If you’re craving a tuna salad minus the tuna, this is the recipe for you! We made this Chickpea Salad as a vegan option that’s super tasty eaten by itself or put into a sandwich.

Side view of a smashed chickpea salad sandwich with grapes in the background

This recipe for vegan smashed chickpea salad was dreamed up as a vegan alternative for tuna salad, a lunch staple pretty much all year long.

One of the best things about tuna salad is that it can be eaten in a bowl with crackers, on a sandwich or to top a healthy salad. Either way, they are delicious and perfect for days when you don’t want to turn the stove or oven on. Whether you need something portable to take to work for lunch or something to pack into lunch for the kids, this smashed chickpea salad is a great vegan alternative that everyone will love.

An overhead view of the ingredients to make chickpea tuna salad; sunflower sees, half of lemon, chickpeas, carrots, cilantro, celery, and mustard

Chickpea Salad Ingredients

This vegan tuna salad is made with chickpeas and veggies for a colorful, crunchy, and satisfying dish that’s loaded with nutrients! Here are the nutritional highlights of this crowd-favorite dish:

Chickpeas - Chickpeas are one of the best sources of plant-based protein while also having plenty of fiber. They give this vegan tuna salad a great texture!
Carrots - these are high in vitamin C and potassium! They also add great crunch and color to your chickpea salad.
Celery - Celery is high in water content and low in calories. It also offers calcium and iron!
Fresh cilantro or parsley - This fresh and bright flavor makes your chickpea salad come alive.
Roasted sunflower seeds - Sunflower seeds have iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium. They pair perfectly with the other ingredients in this chickpea salad!

What to Use Instead of Mayo

We used vegan mayo for this chickpea salad recipe, but it's not the dominant flavor. It’s mixed in with mustard, lemon, and black pepper with an optional splash of hot sauce if you like some spice! Instead of mayo, you can use Cashew Cream, or Tahini Sauce. These maintain the richness and flavor with some added nuttiness while still keeping it vegan.

Birdseye view of a bowl with chickpea salad on a wood board with assorted crackers and fresh cherry tomatoes

How to Enjoy Chickpea Salad Sandwich

This delicious chickpea salad can be eaten

As a sandwich on your favorite bread (toasting it makes it even better!). Add pickled onions, microgreens, fresh tomatoes, or avocado for a super filling sandwich.
In a tortilla wrap
As a dip with crackers or chopped veggies (celery, bell peppers, carrots, or cucumber for scooping!)
On a bed of lettuce as a salad with our favorite salad toppings
Sometimes we even eat it with a fork straight out of the refrigerator! It’s a snack with plenty of plant-based protein and lots of yummy flavor.

Either way, we love this new chickpea salad and hope you do, too!

Close up view of a bowl with chickpea salad on a wood board with assorted crackers and fresh cherry tomatoes

How to Store Garbanzo Bean Salad

You can keep this salad in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. We recommend waiting until you’re ready to eat before putting it on bread or lettuce to keep everything fresh!

More Lunch Recipes

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Chickpea Salad Sandwich

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Vicky Cohen and Ruth Fox
Total Time: 15 mins
Yield: 3 cups 1x
Diet: Kosher

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Description

If you’re craving a tuna salad minus the tuna, this is the recipe for you! We made this Chickpea Salad as a vegan option that’s super tasty eaten by itself or put into a sandwich.

Ingredients

Scale

1-15oz can organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 medium carrots, diced small (yields about 1 cup)
3 celery stalks, diced small (yields about ½ cup)
½ cup fresh cilantro or parsley tightly packed, finely chopped
2 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds
For the dressing:
3 tbsp regular or vegan mayo ( See note #1)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp lemon
1 tbsp brown mustard
¼ tsp ground black pepper
A couple of splashes of hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

Pulse the chickpeas in the food processor 4-5 times until they just start to break down (we like the chickpea salad chunky. If you like it smoother, pulse a few more times)
Add the diced carrots, celery, cilantro, and sunflower seeds and mix well. Transfer to a bowl and set aside
To prepare the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Add to the chickpea mixture, mix well and refrigerate until ready to use
Enjoy it on a sandwich (see sandwich add-on suggestion in note #3 below), eat it with crackers, or on a bed of lettuce

Notes

If you want to make this chickpea salad mayo-free, you can use cashew cream, or tahini sauce.
You can add chopped red onion, capers, or scallions to this chickpea salad
Sandwich add-ons: pickled onions, microgreens, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and potato chips if you want some extra crunch.
This post was originally posted in August 2015, the recipe and images have been updated.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Category: Spread
Method: Raw
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Calories: 40
Sugar: 1.2
Sodium: 96
Fat: 1.4
Saturated Fat: .3
Unsaturated Fat: .9
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 5.1
Fiber: 1.5
Protein: 1.7
Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: gluten-free, kosher, parve, sandwich