty. If you can’t find aged cotija cheese, crumbled feta is the closest widely available substitute. Ricotta salata is an excellent substitute but can be difficult to find.
toasted pepitas – Pepitas are at their best when they’re crisp, and once they’re coated in dressing they inevitably lose some of that texture. Since they’re a garnish as much as an ingredient, I recommend adding them per serving rather than tossing with dressing.
salad dressing – I created this chipotle ranch dressing specifically for this chickpea salad. My cilantro ranch is another good option, but it looses its freshness due to the entire bunch of cilantro. If you’re making it for meal prep, the chipotle ranch is a better option!

🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions

The Mexican chickpea salad with small bowls of pepitas, cotija, and a glass jar of chipotle ranch. — Instructions could not be simpler! Add salad ingredients minus crumbled cotija and toasted pepitas to a bowl. Dress lightly, and toss to combine. Garnish per serving with crumble cotija and toasted pepitas. Enjoy!

❓FAQ

How long is this chickpea salad good?

Store the undressed salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For the best texture, keep the dressing, cotija cheese, and toasted pepitas separate and add them just before serving. This makes it ideal for meal prep!

Meal Prep Tip: Store the toasted pepitas separately and sprinkle them over each serving just before eating. This keeps them crisp and adds the best crunch (similar to croutons).

With back-to-school around the corner, and the busy schedules that ensue, the advantages of meal prep ideas become clear. I hope you’ll find this chickpea salad as fresh and flavorful as we do!

Mexican Chickpea Salad on a talavera platter with orange textile.

Mexican Chickpea Salad Recipe

Tamara Andersen

This colorful Mexican Chickpea Salad is one of my favorite make-ahead lunches. It stays crisp and flavorful for several days, making it perfect for meal prep, potlucks, picnics, and easy weeknight dinners.

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Prep Time 15

Char Corn and Make Dressing 15

Total Time 30

Course Salad/Side Dish/Lunch

Cuisine Mexican

Servings servings

Calories 226 kcal

Ingredients

2 cups chickpeas
2 medium zucchini - diced
1 bell pepper - diced
5 ounces tiny tomatoes - sliced lengthwise
¼ cup pickled jalapeños
2 ears fresh corn off the cob (or canned) - charred (see notes below)
¼ cup toasted pepitas - reserve per serving
2 ounces aged cotija, crumbled - reserve per serving
chipotle ranch dressing

Instructions

Add salad ingredients – chickpeas through corn – to a salad bowl.
Lightly dress the salad, and toss to combine.
Garnish each serving with crumbled cotija and toasted pepitas.

Notes

To quick-char the corn, add a drizzle of oil to a hot cast iron skillet. Cook until edges are lightly charred, stirring constantly. Cool before adding to the salad!

The macronutrients do not include dressing!

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 8g

NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or star rating! Email us with any questions: tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com