This simple chickpea salad sandwich is a creamy and filling vegetarian lunch idea that we whip up all the time! Like a chickpea tuna salad but totally vegan, made with a few flavorful but simple ingredients. My husband asks me to make this for him to take to work ALL the time!
Why This Chickpea Salad Sandwich Is So Good
- This chickpea salad is based on my popular Costco-style chicken salad recipe, but is completely vegan!
- Even dedicated meat-eaters will love the flavor and texture of this chickpea salad. Chunks of rich chickpeas, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, and fresh veggies make this the perfect lunch (or dinner!).
- This recipe is perfect for chowing down on right away, but also great stored for super easy meal prep or boxed lunches.
How To Make This Recipe
- Simmer the chickpeas in the liquid from their cans for 10 minutes in a large skillet or saucepan.
- Drain the chickpeas in a colander or strainer, then add them to a bowl and mash.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir or mash until combined well.
- Serve on bread, in a lettuce cup, or in a pita. Add any veggies you like, such as sprouts, tomatoes, or lettuce.
Top Tips For Making Chickpea Salad
- If you’re not on a vegan diet, you can use just regular mayonnaise.
- The simmering makes a big difference in the softness of the chickpeas. Ideally cook them from dried at home for the most tender chickpea, but simmering works if you use canned.
- Your chickpea salad will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for about 3-4 days.
- Just FYI, chickpeas are also called garbanzo beans! You may see them canned as such at your grocery, but they’re the same thing!
More Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
- Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Chickpea Gyros
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- BBQ Jackfruit Bowls
- Bean and Cheese Taquitos (4 Ingredients)
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Chickpea Salad Sandwich
This vegan version of my Costco chicken salad is just as creamy and delicious, but totally meat-free.
Ingredients
- 2 (15.5 ounce) cans chickpeas about 3 3/4 cups
- 4-5 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
- 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons yellow onion minced
- 2 tablespoons celery minced
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Simmer the chickpeas in liquid from their cans for 10 minutes.
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Drain chickpeas in a colander or strainer, then add to bowl and mash.
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Add the rest of the ingredients and stir or mash until combined.
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Serve on bread, in lettuce cup, or in pita.
Recipe Notes
- Vegan: Be sure to use vegan mayonnaise.
- Simmering: Important as it makes canned chickpeas much softer.
- Storage: Keep chickpea salad in airtight container in fridge for 3-4 days.
Ive never heard of cooking the chickpeas. I use Goya and they are so much plumper and larger than other brands. I use an immersion blender to mostly break it up and leave a few chunks. That way it incorporates the skins into the salad.
This works too!
Simming the beans was the step I have been missing. Without this, the beans can feel a bit grainy. So glad I found this, thanks for posting!
You are so welcome! I’m glad you loved it!
My daughter (who hates beans:) and I love this recipe! Thanks so much for it. I am vegan and she is vegetarian. We eat it on soft pita.
So glad!!!
I recently stumbled across your blog and I’m glad I did. I lived in Memphis from 2004-2015 and I miss the food there.
I wanted a healthy lunch recipe that I could make ahead of time for the week and decided to try this today. It’s so yummy. I’ll admit I made a few tweaks but only because it was easy and foolproof. I added extra onion, celery, parsley, mustard and decided not to measure the mayo but eyeballed it. I also tossed in a sprinkle of pepper. It was so delicious and super easy to make! I’ll definitely be making it again.
I’m so glad you liked it! I try to do Memphis-inspired recipes pretty regularly, so I hope they can give you the fix you’re craving!
This is my first time reading and doing a recipe from this blog. I love this one! I did it with the ingredients that I had, that means that it wasn’t vegan, but still IS DELICIOUS! I use a little bit of olive oil and garlic powder because I like those, and it turn out pretty well. I can’t stop thinking of the many ways you can eat this, like with whole weat crackers, tortilla chips or tacos, maybe use it like a dip too! Thank you for sharing this recipe!