Vegan Smashed Chickpea Salad [Sandwiches, Wraps, Dip]

This easy smashed chickpea salad is a hearty, healthy, inexpensive, and tasty plant-based alternative to tuna salad or egg salad for sandwiches, wraps, and crackers. Perfect for meal prep, picnics, and potlucks too! Plus it's ready in just 10 minutes!

Quick and Versatile Smashed Chickpea Salad

This smashed chickpea salad falls somewhere between a plant-based chickpea ‘tuna’ salad, ‘chicken’ salad, or chickpea ‘egg’ salad, but made 100% plant-based and is perfect for enjoying in vegan chickpea salad sandwiches, wraps, pita bread, or even scooped up with crackers!

By smashing chickpeas with ingredients like vegan mayo, pickles, red onion, and mustard, this vegan chickpea salad is a wonderful combination of textures and flavors. In terms of texture, the smashed chickpeas are creamy yet sturdy, with added crunchiness from the onion, celery, and pickles. Meanwhile, the flavor is a deliciously moreish combination of sweet, savory, tangy, and salty flavors that are easily adaptable to your liking.

While this carefully chosen combination of flavors and textures will impress even meat eaters and keep you satisfied until your next meal, it only takes 10 minutes to prepare! Once prepared, this meal-prep-friendly chickpea ‘tuna’ salad will store for up to four days in the fridge. These vegan chickpea salad sandwiches are also loaded with plant-based protein, fiber, and plenty of other micronutrients.

The Ingredients

At its most basic, the smashed chickpea salad contains just 6 ingredients, or 7 when making them into sandwiches.

• Bread: I like sturdy slices of bread like sourdough OR soft, pillowy seeded bread for this chickpea salad sandwich. Use your favorite sandwich bread – white, brown, whole grain, gluten-free bread, etc.
• Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Use low-sodium if preferred.
• Vegan mayo: Use store-bought or homemade vegan mayo.
• Mustard: Regular yellow mustard is all you need for this chickpea tuna salad, though Dijon mustard is great, too.
• Red onion: I like the color and flavor of red onion, though yellow onion or shallots (milder) will also work. If you prefer a subtle flavor, try green onion.
• Celery: For added crunch.
• Pickles: Finely diced dill pickled adds a wonderful sweet and sour tang to the smashed chickpea salad. Sweet relish may also work.

If you’d prefer more tanginess, you could also add a small amount of pickle juice or lemon juice.

• Salad veggies: (optional) I like to boost my chickpea salad sandwiches further by adding diced tomatoes and shredded Romaine lettuce to the salad or sliced tomatoes and lettuce leaves as optional salad fillings.
• Salt & black pepper: Added to taste. Celery salt would work in place of regular salt, too.

To make it taste even more like a chickpea 'egg' salad, adding a tiny pinch of black salt (Kala Namak) will add an ‘eggy’ flavor (and smell).

What Else Could I Add?

You can easily tweak the color, texture, and flavor of this recipe based on whether you want something similar to chickpea tuna salad, chickpea egg salad, or something entirely unique.

To Add to The Chickpea Salad

• Fresh herbs: Minced parsley works particularly well in this smashed chickpea salad, though fresh dill is also great for either an ‘egg’ or ‘tuna’ chickpea salad.
• Garlic and onion powder: Added to taste. I recommend starting with ¼ teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder, then adjusting.
• Red pepper flakes: To add some heat to the vegan tuna chickpea salad. Hot sauce could also work.
• Paprika: Regular or smoked, about ¼ teaspoon (but adjust for taste).
• Turmeric: Just a small amount will give the vegan chickpea egg salad more of an 'eggy' yellow color if desired.
• Shredded carrot: This will add extra texture and color. I like using the smallest hole on my box grater for a subtle texture.
• Capers: To add more of a briny flavor when wanting to make this like a chickpea tuna salad sandwich.
• Sunflower seeds: Or pine nuts, toasted, to add crunch and subtle nutty flavor.

Other Sandwich Toppings

• Avocado: Add it as slices or mashed to the chickpea sandwich.
• Cucumber: Sliced cucumber will add fresh crunchiness to the chickpea salad sandwiches.
• Radish: Thinly sliced for crunch and its peppery flavor.
• Roasted red peppers: Either homemade or jarred (pat them dry first) for a sweet, savory, smoky addition to the vegan chickpea salad sandwich.
• Black olives: Halved or sliced.
• Spreads: There are several ingredients you could spread beneath the chickpea sandwich spread for added flavor.
  • Vegan cream cheese
  • Hummus
  • Pesto
  • Avocado cream
• Leafy greens: Instead of lettuce, you could spread the chickpea mixture over a bed of spinach or arugula. Micro herbs and micro greens like sprouts would also work in these chickpea salad sandwiches.

I’m also guilty of sneaking some potato chips into sandwiches for extra crunch!

How to Make Chickpea Salad Sandwiches?

• 1) First, drain and rinse the chickpeas and finely dice the various ingredients (red onion, celery, dill pickles). You can also chop the tomatoes and lettuce if using.
• 2) Then, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or fork in a large bowl to a slightly chunky consistency.

You could also use a food processor, but be careful not to over-process the chickpea sandwich spread into a textureless paste.

• 3) Add the vegan mayonnaise, mustard, diced veggies, and salt and pepper (added to taste), and mix well.

You can either add the tomato and lettuce directly to the smashed chickpea mixture OR use thin slices of tomato and lettuce to layer into the sandwich beneath it.

• 4) To assemble the vegan chickpea salad sandwiches, divide and spread the smashed chickpea salad between four sandwiches (butter them (with vegan butter) first if preferred), then top, slice in half, and enjoy!

You can enjoy the chickpea sandwiches alone or pair them with the simple side salad of your choice, like this vegan Greek salad.

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• For softer chickpeas: You can simmer canned chickpeas for a short while (about 10 minutes) until they break down for a softer consistency.
• Adjust the texture: How much you mash the chickpeas is up to you as long as it’s done enough to hold together. The amount of vegan mayo is also adjustable based on how dry vs. creamy you wish it to be.
• If using dried chickpeas: Cook them until they are soft and start to fall apart. You may also need extra vegan mayo, as they tend to be drier.
• Finely dice the veg: To mix effortlessly into the chickpea tuna salad.
• Use raw or toasted bread: I swap it up depending on whether I want a softer or crunchier sandwich on any day.

Storage Instructions

Make ahead: This smashed chickpea salad is a great vegan meal prep recipe. Once prepared, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Store: Once assembled, I love to eat the chickpea sandwiches immediately. However, any leftovers can be wrapped tightly and stored in the refrigerator for another day or two. I try not to leave them too long, as the bread can become soggy.

More Vegan Light Bites

• Chickpea and Walnut Meat Tacos [Walnut Chorizo Tacos]
• Vegan Tostadas [Jackfruit Carnitas Tostadas]
• Air Fryer Nachos [Vegan Black Bean Nachos]
• The Best Air Fryer Potato Wedges
• Vegetable Fajita Tacos

If you try this easy vegan chickpea salad sandwich recipe, I’d love to know what you think in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla