Today’s vegan chickpea salad sandwich recipe is going to rock your world! Made with only 5 ingredients in about 10 minutes, this easy recipe is simpler than most chickpea salad sandwich recipes you’ll find online, yet it has delicious flavor and a nice texture. Perfect for vegan meal prep!
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This sandwich has been my family’s favorite go-to recipe to pack for lunch at work. We also bring it with us when we travel.
Here’s how it became our travel staple food.
A few years ago when we still lived in Alabama, my husband Rob and I were flying from Dallas to Seattle.
Before we left our house, I packed a couple of chickpea salad sandwiches and a little container of baby carrots so that we had something to eat on that 4-hour flight.
The idea was to avoid the stress of having to search for vegan-friendly food at the airport while running from one plane to another.
As soon as our lunchtime hunger pangs struck, we unwrapped our sandwiches and dug in. After a few bites, Rob’s face lit up and he told me: ‘These are SOOO GOOD!’
For the rest of the meal, he kept complimenting his sandwich after virtually every bite. He even said that he felt bad for the rest of the people on the plane because they had no idea what they were missing out on!
I made these sandwiches before, but for some reason Rob appreciated them so much more on that flight.
Since that day, I’ve been making the chickpea salad sandwiches at least once a week. We especially like it with some fresh carrots on the side.
The beauty of this chickpea salad is that its flavor and texture are somewhere in between tuna, chicken, and egg salads.
So if you’ve been missing those since you went vegan, you just found a perfect plant-based replacement.
Tuna salad sandwich used to be Rob’s go-to lunch option to bring to work before we went vegan. He was skeptical when I first introduced this chickpea salad sandwich into our lunch rotation.
It took him just a few bites to find out that it’s good and filling. And a flight to Seattle to love it even more!
There’s been lots of versions of this salad posted all over the internet, but my version is as simple and delicious as it gets. No need to mess with perfection, right? 🙂
This chickpea salad works great dressed with Vegenaise or Just Mayo, but if you prefer not to use packaged stuff from the store, you can try your hand at making homemade vegan mayo.
The latter option is very familiar to me since in Russia, where I grew up, mayo-based salads of this kind are hugely popular around the holidays.
My version, however, is way healthier than what you’d normally see on a Russian holiday table.
Beans are loaded with nutrition, easy on the wallet, and very versatile for all kinds of cooking.
In fact, regular bean consumption may be the one single predictor of a longer lifespan, as explained in this informative short video by Michael Greger, MD.
What side dishes can I serve with a chickpea salad sandwich?
This chickpea salad sandwich goes really well with a side of chipotle coleslaw, or some slow cooker collard greens if you’re in the mood for Southern-inspired comfort food experience.
Looking for more delicious and easy sandwich ideas? This vegan tofu banh mi sandwich has been our family’s other sandwich obsession lately.
Want to try something out-of-the-box? Check out my savory chickpea flour pancakes – they are made from garbanzo bean flour, and loaded with plant-based protein and vegetables.
This recipe is a part of my collection of healthy vegan recipes made with easy to find everyday pantry staple foods found in every vegan pantry.
If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Give it a star rating below, pin it to Pinterest, tag @vegan_runner_eats on Instagram, or leave a comment.
5-Ingredient Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich
This it the easiest vegan chickpea salad sandwich recipe you'll ever find! Made with only 5 ingredients, yet full of delicious, savory flavors. Make it in advance for meal planning, or right before lunch for a quick and wholesome meal. Dairy free, egg free, gluten free if used with gluten free bread.
Ingredients
For the Chickpea Salad:
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup finely chopped pickles
- 1/3 cup finely chopped celery stalk
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
- 2 Tbsp vegan mayo (I use Just Mayo or Vegenaise)
Optional:
- 1/2 tsp kelp powder (adds seafood-like flavor)
- 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
To Serve:
- 4 slices whole-grain bread, toasted
- 1/4 ripe avocado, sliced (optional)
- Spinach or lettuce leaves
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mash all of the chickpeas with a potato masher until almost all of the beans are broken down. A few whole chickpeas left is ok.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If you'd like the chickpea salad to taste more like tuna salad, add kelp powder and/or Old Bay seasoning to taste.
To Assemble the Sandwiches:
- Toast bread slices (2 per sandwich). Spread as much chickpea salad as you'd like on the bottom slices. Spread avocado (if using) on the top slices. Add lettuce or spinach leaves on top of chickpea salad. Put both slices together to close the sandwich. Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1 sandwichAmount Per Serving: Calories: 552Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 21gSugar: 14gProtein: 25g
Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.
By the way, if you’d like to change things up, this chickpea salad recipe goes beyond sandwiches – add it to wraps, top salads with it, or eat as is.
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What type of pickles did you use?
Just regular dill pickles.
I love this sandwich! And I love how chickpeas can resemble the “meat” in a sandwich such as this, but is there any way to reduce the calories? A 500+ calorie lunch doesn’t fit into my “budget!” Something other than chickpeas?
Hi Suzy! It could probably work with crumbled extra firm tofu, but I haven’t tried that, honestly. I think the easiest way to cut the calories would be to either just use one slice of bread and make it an open-faced sandwich, or skip the bread completely and use lettuce leaves to make lettuce “tacos”, kind of how I did it in this recipe.
Five Stars!! I’m not a vegetarian but I’m always open to finding meatless meals.
I tried a chickpea salad recipe years ago when it was really popular and the recipe was horrible! Too wet and too, well, too everything.
This recipe is a perfect consistency and the crunch from the celery and onion is spot on. I added 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning salt. This will be great served with crackers or as a filling for sandwiches. I enjoy rolling hummus up with deli meat and I’m looking forward to using your recipe for that too. Thank you for posting!
So glad to hear you liked this recipe, Bobi! It’s been our family’s favorite for years now. My husband still gets excited whenever I tell him I’ll be making it for lunch.
First time here. Neg on the tech savvy stuff. But thanks to your career efforts- I have decided to learn how to follow you…not stalking….tonight I had a cuc, Avacado tomato salad….and a bit if choc Ganache…..not all in 1 day….lol Goodwork!
Thanks Susie, keep it up! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have recently started eating a plant based diet and have really missed egg salad/chicken salad sandwiches. I made this recipe exactly as written and it really hit the spot for my lunch today. I am confident that I can pack this sandwich in my husband’s lunch tomorrow and he will really enjoy it. He is slowly converting to veganism as long as I keep cooking yummy and filling things like this.
So glad to hear that you liked this recipe, Lisa! Chickpea salad sandwich is one of my favorite low-key lunch options to this day!
Last week I used the food processor instead of mashing and added cut up cooked red potatoes. My husband loved it as a side dish.
That sounds lovely, Keli!
Food processor is SO MUCH EASIER than mashing. I use blendtec for chickpea salad and it works great!
My wife and I just found this recipe today. I Made it up and was amazed about how good it is.
Awesome, Dave, glad you and your wife loved it!
Is kelp available in most grocery stores? I don’t exactly love in themost vegan friendly town. My mouth is watering looking at that sandwich.
Hi Mike! I’ve seen kelp in most health food stores, and sometimes you can find it in regular grocery stores as well. If you can’t find it, you can still make this sandwich, and it will taste just fine! In fact, I’m out of kelp at home right now, so I’ve been making it without it. Another good stand-by that adds a nice seafood-y flavor is Old Bay seasoning.
This is AMAZING! Wow, a new staple for us. I love egg and tuna salad and really miss it but not anymore. This is going in the regular rotation for sure! All of your recipes are wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome Christine, glad to hear you liked it!
I made this today. I didnt have or use kelp powder since I figured it would give it a little of a seafood taste. I had himalayan black salt which has a little sulphur taste and is used for mock eggs. I also used sweet gherkin pickles which I usually used for real meat chicken salad, and poured a little of the liquid in too. This was fabulous! I could eat the whole bowl. I even snacked on some on crackers. Thank you from a new vegan.
So glad you liked it, Tammy! This is one recipe from the blog that I mske all the time, once a week or so on average. The last time I realized I didn’t have any pickles st home, so I used chopped-up capers. It was just as good!
Delicious! Thanks so much, this will be a new staple in our house. I added a handful of Craisins to the salad, and some pesto to the bread. I’d also love to try it without the bread and just wrap it all in lettuce. Excited to have found your blog!
Glad you liked this recipe, Emilia! Adding Craisins sounds interesting – I haven’t thought of this before, maybe I’ll try it next time!
Loved this. I don’t like mayonnaise or the vegetable one. I used a ripe avocado. It was delicious. Thanks
That sounds like a great idea – I should try making this with avocado instead of mayo too! Thanks Judith!
‘fat free vegan’ has an excellent mayo, better than vegenaise , and it does keep for 2 weeks in the fridge
As a Registered Dietitian with a passion for plant based diets, I am working on my own new blog – loved reading yours. Did you do all the set-up yourself? I am still struggling with adding a recipe plug-in? Any tips you can share? Your blog looks awesome like your sandwich!
Thank you Sandi! Yes, I did all of the setup myself. Trust me: it took a while before the blog started looking decent, and there’s still a lot to learn and implement! I’ve tried a few recipe plugins, and the one I’m currently using is ZipList. It requires a little bit of coding, but it’s not hard at all once you do your research and write a couple recipes. Good luck with your blog!
This is awesome! You were right about the carrots. In fact, so much so I added finely diced carrot to the salad! Thanks for the recipe. My new go-to for lunch!
Thank you Cameron, glad you liked this sandwich! I’m sure adding chopped carrots works well in the salad.