35-Minute Vegan Salad Nicoise with Chickpeas & Lemon Dressing
May 23, 2023 (Last updated Jun 2, 2026) by Hannah Sunderani
Say hello to this nourishing vegan salad nicoise! Made with simple whole food ingredients like chickpeas, potatoes, green beans, olives, crisp lettuce, and cucumber. Drizzled with a citrusy lemon vinaigrette that’s so good I could eat it with a spoon! You can enjoy this crunchy and filling vegan dinner salad for dinner in 35 minutes! This Vegan Salad Niçoise is from my French inspired cookbook,The Two Spoons Cookbook and today I’m sharing it as a recipe exclusive!
The freshness of this salad takes me back to the morning markets in the Old Town of Nice, where I used to buy the ingredients to prepare this vibrant salad. It is summery, crunchy, and full of flavours you would typically find in a salad niçoise from the South of France—one of my favourite places in France to frequent when we lived there.
As you know, I’m a big fan of wholesome and filling vegan salads! I can’t wait for you to try my own personal take on this popular French-inspired chickpea salad. It’s one I think you’ll love just as much as I do!
Ingredient Notes
This vegan niçoise salad is made with 3 simple components:
- Homemade lemon dijon dressing – This dressing is made with wholesome ingredients such as extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and aromatic flavours and seasonings.
- Chickpeas – Salad Niçoise typically has tuna and hard-boiled eggs in it, but I’ve replaced it with a seasoned chickpea medley that’s so delicious, you won’t miss the tuna! Plus, chickpeas add protein, heartiness, and are an excellent source of dietary fiber. If you love tuna or tuna sandwiches, my Vegan Chickpea Tuna Sandwich is a must-try!
- Colourful veggies – I developed this recipe to be exactly like one you’d find in the South of France – one of my favourite places in France to visit. You’ll need a variety of vegetables including cooked green beans and baby potatoes, crisp lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumber, briny olives, red onion, chives, and savoury capers.
How to Make a Vegan Niçoise Salad at Home
This salad is made with whole food ingredients and comes together easily. You definitely don’t need to be a master chef to make it! It’s what I like to call a “component salad” meaning that we have to prep the components (make the dressing and prepare the veggies), before putting it all together. I promise it’s an easy process to follow. Here’s exactly what you’ll do:
So there we have it! A filling, wholesome and nourishing vegan nicoise salad with chickpeas and a bright citrusy lemon dressing. I hope you love this salad as much as I do! If you do make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think! I truly love hearing from you, and I’m always here to answer any questions you might have.
And of course, tag me on Instagram with your pictures using the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
35-Minute Vegan Salad Nicoise with Chickpeas & Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
Lemon Dijon Dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp shallots , finely diced
- 1 clove garlic , finely diced
- 1½ tsp agave
- ½ tsp white miso
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
Chickpea Medley:
- 1 can chickpeas (14 ounces/400 mL), drained and rinsed
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Pinch fine sea salt
Salad:
- 7 oz green beans (200 g), trimmed
- 7 oz baby potatoes (200 g), colour of choice, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup grape tomatoes , halved
- 1 cup cucumber , thinly sliced
- ¼ cup olives , variety of choice and pitted
- ½ small red onion , thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp chives , chopped
- ¼ cup capers , drained
- Pinch fine sea salt
- Pinch pepper
Instructions
Make the Lemon Dijon Dressing:
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, shallots, garlic, agave, miso, salt, pepper, and oregano. Whisk to combine. Set aside to allow the flavours to meld together.
Prepare the Chickpea Medley:
- In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, mustard, oregano, and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.
Make the Salad:
- Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high, add the green beans, and cook until the beans are vivid green and just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the green beans and submerge them in the ice water.
- Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and rinse under cool running water. Drain the green beans. Pat dry the potatoes and green beans.
- Spread the romaine lettuce on a large serving platter. Evenly arrange the green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and red onion over the romaine. Sprinkle with the seasoned chickpeas, chives, capers, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Serve the Lemon Dijon Dressing on the side for drizzling. (Alternatively, you can toss all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl and toss with the dressing to taste just before serving.)
Notes
If you prefer to cook chickpeas from scratch, you will need to soak and cook ½ cup dried chickpeas to get 1½ cups cooked (the equivalent of 1 can). Do Ahead: The Lemon Dijon Dressing can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Store in a jar in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and shake before using.
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I have made this salad many times now, and it’s always a hit with guests.
I have also added watermelon tuna to make it even more special