Vegan Chickpea Salad

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This Vegan Chickpea Salad is easy to make for lunch or for a snack. It’s great on a sandwich. Chickpea salad can also just eaten plain by itself. Try serving it as a dip with crackers and veggies for quick snack. It takes less than 10 minutes to make and will save in the refrigerator for a few days.

Canned chickpeas are a staple in our house. You can always find a can or two in the pantry. They are rich in fiber and protein, making them one of my absolute favorite high-protein vegan pantry staples.

Chickpeas can be used in so many different ways from hummus to roasted crispy chickpeas. Not to mention chickpeas are great in quick curries, stews, and casserole dishes like our Vegan Chickpea Biscuit Pot Pie. Chickpeas are a healthy and versatile ingredient for both sweet and savory dishes.

Many vegans also use the leftover cooking liquid from the can, called aquafaba, as a replacement for eggs in baking. Aquafaba can be whipped into a meringue-like foam and used like egg whites. I don’t know much about how to use aquafaba because I don’t use it due to my dietary restrictions and FODMAP sensitivities. Draining the liquid from the chickpeas and thoroughly rinsing will help remove some of the FODMAP content. The blog Lazy Cat Kitchen has good article about the uses of aquafaba if you are interested in learning more about using it in vegan baking.

What Does Chickpea Salad Taste Like?

Some people compare vegan chickpea salad to egg salad or tuna salad but it doesn’t have that taste. It’s not fishy at all. I think they make that comparison because it has a similar consistency due to being mixed with mayonnaise. The chickpeas are mixed with mayo and it is a great sandwich filling. That’s really the only similarity. It doesn’t taste like tuna. It taste like the mixed ingredients. Sweet pickle relish, mustard and fresh herbs give this chickpea salad it’s bright flavor.

How Do You Make Vegan Chickpea Salad?

Canned chickpeas are gently mashed with a potato masher. A potato masher will break the chickpeas apart but not pulverize them into a paste. You want the chickpeas to retain texture and not be mushy. If you don’t have a potato masher you can use a fork. I don’t recommend a food processor for this task because the food processor could easily grind and overwork the chickpeas. If you use the food processor just give it couple of pulses. Don’t overdo it. You want to maintain texture so you just want to barely grind the chickpeas to break them apart.

The mashed chickpeas are mixed with a small amount of plant based mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, fresh herbs, finely chopped celery, and mustard. The sweet relish and finely chopped celery add crunch and texture to the salad. I love working with fresh herbs from our garden. For this recipe I grabbed some dill and flat leaf parsley from our backyard raised garden beds.

How Do You Serve Chickpea Salad?

I’m a sucker for a good sandwich. Chickpea salad makes a great sandwich. Just toast some bread and maybe add some lettuce or microgreens on top. It’s as simple as that! Chickpea salad is really good by itself too. Forget about the bread and just eat it by the spoonful. Try serving it as a snack. Serve it as a dip with crackers and raw veggies. It’s one of my favorite vegetarian potluck dishes because it stays fresh in the fridge and travels so well!

Need More Sandwich Ideas?

If you need more sandwich ideas for an easy healthy lunch check out these recipes:

• Healthy Southern Pimento Cheese – made with cottage cheese, it’s lower in calories and adds protein.
• Southern Tomato Sandwich – our modern vegan twist on a southern classic.
• Grilled Strawberry PB&J Sandwich – An elevated adult version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.