Mediterranean Greek Tuna Salad Recipe with Chickpea

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This Greek tuna salad with chickpeas is so delicious and easy. It's full of nutrition and flavour using the freshest ingredients such cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions.

Then topped with crumbled salty feta cheese, and a quick Greek salad dressing.

Greek chickpea salad in a large Natural Canvas Denby serving bowl

This Greek chickpea salad with tuna is one of my favorite salads. Who knew a quick lunch could make a really delicious summer salad that's packed with flavour?!

Made in minutes using healthy ingredients, this healthy tuna salad is then topped with a quick simple Greek dressing and tangy feta cheese. It's perfect if you have little time to put something together.

You can eat it as a filling main with pita bread, but it also makes a tasty side. You'll just love the flavor profiles which are also easy to customise and increase quantities for a bigger appetite or feeding a crowd.

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✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
🛒 Ingredient Notes
📋 Instructions
👩‍🍳 Substitutions
⚖️ Variations
🔪 Equipment
❄️ Storage
💡Pro Tips
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
❓ FAQ
🍽️Pairing
➕ More Easy Meals
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

✔️ Why You'll Love This Recipe

Here are a handful of reasons why we think you'll love this Mediterranean tuna salad recipe!

Great for a low calorie diet
A good source of healthy fats
Easy version of a classic tuna salad
Quick and easy salad made in 10 minutes
No cooking required - just minimal meal prep
Made all with real foods - no processed rubbish
Great any day of the week main dish or BBQ side
Full of nutrition for arthritis and other inflammatory conditions
High in fibre protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, making it filling

🛒 Ingredient Notes

Please see the printable full recipe card with exact ingredient quantities, preparation instructions, and daily values at the bottom of this post.

Cucumber - diced, which adds a refreshing bite along with offering vitamin K, C, magnesium, manganese, etc to support blood sugar levels, antioxidants, the heart and more

Cherry tomatoes - these are homegrown for the best flavours and nutrition. I halve them into bite sized chunks. Or you can chop up juicy vine tomatoes

Red onion - sliced into rings, or diced. I opt for darker coloured onions where possible, or shallots as they are richer in quercetin than green onions to help fight inflammation and support the immune system

Canned tuna in water - for affordability, I use tuna flakes or steak in a tin. For the best quality, look for white albacore tuna which is a slightly more protein-rich tuna with a firm texture, but is much more expensive

Black olives - in water pitted. For more authentic Greek flavors, use kalamata olives or treat yourself to stuffed olives

Canned chickpeas - or you can swap for white beans such as a canned cannellini bean or cooked black beans

Feta - for a healthy twist, you can make a light tuna salad with low fat fat feta cheese, or a great alternative, although not authentic, you can make Greek style tuna salad with "salad cheese"

Greek Salad Dressing

Extra virgin olive oil - this adds a palatble coating while also offers antioxidants to help prevent inflammation, and more

Fresh lemon juice - I use ½ a lemon, or you could use tablespoons of lemon juice to taste, including lemon zest if desired

Oregano - I used dried as it is more accessible in the UK, but you can use fresh if you have it, or use fresh dill or basil

Balsamic vinegar - or you can swap for red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar with the mother if preferred

Seasoning - this is sea salt to balance the sweet and tangy flavours. You can also use freshly ground black pepper

📋 Instructions

1. Chop all your Greek salad ingredients and place them in a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the Greek salad dressing ingredients or you can use your own salad dressing.

If you have time, set it aside for 30 minutes for the flavours to meld.

3. Pour the dressing on top of your salad , then toss well.

4. Finally, sprinkle over the crumbled or diced feta cheese and place at the centre of the table to serve.

Tip: you can make your salad dressing a few hours before if you wish for the flavours to intensify from the herbs

Close up of Greek tuna salad with a serving spoon resting in a bowl

👩‍🍳 Substitutions

Depending on your dietary needs, here are a few simple swaps you can make:

Chickpeas - You can swap the chickpeas to make a Greek pasta salad like this cold pasta salad. Use gluten free if needed
Extra virgin olive oil - if you are on a low fat diet, you might prefer this unofficial Slimming World tuna mayo pasta with fat free or plain Greek yogurt
For the tuna - for a vegetarian Greek salad, simply skip the tuna, or swap for tofu, or tempeh
Feta cheese - you can use any tasty diced cheese with cows' milk, or tangy goats' cheese
Cucumbers - swap for any fresh greens, like spinach, lettuce, celery or a diced green bell pepper

Salad full of Sliced red onion rings, olives, tuna, extra virgin olive oil mixed in a large Denby bowl

⚖️ Variations

Here are some different ways you can enhance personalise this dish for an incredible flavor:

Add more vegetables: smoky blackened corn works a treat in this salad, along with other fresh salad veggies

Mustard dressing - add half a teaspoon of dijon mustard to the dressing with optional honey and cream if preferred

Deluxe - add sun-dried tomatoes, jarred roasted red peppers or artichoke hearts

Nuts and seeds - add toasted chopped nuts or seeds for crunch. Alternatively, you can add tahini to the dressing

Toasted breadcrumbs - top with easy pan fried crispy Italian breadcrumbs from stale bread, like mini croutons that taste SO good!

Tuna pasta salad - swap the chickpeas for cooked pasta, but make sure you add olive oil to the drained cooked pasta to prevent it from sticking

🔪 Equipment

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Bowl of salad placed on a large Spanish tea towel in the centre of a marble worktop with spoon, ready for serving

❄️ Storage

Storing - this easy Greek tuna salad freshly can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days. If batch preparing, I recommend adding the cucmber on the day as it can turn soggy

Freezing - I don't recommend freezing this tuna Greek salad as it will destroy the properties of the vegetables and make them mushy and unappetising once defrosted

💡Pro Tips

If you have patience, make the greek tuna salad dressing a few hours before to allow the herbs to infuse the oil
Try to use homegrown salad vegetables as they taste so much better than supermarket ones
Use the best quality oil and feta you can afford as these are some of the key ingredients
Add the salt last and taste the dressing as you go if you have sensitive tastebuds
Lightly toss the salad ingredients to prevent breaking them, which can look unappetising
If batch prepping, either drizzle the dressing on the day, or add the cucumber on the day as it will turn soggy quickly in the fridge

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Breads - enjoy with pita chips or pita pockets, or crackers and hummus

Lettuce - for a low carb option, use it as a filling in a baby lettuce wrap as I do for my Pork Yuk Sung recipe, or spoon on top of a leafy green salad bowl

Meats - enjoy as a fresh side with protein such as grilled or BBQ meat

Party or gathering - serve it as part of a charcuterie board with other meats, cheeses, antipasti sides and fresh herbs

❓ FAQ

Can I make Greek salad without oil?

If you want a healthy greek tuna salad with no oil, you can whisk together all the other Greek salad ingredients, then mix in a splash of water and ⅛ teaspoon of Xantham gum to thicken. This is exactly what I do in my Unofficial Slimming World Nicoise salad.

What other ways can I make Greek Salad?

An authentic Greek salad usually consists of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with feta cheese. You can also make it as a Greek couscous salad, tortellini Greek salad for a pasta version, or orzo, or make a potato Greek salad.

Is Greek Salad good for weight loss?

This Greek chickpea salad is full of fresh vegetables , so I think it's great for weight loss. However, when it comes to oils, it does use extra virgin olive oil. And although it is a healthy monounsaturated fat, it must be counted on many slimming club plans.

Which Feta cheese for Greek salad?

You can use whatever feta cheese you would like served on top of your Greek chickpea salad. But you can use any use any feta vheese you like.

Could I make a vegan Greek sSalad?

If you ever wanted to make a Vegan version of a Greek salad, then I would suggest swapping feta for tofu. This could also be left marinating in the fridge for extra flavour. Or, if accessible, opt for a vegan Greek style cheese and of course, don't include the tuna.

How long can Greek salad last in the fridge?

Due to the tinned tuna in my Greek chickpea salad, I would refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

What kind of tuna can I use in traditional greek salads?

You can use freshly cooked or canned tuna. The most popular is albacore tuna as it is very meaty, or others recommend Yellowfin tuna, but I recommend using what you can afford.

🍽️Pairing

Here are a few of our favourite side dishes with homemade salads:

➕ More Easy Meals

Looking for some of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table? Here are some more of our favourites that can be put together in minutes:

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