Easy Chickpea and Edamame Salad (Aldi Copycat)

Chickpea salad with cranberries is loaded with bell peppers, carrots and edamame for a simple, healthy, protein-packed salad in a flavorful dressing.

Copycat Aldi Chickpea and Edamame Salad can be made in advance for an easy lunch, side dish or party appetizer.

white square bowl filled with chickpea and edamame salad, served alongside crackers.

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I truly enjoy cooking, but every now and then, a pre-made food in the deli or refrigerated section of the grocery store will catch my eye.

I always tend to gravitate towards salads and side dishes that are light and simple. Things that would make the perfect on-the-go lunch or that could be served with a favorite main dish.

This recipe is a copycat version of the chickpea and edamame salad sold in the refrigerated section at Aldi. I love their version, but knew it would be much cheaper to make it myself.

Just like the easiest cucumber salad or everything bagel cucumber bites, this chickpea salad with cranberries has a crunch that really satisfies. But the sweet-tart dried cranberries that are sprinkled throughout are what really make this salad incredible.

This copycat Aldi chickpea and edamame salad is easy to make at home, plus it costs less to make from scratch and tastes great. That’s a big win in my book!

More Simple and Flavorful Salads:

a woman's fingers dip a cracker into a bowl of chickpea and edamame salad

Making and Serving Copycat Aldi Chickpea and Edamame Salad

I love this salad because it’s so easy to make, and the ingredients keep well. I’ve found the salad will last up to a week in the fridge.

Plus, the flavors just seem to get better with time, so it’s the perfect make-ahead lunch or appetizer.

Here are a few tips to make preparing this salad a breeze:

  • Rinse and drain the chickpeas really well.
  • Use frozen, fresh or canned edamame. I typically buy frozen edamame that’s already shelled, but you can choose that which is most convenient for you.
  • Chop all of the additional ingredients into bite-sized bits.
  • Don’t skip the cumin. It’s the secret ingredient that makes this salad amazing.

When it comes to serving chickpea and edamame salad, the possibilities are quite versatile:

  • Eat it with a spoon or a fork as your main dish for a light lunch.
  • Sprinkle it over a green salad.
  • Serve it as a side salad.
  • Scoop it with tortilla chips or crackers.
  • Stuff it into a pita for a vegetarian sandwich.

How to Make Chickpea Salad with Cranberries

It’s really easy to make your own copycat Aldi chickpea and edamame salad at home!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • Chickpeas
  • Shelled edamame
  • Carrots
  • Bell Pepper
  • Dried Cranberries
  • Olive Oil
  • Red Wine Vinegar
  • Garlic Powder
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Cumin
  • Italian Seasoning
a small white bowl of chickpea salad served on a white plate with several crackers for dipping

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Prepare the salad. First, you’ll combine chickpeas, edamame, carrots, bell peppers, and cranberries in a serving bowl.

chickpeas, carrots, edamame, cranberries, and bell peppers in a glass mixing bowl

Make the dressing. Next, you’ll whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, cumin, and Italian seasoning in a small mixing bowl.

vinaigrette dressing for chickpea salad like aldi's in a glass measuring cup

Dress and serve. Last, you’ll pour the dressing over the salad and mix to combine. You can serve right away or chill for several hours to overnight.

all ingredients mixed together in a glass bowl, making an aldi copycat chickpea and edamame salad

Notes and Adaptations:

  • You can eat this as-is with a fork, or you can serve it stuffed in a pita, or as a dip for crackers.
  • You can buy shelled edamame or simply shell it yourself.
  • Feel free to adjust seasonings to your liking. If you don’t have red wine vinegar on hand, I’d recommend using apple cider vinegar.
  • Love using chickpeas? Try my Instant Pot Greek chickpeas with quinoa!
chickpea salad with cranberries, edamame, peppers, and carrots, served in a white bowl

Recommended Equipment

Yield: 6 Servings

Chickpea and Edamame Salad (Aldi Copycat)

white square bowl serving chickpea and edamame salad alongside crackers

This chickpea and edamame salad is light and refreshing, just like what you'd get from Aldi (but for less!).

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 15-oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained well
  • 1 1/2 cup shelled edamame
  • 1/4 cup finely diced carrots
  • 1/4 cup finely diced bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 3 TBSP olive oil
  • 3 TBSP red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 TBSP Italian seasoning

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine chickpeas, edamame, carrots, bell peppers, and cranberries.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, cumin, and Italian seasoning.
  3. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture, tossing well to combine.
  4. You can eat immediately, but I find the flavors meld much better if you let it chill for at least a few hours (even better if you can let it chill overnight!).

Notes

  • You can eat this as-is with a fork, or you can serve it stuffed in a pita, or as a dip for crackers.
  • You can buy shelled edamame or simply shell it yourself.
  • Feel free to adjust seasonings to your liking. If you don't have red wine vinegar on hand, I'd recommend using apple cider vinegar.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 220Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 498mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 7gSugar: 9gProtein: 8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Want more delicious recipe ideas?

Check out even more mealtime inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

collage image featuring two photos: one shows the ingredients for the aldi copycat chickpea salad, and the other shows the finished salad served in a white bowl

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31 Comments

  1. I am trying out different salads, because the same old gets tiring after a while. I buy the Aldi chickpea salad often, it’s my favorite but it’s also getting a bit pricey for the the little portion.
    I’m glad I finally googled the copycat recipe and stumbled upon your side. I’m making it today and will eat tomorrow. Thank you for putting this recipe together!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      You’re welcome, Lucie–I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      1. Hi Christi…
        Just wondering if it serves 6, what is the serving size ?

        1. Chrysti Benner says:

          Hi Elise! Each serving would be around 1/2 cup. Hope that helps! 🙂

  2. If I wanted to double this recipe, do I double all of the spices, vinegar & oil, too? I would at least double this

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Shirley! Yes, I would double everything. Enjoy! 🙂

  3. About how long does this keep in the fridge?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Gail! It should keep fine for around 4-5 days in the fridge. Enjoy! 🙂

  4. The chickpea salad recipe is a keeper! Thank you for sharing!
    Karen

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you, Karen! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

  5. The flavor combo of this salad is perfect! I prefer a bit more dressing so i increased by 1.5 on those ingredients. My only struggle is why are the Adamame and Chickpeas so hard? I used canned Chickpeas and frozen Adamame. Any suggestions to making them softer?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Carr! I’m so glad you enjoy the flavors! I use canned chickpeas and frozen edamame too. You can always try steaming the edamame to soften it up a bit, or cook them in some water on the stove. The same would probably work for the chickpeas to get them a bit softer. I hope that helps! 🙂

    2. Some canned chickpeas are harder than others. I’ve found the Goya brand ones are softer. I cook frozen edamame in the microwave, according to package directions.

  6. I made a double batch! How much is a serving size? 1/2 cup or 1 cup?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Dom! I’d say closer to 1/2 cup. Enjoy! 🙂

  7. Hank Hall says:

    Do you use sweetened or unsweetened dried cranberries for this?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Hank! I use sweetened dried cranberries, but you can use unsweetened if you prefer. Hope that helps! 🙂

  8. This is perfection! I made the salad last night and let everything marinate together and brought it to work for my lunch. I was so grateful to have such a flavorful meal- thank you

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you, Cecelia! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

  9. I have made this recipe a half dozen times. I add a little more diced carrots and diced red peppers than the recipe but it tasted very similar to Aldi’s. I toss it on spring mix salad or eat it by itself. So glad I found this recipe

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you so much, Janet! I love hearing that it’s become a repeat recipe in your home! 🙂

  10. Do we buy edamame frozen or ?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Ashley! Yes, I buy mine from the freezer section at the grocery store. It’s already shelled and everything!

  11. Julie Johnston says:

    Thank you for creating this recipe and posting! I bought this salad at BJ’s under their house-brand label and thought this is amazing, but a tad pricey for the small tub. How could I create this on my own? Well, a simple internet search and I found your site! So for those out there who have vegans in their lives and want them to have something good to eat, here ya go! I will be keeping this in my rotation, since it has great protein without being full of stuff that I shouldn’t be eating. This would be great to bring to a potluck or picnic. I also think the cranberries make it a bit holiday-ish, so it might just be made around Thanksgiving and Christmas, too. 😉

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thanks so much for your kind words, Julie! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it. I agree–it’s a great way to save some money and still enjoy a tasty (and nutritious) salad! 🙂

  12. This salad is absolutely amazing! I’ve made it many times with one change, I only add one TSP of Italian seasoning instead of one TBS as I’m not a huge fan of oregano. I stuff in a pita with spring mix and it’s perfect. This recipe makes about 3 times more than the ALDIs brand. So so so good!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you so much, Sara! I love hearing that it’s become a regular in your home. 🙂

  13. Stephanie says:

    Solid recipe. I felt the dressing needed a smidge of sweetener so I added a pinch of stevia. Will make again for sure.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thanks so much, Stephanie! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

  14. Thanks for the recipe. I was a frequent purchaser at Aldi. Soo glad to be able to make my own. Have been trying to increase protein in my diet, and this is chocked full.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      You’re welcome, Sineade! Yes, it’s a fantastic source of protein. Hope you enjoy the homemade version even more than Aldi’s! 🙂

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