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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!
What Makes This Sandwich So Good
- This salad is based on my popular Costco-style chicken salad recipe, but it’s completely vegan!
- Even dedicated meat-eaters will love the flavor and textures in this chickpea salad sandwich. Chunks of rich chickpeas, creamy mayonnaise, tangy Dijon mustard, and fresh veggies make it a perfect lunch or dinner recipe.
- Chow down right away, or use it for meal prep! You can refrigerate the chickpea salad in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Key Ingredient
Chickpeas – You may not have guessed this, but chickpeas are a pretty crucial component of this sandwich. These legumes are high in protein, full of nutrients, and are a great source of fiber. Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans, so you may see them labelled that way at the grocery store, but they’re the same thing.
Chef’s Tips
- Keep your toppings simple! Our chickpea salad sandwich has so much flavor in it that you really don’t need to add much of anything else. Personally, I love the crunch you get from romaine lettuce. Tomatoes and pickles are great options, too!
- Don’t skip the simmer! If you’re using canned chickpeas, the simmering really makes a difference. You can absolutely cook chickpeas from dry if you prefer not to use canned ones, though. If the texture of your chickpeas is a little dry, you can add more mayonnaise to help offset it.
- Got an Instant Pot? Give this No-Soak Instant Pot Chickpeas recipe from our sister site, Easy Healthy Recipes, a try!
- If you’re not on a vegan diet, you can use just regular mayonnaise. It won’t make a difference in the flavor of your chickpea salad sandwich.
More Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
- Hummus Without Tahini
- Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Chickpea Gyros
- Vegan Latkes (Potato Pancakes)
- Cajun 15-Bean Vegetarian Gumbo
- Seitan Grilled Chicken with Vegan BBQ Sauce
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Crispy Baked Tofu
- Vegan Seitan “Chicken”
- BBQ Jackfruit Bowls
- Bean and Cheese Taquitos (4 Ingredients)
- Vegan Enchiladas
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
This vegan version of my Costco chicken salad is just as creamy and delicious, but totally meat-free.
servings
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- colander or fine mesh sieve
- Large bowl
- potato masher or fork
- silicone spatula or spoon
Ingredients
- 2 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas approximately 3 ¾ cups
- 2 tablespoons minced celery
- 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 4-5 tablespoons mayonnaise vegan if desired
- 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard vegan if desired, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
Instructions
- Add 2 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas and their liquid to medium saucepan. Place saucepan on stovetop over medium heat.
- Simmer chickpeas 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, pour chickpeas into colander and drain well.
- Transfer chickpeas to large bowl. Using potato masher or fork, mash chickpeas until desired consistency is achieved.
- When satisfied with consistency of chickpeas, add 2 tablespoons minced celery, 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion, 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, 4-5 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard, and ½ teaspoon salt to mashed chickpeas.
- Stir ingredients together until fully incorporated. Taste salad mixture and increase amounts of ingredients as desired.
- When satisfied with flavor of salad, cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Chill chickpea salad 1 hour. Alternately, transfer chickpea salad to serving bowl and serve immediately on bread or in lettuce cups with preferred toppings.
Video
- Leftovers: Refrigerate any leftover chickpea salad in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 196calProtein: 7gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 682mgPotassium: 235mgTotal Carbs: 20gFiber: 7gSugar: 0.3gNet Carbs: 13gVitamin A: 154IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Good Morning! I have made this recipe numerous time by others. This is the best. My daughter and fiance are staunch Carnivores and make my grandchildren eat the same. Well since I’ve been making this recipe, my grandchildren love it for lunch. I make Mok “Tuna melts” for them. A healthy lunch never hurt anyone! Thank you for being you!
That’s wonderful! So happy to hear your grandchildren are enjoying this recipe. Thank you for the great review!
It’s delicious. I used only 1/4 t of the mustard and green onions. So good!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This was so amazing!! And so customizable! I definitely will be making this again! 😋🌱
I made this and it was so good! I even ate it on a rice cake and as a veggie dip. So delicious!
That sounds delicious! Glad you enjoyed!
Absolutely delicious!!! Just made my second batch!!!!
The best kind of feedback! Thanks!
Do you serve warm, or is it better chilled?
Hi Susan, either one!
Love it!!!! Had this on croissant & nutty bread. Both were great. I used apple, celery & pecans. I used onion powder instead of the real thing so my husband would eat it. Big hit!
So glad you loved it. Thanks for the great review.
Recently, I spotted your Chickpea Sandwich spread and saved it on my Pinterest board because this sandwich spread looked so good in the photo! I made it today for our lunch! It was so EASY to prepare and it was ready in no time! This recipe is very very GOOD. I am so happy to have learned about this recipe so I can make it often to enjoy! My husband thanked me today and said that he really liked the sandwich! Your recipe is so good so I moved it to my other Pinterest board called, “Family Favorites” for quick browsing! I will make this when my adult vegan children and grandchildren visit; I know they will love the recipe also! It will be perfect served as an hors d’oeuvre on crackers!!!
I’ve made this 3 times this week, amazing!!
That’s wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it.
I made these sandwiches for my family last night and everyone loved them. My kids finished the whole recipe by just eating it out of the bowl! I’m hoping to make a big batch and save some in the freezer. Any idea how that would effect the outcome or how long it would last? Thanks!
Amara, that should work! Just make sure you freeze it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 4 months. When ready to eat, just allow it to defrost in the fridge. 🙂
Made this today for lunch was super yummy, and incredibly easy to make. Will be making again. Instead of putting it on bread it taste really good on pretzel chips:)