This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
This Cucumber and Tomato Salad will be your new summertime favorite. It's loaded with refreshing veggies, protein-rich chickpeas, and tossed with a light, lemony dressing. You'll want to make it all summer long for barbecues, picnics, potlucks, and more!
If you're having an outdoor party this summer, you'll want to put this Cucumber and Tomato Salad on the table. It pairs nicely with grilled food, sandwiches, pasta dishes, and so much more.
Plus, it's light, refreshing, and SO cooling. Your guests will love it!
However, you don't need a special occasion to whip this healthy salad up. It's also perfect for lunches or a light dinner when you don't feel like turning on the stove.
Need another good reason to make this? The ingredients are simple and the salad comes together easily.
Ingredients Needed
This salad requires kitchen staples and you likely have them all right now. Here's what you'll need:
To make the dressing, you'll need olive oil, lemon, red wine vinegar, agave nectar, vegan parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
For the remaining ingredients, you'll need English cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and chickpeas.
How to make Tomato and Cucumber Salad
It's really easy to make this healthy and refreshing summer salad! Check it out:
1. First, you'll need to chop and slice the veggies which only takes a few minutes. Then toss them together in a large bowl along with the chickpeas.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, agave, Italian seasoning, vegan parmesan, salt, and pepper.
3. Pour the dressing into the large bowl and gently toss to combine. Taste for seasoning.
4. Cover and chill for 30-60 minutes to marry the flavors. Toss at the midway mark. Remove from the fridge and toss again. Taste for seasoning again and add more if needed.
Success Tips
This recipe is completely fool-proof and so easy to adjust to taste. Here are a few tips to ensure success:
- Start conservatively with the dressing ingredients so it's easier to adjust to your taste. I usually add another squeeze of lemon juice, a splash of vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt after the salad has marinated.
- Some lemons can be really tangy and overpower the other flavors. If the salad is too tangy, you can add a splash of olive oil and agave to balance it out. A splash of water can help too.
- It's important to let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to marry together. It'll be worth it!
- To take the bite out of the onions, soak the slices in water with a squeeze of lemon for 10 minutes before using.
Add-in ideas
This cucumber and tomato salad recipe is perfectly delicious just as it is, but feel free to change things up. It's very versatile! Here are some add-in ideas:
- Add a touch of heat with crushed red pepper.
- For a little richness, add vegan mozzarella cheese or vegan feta cheese.
- Add some fresh herbs such as dill, basil, or parsley.
- Go for a little crunch and extra protein with pine nuts or slivered almonds.
- Throw in some diced avocado for creaminess (add right before serving).
- Add some extra veggies such as bell peppers, roasted corn, peas, green beans, or edamame.
How to serve
You can enjoy this salad on its own because it's fairly filling with chickpeas and you'll get a nice dose of protein, too. However, it makes the perfect side dish for most meals. Here are a few ideas:
How long will it last?
It'll stay fresh in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container. After that, the tomatoes tend to get mushy.
More summer favorites to enjoy
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would make my day!
⭐️ Subscribe to the Vegan Huggs Newsletter and receive weekly recipes straight to your inbox! You'll also receive my FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes.
Recipe
Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes , halved
- 2 medium English cucumbers , cut into half moons or triangles
- 1 small red onion , thinly sliced into half moons
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas , rinsed and drained
Dressing
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-5 tablespoons lemon juice , fresh-squeezed. More to taste.
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (sub apple cider vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar or preferred sweetener
- 1.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon vegan parmesan , *optional (sub nutritional yeast)
- 1 teaspoon salt , more to taste
- Fresh-cracked pepper , to taste
Recommended Equipment
- Large bowl
- Small Bowl
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and chickpeas. Gently toss to combine.
- In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, agave, Italian seasoning, vegan parmesan, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine well.
- Pour the dressing into the large bowl and gently toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed.
- Cover and chill for 30-60 minutes to marry the flavors. Toss at the midway mark. Remove from the fridge and toss again. Taste for seasoning again and add more if needed.
Anonymous
My food was great today!
Thank you for giving my mom this salad 🥗
Melissa Huggins
You're most welcome! Glad it was a hit! 🙂
Jude Stensland
Great Salad and very filling.
Melissa Huggins
So glad you loved it, Jude! Thanks for giving it a try 🙂
Tammi T.
Oh my lord. Ok Melissa, first? Thank you! Like the most sincere, heartfelt ‘thank you’ you may ever receive. Best summer salad everrrrr.
I went to Whole Foods for the ingredients that I didn’t have and decided I was NOT going to spend $6.30 USD on agave nectar that I literally only need a teaspoon for and will never use that sh*t again. (Sorry for the potty mouth but it’s to make a passionate point.)
I unknowingly bought the most sweetest of sweet cherry tomatoes on the. Planet and if these little babies did not play well with the savory flavors then nothing did, sister.
I didn’t want to add sweetener and did not need to at all with the sweet, obvi in season cherry tomatoes that I found. Clearly this won’t be everyone’s experience but holy cow. I’m printing out (gen z here) and putting this recipe on the fridge for the rest of the summer because I am making this for the rest of my summer which in Arizona lasts until October.
Almost forgot. Usually I do but apparently some new Mediterranean recipe I fell in love with made me use up all my chickpeas so I used great white northern beans . I was extremely hesitant because that’s a vastly different flavor than the garbanzos but their lightness actually worked and made for a pleasant mouth feel but will go with chickpeas for the next iteration of this simple yet amazing recipe.
Thank you, thank you for this!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Tammi, I'm so sorry for the late reply. For some reason this comment ended up in spam. 🙁
I'm so happy you loved the recipe! It must've been wonderful with the sweet tomatoes. YUM! I'm glad it worked out with the northern beans too. Thank you for leaving such a fabulous review!
Suźanne L. Brown
I have made this recipe twice. Once without onions. When I did used onion I found less is best. Some people don’t care do the onion.
In my opinion I like it better with onion.
My son particularly loved it. Nice way to get protein.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Suzanne, I'm so glad you liked the recipe. Yeah, I have some family members who prefer it without onion too. In that case, I soak some sliced onion in water with a small amount of sugar and vinegar, then drain after 15 minutes. I serve them on the side. 🙂
Emily
I love this summer staple on its own, but I also add cooked drained and chilled pasta to it for a heavier filling meal when desired, and for social occasions, I’ve added vegan feta too and no one would know it’s even a vegan dish 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Hi Emily, I'm so glad you love the recipe. It sounds perfect with the pasta and vegan feta. Thanks for trying it and sharing your feedback. 🙂
Donna
Was very good. I added avacado to my dish and ate for lunch.
Melissa Huggins
Thanks Donna! Glad you like it. 🙂
Sandy Lynn Stevens
Easy and delicious
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Sandy! We are so happy that you loved the recipe, thanks for trying it out! 🙂
Misty
Made this today for lunch. So good! Love the flavors 🙂
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you for giving it a try. 🙂
emily
great fresh salad easy to make and prep in advance. I added avocado and might add seitan chicken cubes (from your seitan tenders recipe) next time. thanks!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Emily, I'm so glad you liked it. Yum! It sounds perfect with seitan. I must try it! 🙂
LisaRose
This was a super easy salad to pull together for a barbecue and it was a hit. I found it delicious and refreshing (your word, Melissa) is truly correct. Thanks for the great recipe and supporting us on our plant-based journeys.
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad it was a hit! Thank you for giving it a try. 🙂
Craig stewart
This is wonderful, ill be making this a lot.
Melissa Huggins
SO glad you liked it. Thank you so much! 🙂