This easy vegan chickpea salad sandwich is one of the best sandwiches that you will ever eat! Made with mashed chickpeas and a few simple ingredients, you'll have a sandwich that everyone will love in just a few minutes of your time.
I was a little skeptical when I first tried this faux chicken salad sandwich, but after one bite I was sold! This is a must-make sandwich for all vegetarians and vegans!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's quick and easy to make in about 5 minutes.
- This is filled with protein-packed chickpeas.
- It's an inexpensive meal the whole family will love.
- This recipe is great for packed lunches and picnics.
- It's versatile with so many options, you will never get bored!
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Chickpeas - for the "meat" of your sandwich. A can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed or about 1 1/2 cups cooked from dry beans.
- Vegan Mayo - to make it creamy. I use my homemade vegan mayo, but you can use any kind. (You can swap out the mayo for mashed Avacado for an oil-free option.) You can also use vegan sour cream or even vegan yogurt for healthier options. Sometimes I swap out the mayo with vegan garlic aioli or vegan chipotle mayo for more flavor too.
- Celery - chopped up small for a little added crunch. (optional)
- Dill Pickles - for flavor. Chopped in very small pieces. You can also use relish if you want to save a little time. (Pickles are optional, but highly recommended).
- Pickle Juice - to mash in with the chickpeas and give it more flavor. (optional)
- Salt and Pepper- for flavor.
- Garlic Powder - for flavor or you can swap this with onion powder too.
- Optional Ingredients - for more flavor feel free to add finely diced red onion, dijon mustard, avocado, or fresh dill.
🥄 How to make chickpea salad sandwiches
- Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, then pour them into a bowl.
- Mash them with the back of a fork or a potato masher until almost all of them are crushed.
- Add vegan mayonnaise, celery, pickles, pickle juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Stir it all up until it's all mixed. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to assemble your sandwiches. Add about 1/2 cup of the chickpea mixture spread between 2 slices of bread and top with tomatoes, pickles, and lettuce if desired.
Serve on bread, toast, or crackers or in a wrap and top with your favorite sandwich fixings like lettuce, tomato, or additional pickles. (Use gluten-free bread for a gluten-free sandwich.)
Tip: If you don't want to do the work to mash the chickpeas, you can toss them into a food processor and pulse them a few times. Don't blend though, or you will get a hummus consistency.
📖 Variations of chickpea salad sandwiches
On Toast - my favorite way to eat this is on toast. It's surprisingly similar to tuna on toast.
Grilled - You can butter the outsides of your bread and grill the sandwich to golden perfection in a frying pan. It's especially delicious with some vegan mozzarella cheese.
Buffalo Chickpea Salad Sandwich - replace the mayo with vegan buffalo sauce and omit the pickles. Add additional hot sauce to make it extra spicy! It's delicious with some vegan ranch dressing drizzled over top too!
Lettuce Wraps - if you are keeping it low carb or you're gluten-free, serving it on large Romaine lettuce leaves is fresh and delicious!
Veggie Packed - you can add any finely chopped vegetables or herbs that you would like to this salad. Chopped dill, parsley, or green onions are tasty. You can also add finely diced carrots, bell peppers, or even grapes or craisins. Go crazy and make it your own!
Curried - make flavorful curry chickpea salad by adding 2-3 tsp of yellow curry powder to your mixture and swapping out the pickles for raisins, and the pickle juice for lemon juice. These simple substitutions transform this sandwich into a flavorful alternative that will never leave you bored!
🥡 How to store chickpea salad
When my kids are in school, I make a big batch of this on Sunday nights and use it to make sandwiches for 3-5 days. (The flavors blend well after it sits for a few hours in the fridge, and I think that it tastes even better the next day.) Don't use it after 5 days in the fridge.
🌟 More vegan sandwiches
Many people make chickpea salad sandwiches as a plant-based alternative to tuna salad or egg salad, but it's kind of its own thing.
If you are looking for a sandwich that tastes amazingly similar to tuna, try my vegan tuna salad. If egg salad is what you are looking for, be sure to try my vegan egg salad sandwich recipe. You will be blown away by how similar these taste to the real deal!
Looking for lunch ideas for your vegan kids? Be sure to check out my post about vegan packed school lunches to find out all the tricks that I have learned packing vegan lunches for my boys for over 10 years.
🥪 Meaty vegan sandwiches
You may also like my vegan BLT sandwich, buffalo chicken sandwich, vegan fish sandwich, vegan burger, or vegan pulled pork sandwich for some "meatier" options.
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Chickpea salad sandwich recipe
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
To make the chickpea salad
- 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup vegan mayo
- 1/4 cup celery chopped
- 1/3 cup dill pickles
- 1 tbsp pickle juice
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt (or a little extra to taste)
- 1/8 tsp pepper
To make the sandwich:
- 12 slices bread (to make 6 sandwiches)
Instructions
- Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, then pour them into a bowl.
- Mash them with the back of a fork or a potato masher until almost all of them are crushed.
- Add mayo, celery, pickles, pickle juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Stir it all up until it's all mixed.
- Serve between 2 pieces of bread, rolled in a wrap, or on lettuce leaves.
Notes
Variations for your chickpea salad sandwich:
On Toast - my favorite way to eat this is on toast. It's surprisingly similar to tuna on toast. Grilled - You can butter the outsides of your bread and grill the sandwich to golden perfection in a frying pan. It's especially delicious with some vegan mozzarella cheese. Buffalo Chickpea Salad Sandwich - replace the mayo with vegan buffalo sauce and omit the pickles. Add additional hot sauce to make it extra spicy! It's delicious with some vegan ranch dressing drizzled over top too! Lettuce Wraps - if you are keeping it low carb or you're gluten-free, serving it on large Romaine lettuce leaves is fresh and delicious! Veggie Packed - you can add any finely chopped vegetables or herbs that you would like to this salad. Chopped dill, parsley, or green onions are tasty. You can also add finely diced carrots, bell peppers, or even grapes or craisins. Go crazy and make it your own! Curried - make flavorful curry chickpea salad by adding 2-3 tsp of yellow curry powder to your mixture and swapping out the pickles for raisins, and the pickle juice for lemon juice. These simple substitutions transform this sandwich into a flavorful alternative that will never leave you bored!Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leave a comment and starred review! I would love to hear from you!
Your best recipe yet! I could swear it was the real thing.
I'm so happy that you liked it! 🙂
This is really good. I'm trying to incorporate more plant based into my diet. next up, the tofu egg salad. I won't be so timid now at trying. thank you!
I'm so happy that you liked the recipe! I've never met anyone who doesn't like this sandwich! 🙂
Thank you thank you thank you!!!!! In the last 2 years I've discovered all kinds of food sensitivities, so I'm vegetarian and dairy free and I miss my tuna and chicken salads!! I just made this (I am eating the sandwich as I type lol) and it is DELICIOUS! I added some green onion and smoked paprika as well. I am so glad I found you! ☺️❤
I'm so happy that you like the recipe and happy that you found my site too! 🙂
Hi Monica, this looks delicious and I can't wait to try it. It has so many of my favorite ingredients. I've pinned it. Thank you.
You're welcome! Enjoy! 🙂
This is very good! I didn't have pickles so I used olives and used the juice from the olives and added 1/2 tsp of dill. Super good! Thanks for the recipe!
That sounds delicious, Karen! I love olives! 🙂
Delicious and healthy, and can be made in five minutes! I'm going to try it as a grilled sandwich. Great idea!
Thanks, Amy I'm so glad that you like it! I love it on toast too! 🙂