Quick and Easy Artichoke Salad

This quick and easy artichoke salad recipe is refreshing, tangy, and loaded with Italian/Mediterranean-inspired flavors in every bite! A gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan side.

10-Minute, Pantry-Friendly Chickpea Artichoke Salad

It’s the middle of the holiday season (aka fall/winter), but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring a bit of summer sunshine to the table, thanks to simple, crowd-pleasing dishes like this Italian-inspired chickpea artichoke salad. It’s simple to prepare and a crowd favorite at potlucks, dinner parties, BBQs, picnics, and other gatherings.

This is a salad you can easily enjoy year-round thanks to it being made primarily of canned and other pantry ingredients. With a combination of flavors like artichoke, olives, red onion, tomatoes, arugula, lemon, and zippy balsamic vinaigrette, this chickpea artichoke salad has a wonderful balance of sweet, savory, tangy, bitter, salty flavors.

Combine that with the fact it’s loaded with fiber, heart-healthy fats, plant-based protein, and plenty of vitamins and minerals, and this is a salad designed to satisfy. Best of all, Italian artichoke salad is easy to make ahead, can be customized in several ways, is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, and goes with practically any meal.

You might also enjoy our Mediterranean chickpea lentil salad, couscous salad, or pasta salad, and/or sun-dried tomato pasta salad.

The Ingredients and Substitutes

• Artichoke hearts: We use jars of artichoke hearts in water (which come whole, halved, or in quarters), though marinated artichoke hearts will work, too, but add extra flavor and fat/calories.
• Chickpeas: Use home-cooked or canned chickpeas or white beans like cannellini/ butter beans (regular or reduced sodium) for fiber and plant-based protein.
• Tomatoes: We love using cherry tomatoes, which are available and fairly good-tasting all year. Grape tomatoes or mini plum tomatoes work well, too.
• Red onion: For crunchy texture and acidic flavor. Milder shallot will work, too.
• Black olives: We prefer using pitted and sliced black olives, but Kalamata olives work, too, or even a combination of olives for flavor depth.
• Arugula: The peppery flavor of baby arugula complements the artichoke well. However, other leafy greens will work, too, like making spinach artichoke salad or using massaged kale or even regular romaine lettuce.
• Lemon: This helps make the onion milder and adds wonderful brightness to the salad with artichokes. If you have to omit it, soak the onion in ice water, then drain it.
• Fresh parsley: For plenty of fresh, aromatic flavor. Fresh mint or dill will also work.
• Balsamic vinaigrette: Use your favorite store-bought version or make your own, like we did for this salad dressing. Vegan Italian dressing or Greek dressing will also work.

What could I add to Artichoke Heart Salad?

Like other Mediterranean/Italian-inspired salads, this recipe for artichoke salad is super adaptable.

• Peppers: There are several ways you could add peppers to this artichoke salad recipe. E.g., raw or roasted red peppers, pimentos, or pepperoncini.
• Vegetables: Add extra nutrients, color, and texture with the addition of:
  • Cucumber (thin-peel, low-seed like Persian or English cucumber)
  • Carrot (shredded for sweet crunch and extra color)
  • Asparagus (cooked and cut into segments)
  • Avocado (for rich creaminess, healthy fats, and plenty of antioxidants)
  • Green beans (steamed or boiled)
• Vegan cheese: E.g., vegan feta cheese or vegan mozzarella both pair well with this artichoke tomato salad for a creamy, ‘cheesy’, tangy flavor.
• Hearts of palm: Finely chopped with a similar flavor to artichokes.
• Pasta: Make a heartier, low-fuss, crowd-pleasing artichoke pasta salad with short al dente pasta. Giant couscous or orzo artichoke salad also works.
• Other grains: You could also make artichoke rice salad or artichoke quinoa salad.
• Nuts/seeds: Toasted almonds/pine nuts are a great toasty, crunchy garnish.

How to Make Artichoke Salad

• First, peel and finely chop the onion and transfer it to a large salad bowl along with the juice of half a lemon. Stir well and set aside.

The lemon juice helps to reduce some of the harsh ‘raw’ onion flavor.

• Meanwhile, drain and rinse the chickpeas and artichokes, halve the tomatoes, chop the parsley, and – if needed – slice the olives.

Optionally chop the artichokes, too. Patting them dry with paper towels will help avoid a soggy salad.

• Then add all the prepared ingredients and 2-3 tablespoons of dressing to the bowl with the onions and toss well.

• Add the arugula and toss once more. Then, serve the chickpea artichoke salad with extra dressing on the side. Enjoy!

For the best flavor, cover and chill the Italian/ Mediterranean artichoke salad for 1-2 hours before serving it.

Pro Recipe Tips

• Rinse the artichokes: This helps eliminate any ‘canned’ flavor (when using artichokes in water). Rinse them well, then pat dry to avoid a watery salad.
• Pat the ingredients dry: That goes for all the canned ingredients in liquid. If they aren’t thoroughly drained and pat dry, the salad becomes soggy sooner.
• Allow the flavors to meld: For the best flavor, leave the assembled salad to chill and marinate for 2-3 hours before serving it.
• Set some dressing aside: To avoid over-dressing the salad (+if you plan to keep leftovers), only add a small amount of dressing then more when serving.

Storage Instructions

If you’d like to store the chickpea and artichoke salad, it’s best to do so without the dressing. That way, it lasts 3-4 days (5-6 without leafy greens) in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

When combined with dressing, it’s best to consume it within a day or two.

What to Serve with Chickpea Artichoke Salad?

You can enjoy this hearty salad with artichoke hearts and chickpeas as an appetizer, side, or even main with:

• Sandwiches and wraps
• BBQ dishes – like vegan burgers and veggie hotdogs
• Pasta – like pesto pasta, mac and cheese, cherry tomato pasta, and more
• More protein – Like grilled tofu or tofu fillets with tomato herb sauce
• With soup – like vegan minestrone soup or carrot ginger soup

More Vegan Salad Recipes

• Easy butternut squash salad
• Roasted beet salad with ‘feta’ and apple
• Vegan taco salad
• Vegetable couscous salad
• Fully loaded rainbow salad
• Peanut noodle salad

Or browse our entire collection of vegan salad recipes here!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla