Lemon Tahini Chickpea Tuna Salad

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This chickpea tuna salad recipe is quick and easy to make, full of protein, and tossed with a zippy lemon-tahini dressing.

New quick and easy lunch idea coming your way! ♡

This zesty chickpea tuna salad has been on repeat here in our house lately and for good reason — it’s full of protein, quick and easy to make, and bursting with fresh and vibrant flavors. Just start with a simple base of canned tuna and hearty chickpeas, add in some fresh crisp cucumber, red onions and dill, toss in your favorite toasted nuts, and round things out with a sprinkling of tangy feta cheese. Then whip up a quick batch of lemon-tahini dressing, which brings everything together with its zippy, nutty flavors. It’s one of those salads that tastes refreshingly light and bright, while still being hearty enough to power you through the day.

Serve it up with your favorite sourdough or multigrain bread, pile it into lettuce cups, wrap it in a high-protein tortilla, serve it with pita chips for dipping, or just grab a fork and bowl and dive on in. However you serve it, I think you’re going to love this tuna salad!

Chickpea Tuna Salad Ingredients

Here are a few quick notes about the chickpea tuna salad ingredients that you will need to make this recipe:

Chickpeas: A simple can of chickpeas adds a creamy, hearty texture and mild, nutty flavor to this salad.
Tuna: Canned tuna adds rich umami flavor and a major dose of protein to this salad. I highly recommend olive oil-packed tuna, which has a much richer flavor and moist texture than water-packed tuna.
Cucumber: I recommend dicing either English or Persian cucumbers for this salad, both of which have thin skins (no need to peel) and minimal seeds, plus a refreshingly sweet flavor and crisp texture.
Feta cheese: Crumbled feta cheese adds the perfect pop of tangy, creamy flavor to this salad, playing perfectly with the flavors of the lemon tahini dressing.
Red onion: Finely-diced red onion adds a hint of sharp flavor to the salad to round out the flavors.
Nuts: I love using either toasted pine nuts or toasted almonds (sliced or slivered) here for an extra hint of protein, crunchy and rich buttery flavor.
Fresh dill: Chopped fresh dill adds a delicious hint of fresh, grassy flavor that always pairs so well with lemon and tahini. That said, if dill isn’t your favorite, you could easily sub in (or add in) some chopped fresh cilantro, basil or mint.
Lemon tahini dressing: Finally, we’ll whisk up a simple tahini dressing for the salad made from tahini, olive oil, Dijon, ground cumin, salt and pepper, lemon zest and juice. It’s the perfect blend to complement the flavors of the tuna salad.

Recipe Add-Ins

Here are a few more ingredients that would be delicious mixed into this salad if you’re interested:

Add arugula: Mix in some roughly-chopped fresh arugula if you’d like to add some peppery greens.
Add capers, sun-dried tomatoes or olives: Any of these briney additions would be delicious additions to the salad.
Add avocado: Add diced avocado for even more creamy flavor.
Add crushed pita chips: Add some pita chips just before serving for additional crunchy flavor (or use the pita chips to scoop up the salad!).

More Tuna Recipes To Try!

Looking for more great tuna recipes to try? Here are a few of our favorites: