Enjoy the bite of spring radishes at their best in this chickpea avocado salad, enhanced with peppery arugula, salty cheese, and a quick and simple vinaigrette. A healthy, seasonal salad like this one is perfect for lunch, as a side, or even a light dinner on a warm spring evening.
I’m a year around fan of salads. With so many ingredients coming in and out of season throughout the year, a salad is a great way to enjoy the flavors of fresh produce at their finest.
This chickpea avocado salad with radishes does exactly that. I’ve highlighted creamy fresh avocado and the mild peppery bite of spring radishes by tossing them in a salad of complimentary flavors like chickpeas, salty feta cheese, baby arugula and fresh, sliced leeks.
It’s a salad that’s easy to make, satisfying down to the last bite, and definitely worth a place in your spring salad rotation.
Why you’ll love this salad
- It takes only 10 minutes to prepare both the salad and the dressing.
- Cold, refreshing, and filling as a meal or side to a main dish.
- Great health benefits like protein from chickpeas, healthy fats from avocado, and natural antioxidants and minerals from radishes.
The perfect set of ingredients
Both the salad and the vinaigrette are very easy to make once you’ve gathered all the ingredients. The ideal combination that I recommend for this recipe are these:
- Canned chickpeas – just one can, drained and rinsed.
- Radishes – thinly sliced works best for this salad. You can do this with a knife or a mandoline.
- Baby arugula – arugula is a mildly spicy green that’s delicious here. Mustard greens or even radish greens are a great alternative.
- Avocado – one large ripe avocado is perfect, pitted and diced.
- Leek – use only the light green and white parts, well rinsed to remove dirt and thinly sliced.
- Feta cheese – I love feta, but any salty, crumbly cheese you like could be delicious.
In addition to these main salad ingredients, the vinaigrette is a simple combination of olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, maple syrup, ground cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. All you have to do is combine them in a jar and shake!
Let’s talk about radishes
As the seasonal ingredient, I was inspired by here, I want to give you some tips on choosing spring radishes.
Spring radishes, sometimes called table radishes, are very different from winter ones. They are incredibly delicious, and are usually more tender, small, and mild in their spiciness than the bigger varieties harvested in fall.
It’s always good to choose radishes that are smooth and firm, and that have vibrant, healthy greens attached. If you’re not planning to make this salad right away, be sure to cut those greens off as soon as you get home – they take nutrients to stay green and make the radishes soften much more quickly.
You can feel free to experiment with any color of radishes you find at your market this time of year, but it’s always safe to go with the classic spring radish – either the long pink and white ones, or the small red varieties.
Storing and preparing your salad ahead
Generally storing leftover salad isn’t terribly successful once it’s been dressed, and this is no exception. If you have an undressed portion left however, feel free to refrigerate it for a day.
This salad does work very well as meal prep for lunch however. It takes just a few steps to keep your ingredients at their best texturally.
Keep the avocado uncut and off the salad until you’re ready to eat. Leave off the feta cheese and dressing until then as well. Pack it into a lunch box and when you’re ready, top it with the last ingredients for a delicious, healthy, and seasonal lunch.
If you love the sound of this spring inspired chickpea avocado salad, I definitely recommend you check out a few of my other warm weather seasonal salads, and I hope you enjoy them all.
- Strawberry Walnut Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Radish, Cucumber, and Dill Salad
- Summer Quinoa Salad with Strawberries and Avocado
- Potato, Green Bean, and Sausage Salad
- Smoked Salmon and Quinoa Salad with Radishes and Beans
Chickpea, Avocado, and Radish Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 clove garlic , minced
- salt and black pepper , to taste
For the salad:
- 1 15oz. (400 g) can chickpeas , rinsed and drained
- 8oz. (225g) radishes , cut in half and thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1 large avocado , seeded and diced
- 1 small leek , white and light green parts only, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese , crumbled (about 2 oz. / 60g)
Instructions
- Make the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, cumin, and garlic in a small jar with a lid. Cover and shake until mixed well. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.
- Place the chickpeas, radishes, arugula, avocado, leek, and feta into a large bowl and toss to combine. Add the dressing and toss again. Serve.
5 Comments
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
October 6, 2022 at 7:51 amWhat an easy but satisfying salad. So much crunch from the leeks and radishes with the creamy avocado.
Farah
October 6, 2022 at 8:04 amSuch a beautiful salad! i love how fresh and tasty it looks, and chickpea and avocado are two of my favorite things, can’t wait to try it out!
Natalie
October 6, 2022 at 9:51 amLove all the health benefits of this lovely salad. All ingredients are loved by my family so it’s a keeper, thanks!
Dannii
October 6, 2022 at 10:13 amWhat a beautiful combination for a salad. So light and fresh.
Kim
October 6, 2022 at 10:31 amI really enjoyed all the textures in this salad. Spring radishes are also my favorite, and I’m always looking for new ways to use them. I loaded the dressing up with pepper since I like things spicy. So good!