Quick chickpea, tomato and cucumber cup

Name: Quick chickpea, tomato and cucumber cup
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 2 portions

A cold five-minute cup of tinned or pre-cooked chickpeas with tomato, cucumber, onion and lime. It needs no cooking, so it suits hot days, small appetites and long waits away from home.

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 5 min
Portions: 2

Easy
Trying to conceive
Preparing for pregnancy
Preparing for fertility treatment
Quick and easy
Budget-friendly
Vegetarian
Vegan
Fibre-rich
Store-cupboard

Make this recipe

Portions

Ingredient quantities update automatically. Cooking times may need a little adjustment when you change the batch size.

Swap an ingredient

Only swaps that keep this recipe pregnancy-safe are offered. Allergen information below updates when you choose one.

Lower-cost alternative: use pre-cooked brown beans instead of tinned or pre-cooked chickpeas
Ingredient unavailable: use leave out instead of groundnut or olive oil

Ingredients

For 2 portions. Tick items as you go — nothing is changed for anyone else.

400 g tinned or pre-cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, washed and chopped
1 small cucumber, washed and chopped
0.5 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 lime, juice only
1 tbsp groundnut or olive oil
salt and black pepper, a little, to taste

This recipe contains foods that can contribute to a varied and balanced diet during pregnancy.

Method

Step 1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas well.
Step 2. Wash and chop the tomato, cucumber and onion.
Step 3. Mix everything with the lime juice and oil and season lightly.
Step 4. Spoon into two clean cups or containers.
Step 5. Keep chilled until you eat; for a smaller appetite, fill one cup and keep the rest chilled for later.

Allergens for your selection

No declarable allergens in the ingredients as currently selected.

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

Food safety

Wash fruit, vegetables and leafy greens in clean water before cooking or eating raw.
Cook eggs, chicken, meat and fish thoroughly, and keep raw and cooked foods on separate boards and plates.
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate where you have reliable power, and reheat once until piping hot throughout. If refrigeration is unreliable, prepare only what you will eat.
Anyone planning a pregnancy is generally advised to take a daily folic acid supplement before conception — ask your doctor, pharmacist or fertility clinic what is right for you.
For work, travel or a long clinic appointment, pack the food in a clean, sealed container. Anything that needs refrigeration should be kept chilled — a cool bag with a frozen water sachet works well — and eaten the same day. If it has been standing warm for several hours, do not eat it.
Iron from plant foods such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, oats and green leaves is absorbed less easily than iron from meat or fish. Eating them with vitamin C-containing foods — tomatoes, peppers, orange, pawpaw or a squeeze of lime — is a practical way to help absorption.
If your appetite is reduced, serve half and keep the rest chilled rather than facing a large plate. Reduced appetite is not something to simply put up with — if it is persistent or significant, or you are losing weight, speak to your doctor, clinic or a dietitian.

Allergens

No common declarable allergens are listed in this recipe's ingredients.

Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.

Supplements and drinks

The Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization advise a daily folic acid supplement (usually 400 micrograms) before conception and through early pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects. Folate-rich foods such as ugu, soko and beans do not replace the supplement. Buy supplements that carry a valid NAFDAC registration number from a registered pharmacy, and ask your doctor whether you need a higher dose.
Iron and folic acid supplementation is routinely recommended in pregnancy in Nigeria, and anaemia is common. Ask your doctor or antenatal clinic which supplements you need rather than buying combinations yourself, and check that any product is NAFDAC-registered.
There is no known safe level of alcohol in pregnancy, and locally brewed drinks vary widely in strength, so the safest course when trying to conceive is none. Keep caffeine moderate — around 200 mg a day, roughly two mugs of instant coffee. Recipes here contain no alcohol.

Sources

Food-based dietary guidelines for Nigeria — Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria and FAO, reviewed 4 September 2026
Healthy diet — World Health Organization, reviewed 4 September 2026

Important information

Antega's Trying to Conceive Recipes are for general information and meal inspiration for anyone hoping to conceive, including partners. They are not a personalised diet plan, they are not fertility treatment, and no food or recipe can be said to improve fertility or guarantee conception. They do not replace advice from your doctor, gynaecologist, fertility clinic or a registered dietitian. Speak to a healthcare professional before making significant dietary changes, particularly if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, sickle cell disease, PCOS, food allergies or any other condition.

If you have PCOS, endometriosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, sickle cell disease, a thyroid condition or any other condition, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian how these meal ideas fit your own care plan.