Chickpea Salad Sandwich | It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

This chickpea salad sandwich is creamy, tangy, and filled with taste. Made with easy components in simply 10 minutes, it is good for fast lunches, meal prep, or a simple no-cook dinner.

This chickpea salad sandwich is among the first recipes I began making usually after I turned vegan, and all these years later it is nonetheless in heavy rotation. I all the time have a can of chickpeas within the pantry, so every time I do not know what to make for lunch, that is often my reply.

Consider it as a vegan model of hen salad or tuna salad. The chickpeas create a hearty texture that works surprisingly effectively as a stand-in, whereas vegan mayo, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice add all of the creamy, tangy taste you crave. It is easy, satisfying, and a kind of recipes I by no means appear to get bored with.

Chickpea salad in bowl on cutting board with tomato, sprouts, lettuce, bread, and potato chips.

Why You may Make This Chickpea Salad Sandwich on Repeat

Prepared in 10 minutes: We’re speaking fast, simple, and made with pantry components.
Protein-packed: 14 grams of protein per sandwich, and you’ll increase that much more with high-protein bread or protein bagel buns.
Nice for meal prep: Make a batch and revel in easy lunches all week lengthy.
Completely customizable: When you make the essential model of this recipe you will get inventive with it and make your individual tweaks (or use a few of my options beneath).

Ingredients for chickpea salad sandwich.

Components for Chickpea Salad Sandwich

The Fundamental Chickpea Salad

Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are tremendous handy, however you may also prepare dinner chickpeas from scratch if you happen to desire, simply cool, drain, and rinse effectively earlier than utilizing them on this salad.
Vegan mayonnaise: Use your favourite store-bought mayo, do-it-yourself vegan mayo, and even garlic aioli for an additional little bit of taste punch.
Lemon juice: Brightens issues up and cuts by the richness of the mayo.
Dijon mustard: For a tangy kick and a few depth.
Seasonings: Garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

Decide Your Crunch (Select One or All Three!)

Celery: Provides basic crunch and recent taste.
Crimson onion or inexperienced onion: For crunch with some sharpness and chunk.
Dill pickle: My private favourite for tangy taste.

For Serving

Toppings: Lettuce, tomato, sprouts, cucumber, or your favourite sandwich toppings.
Bases: Bread, buns, wraps, or pitas.

Methods to Make a Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Fork mashing chickpea salad in glass bowl.

Mash the Chickpeas: Add the chickpeas, vegan mayo, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher till largely damaged down however nonetheless barely chunky.

Celery, red onion, and pickle added to bowl of chickpea salad.

Add the Crunch and Assemble: Stir within the celery, onion, pickle, or any mixture of the three. Spoon the chickpea salad onto bread, buns, wraps, or pitas. Add your favourite toppings and revel in.

Suggestions and Variations

Do not over-mash: A chunky texture has a pleasant chunk and does a greater job mimicking tuna or hen salad.
Use a fork, potato masher, or meals processor: A fork or potato masher offers the filling the proper chunky texture. A meals processor works too, but it surely’s simple to over-process the chickpeas into hummus if you happen to’re not cautious. If utilizing a meals processor, pulse in brief bursts and examine usually so the combination stays barely chunky.
Make it additional tangy: Add extra Dijon mustard or a splash of pickle juice.
Add some extra layers of taste: Capers add vivid brininess, whereas recent herbs like dill or parsley carry a recent pop of taste.
Give it a kick: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a drizzle of scorching sauce.
Make it fishy: Stir in a little bit chopped nori for a tuna salad-inspired taste.
Attempt curry powder: A small spoonful creates a scrumptious curried chickpea salad. Add chopped apple, grapes, or raisins to imitate the flavour of a basic curried hen salad.
Add avocado: Mashed avocado makes the filling additional wealthy and creamy.

Chickpea salad on slice of bread with lettuce.

Extra Methods to Serve Chickpea Salad

Along with serving it as a sandwich, this salad works:

On crackers as a snack with my crispy vegan crackers
As a dip with a sturdy pita chip, celery, or cucumbers for scooping
Scooped onto a mattress of greens
Added to a grain bowl for plant protein
Stuffed right into a loaded baked potato

Can You Make Chickpea Salad Forward?

Completely! Actually, I believe this chickpea salad tastes even higher after it has had a little bit time to sit back. Making it a couple of hours forward offers the flavors time to meld, making each chunk much more scrumptious.

Retailer the chickpea salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. While you’re able to eat, merely give it a fast stir and pile it onto your favourite bread, wrap, or bun. For the freshest sandwiches, I like to recommend storing the filling individually and assembling simply earlier than serving.

Storage

Retailer chickpea salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. Give it a fast stir earlier than serving to reincorporate every part.