Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich
If you love chicken salad sandwiches, I think you’ll love this plant-based alternative – the vegan chickpea salad sandwich! This healthy recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes and it’s packed with fiber and plant-based protein. Perfect for vegans, vegetarians, and the veg-curious alike!
Why Use Chickpeas Instead of Chicken or Tuna?
Would you believe me if I told you that your favorite classic chicken salad recipe is just as good without meat?
If you’re not so sure, bear with me. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by these delicious and easy chickpea salad sandwiches. Yep. Chickpeas, not chicken!
Mashed chickpeas can be a great substitute for chicken in your usual chicken salad recipe if you’re:
- A vegan or vegetarian
- An omnivore who wants to experiment with plant-based recipes
- Trying to increase your fiber intake
- On a budget
Preparation Steps
1. Perfectly Mash Your Chickpeas
Mashing your chickpeas will ensure that your sandwich holds together like a traditional chicken salad. We wouldn’t want those precious chickpeas falling out and rolling away! You can mash chickpeas with a potato masher, fork, or really any implement you can use for smashing things. (I may or may not have used a meat tenderizer to smash chickpeas recently…) Just make sure that you don’t over-smash or blend your chickpeas – we don’t want hummus here.
2. Mix in Texture and Flavor
A chickpea salad wouldn’t be complete without a bit of crunch, some creaminess, and a lil kick. Add in vegan mayo (or, for my non-vegan folks, regular mayo is a-ok), lemon juice, mustard, dill, and a pinch of cayenne. Mix, mix, mix and you have a delicious vegan chickpea salad that’s ready in a snap.
The (not so) secret ingredient in this recipe? Avocado! Making this into a chickpea avocado sandwich gives this recipe a more rich texture and a nutritional punch. Avocados are a great source of heart-healthy fats and potassium.
You can serve your chickpea salad as a sandwich, on a bed of lettuce, or (if you’re like me) eat a few spoonfuls of it as a snack!
3. Finish Your Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Bread and Yummy Toppings
Any bread will do for this one, but I prefer whole grain for some extra flavor and fiber. (Are you curious about carbs like bread? Are they healthy, or nah? Luckily I wrote a post all to answer some common questions about healthy carbs.) The chickpea avocado salad mix also works great as a filling for wraps, as a salad topping, or as a side.
I used plain old spring mix and tomato slices on my sandwich, but there are SO many other topping options to try!
More Vegan & Vegetarian Sandwich Topping Ideas:
- Tomato slices
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Arugula
- Sriracha
- Avocado slices
- Onion (or if you’re feeling fancy, pickled shallots)
- Shredded carrots
- Cucumber Slices
- Bell pepper slices
- Roasted red peppers
- Sprouts
Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado mashed
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp stone-ground mustard
- 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp dry dill
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 12 slices whole grain bread
- 12 slices tomato
- 6 cups mixed greens
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mash chickpeas in a large bowl. You can use a potato masher or a fork for this!
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until just combined
- Serve on your favorite bread or wrap with lettuce and tomato! (This salad is also delicious as a side or a salad topping.)