Swap out tuna for chickpeas in this mouthwatering vegan tuna salad sandwich. An easy & satisfying lunch that takes only minutes to make!
Tuna salad sandwiches were one of the first things I ever learned how to "cook."
Just open a can, add a spoonful or two of mayo, the tiniest dollop of mustard perhaps, chopped dill pickle and celery.
Then add my mom's secret ingredient - celery seed - for a little celery explosion in your mouth.
Stir and slather it between two slices of bread.
It couldn't get much easier. A lunch of pantry staples.
It's fitting then that vegan tuna salad sandwiches made with chickpeas were one of my go-to's when I first went vegan. I ate them almost daily.
I’d have vegan tuna salad in sandwiches, scooped onto crackers, or right out of the bowl!
The process of making chickpea salad is virtually the same as making tuna salad.
There’s one obvious exception, of course - the fish. Instead, homemade or canned chickpeas are a wonderful vegan tuna substitute.
Just like tuna salad sandwiches of yore, I always have ingredients for chickpea salad.
They are perfect when you're late but need something quick to make on your way out the door. They’re also a terrific meal prep option.
And the great thing is, it can be tweaked to suit your tastes and preferences.
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“Mmmm… this is superbly delicious. Thank you! 😋“ – Katie
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Chickpeas: Also known as garbanzo beans, you can use either homemade or canned beans.
Celery: Choose a celery rib that is firm, crisp & bright.
Dill pickles: Crunchy refrigerated pickles are best (as opposed to those sold in the center aisles of the grocery store).
Vegan mayo: Vegenaise is my favorite. But use any brand that you enjoy.
Stoneground mustard: This mustard is a nice halfway point between yellow mustard and Dijon.
However, feel free to branch out if you prefer a stronger or milder mustard.
Celery seed: Look for celery seed with other spices. It’s amazing how it adds a pop of celery flavor, almost like a magic trick.
Dill: You can use either fresh or dried.
Salt: A pinch of salt brings it all together.
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Then put all of the following into the food processor:
- Chickpeas
- Celery
- Chopped dill pickles
- Vegan mayonnaise
- Stoneground mustard
- Celery seed
- Dried or fresh dill
- Pinch of salt
Pulse the food processor a few times, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
You want everything to be evenly mixed.
Make sure not to over blend. You don't want it to become hummus.
You want it to still have some of its form, just crumbly and in flakes. If there are a few whole chickpeas left in the mix, that’s fine.
No food processor? Use a potato masher or fork to smash the chickpeas. Then add the remaining ingredients in a bowl to combine.
Make it your own
You can easily make this chickpea salad your own by varying the ingredients or serving method.
- If you like raw onion, add a Tablespoon or two of chopped onion to the food processor as well.
- If you like fishy flavors, add dulse flakes to the food processor.
- For more color, add diced red bell pepper.
- Add more mayo if you prefer a creamier salad sandwich.
- Have the chickpea salad plain on a sandwich. Or add spinach, onion slices, and pickle planks.
- Eat chickpea salad in dollops on top of crackers.
- Roll it into a tortilla.
- Wrap it into romaine lettuce leaves or endive.
- Stuff it into a hollowed tomato.
- Enjoy it as a tuna melt by toasting it with bread & non-dairy cheese.
- Or eat it straight out of the bowl with a fork!
Serving ideas
Serve vegan tuna salad sandwiches with any of these tasty side dishes:
Storage instructions
Leftover chickpea salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.
I don’t recommend freezing it.
More easy vegan lunches
Here are more quick & easy plant-based lunches.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Vegan chickpea tuna salad with pickles
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
- 1 rib celery chopped small
- 2 heaping Tablespoons dill pickles chopped small
- 2 Tablespoons vegan mayonnaise + extra for slathering on sandwiches (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon stoneground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- Pinch of dried dill or chopped fresh dill
- Pinch of salt
- 8 slices bread
Instructions
- Put drained chickpeas, celery, dill pickles, vegan mayonnaise, stoneground mustard, celery seed, dried dill, and salt into a food processor. (You don't want any extra liquid around the chickpeas. So dry them off on a clean kitchen towel or really shake the colander to remove excess water before putting them in the food processor.)
- Pulse the food processor until the ingredients are flaky and combined, but not to the point of becoming a creamy spread. (Occasionally stop and scrape down the sides, so that everything breaks up evenly.)
- Spread additional vegan mayo onto one side of the bread slices, if you like. Top four of the slices with vegan tuna salad, and then sandwich them with the remaining pieces of bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Content updated January 27, 2023. Originally posted July 16, 2014.
Katie
Mmmm… this is superbly delicious. Thank you! :-9
Cadry
Thanks, Katie! I’m so glad to hear that!
flickingthevs
I don’t remember tuna salad really featuring in my sandwich choices much as a kid, but I eat the vegan equivalents a whole lot, with soaked sunflower seeds and almonds as the base. Yum.
MeShell
I really really really like that idea. Using tomatoes to hold salad-like things always ends up looking so delicious and inviting.
Shell
This is right up my alley! I love roasted chickpeas and now I enjoy making hummus in my Vitamix, but I’ve never tried a simple chickpea salad. Yum!
Cadry
I think this recipe would be Shell-approved! You’ll have to let me know if you make it! 🙂
acookinthemaking
Mmmm I love chickpea salads like this! Very excited to try your version with chopped pickles in it. Also love the idea of making stuffed tomatoes with it–these remind me of the tuna-stuffed tomatoes my aunt makes on Passover every year (which I used to love). I bet these are even tastier 🙂
Cadry
The pickles really make it for me! I hope you like it too. You’ll have to let me know!
Andrea
Yes, tuna salad sandwiches were a food group when I was growing up. And chickpea salad is a welcome alternative now that I prefer to see fish swimming rather than on my plate. I love the summery idea of stuffing it into ripe tomatoes for a refreshing supper or party starter.
Becky
Oh yum! What a nice summer lunch idea. We are growing some tomatoes out back, and if the plants decide to fruit, I’ll definitely stuff them with this salad!
Cadry
There aren’t many things better than a ripe, fresh off the vine, summer tomato. I hope your plants bear a lot of fruit!
Laloofah
Yep, me too – tuna sandwiches (or all the permutations you mention) were one of my favorites as a kid too, and one of my first veganized dishes as well. I, too, started with chickpeas – but then saw in the comments section of one of the recipes I was trying, the suggestion to try cannellini beans instead. So I did, and instantly liked them better (closer in color and texture to the albacore I’d preferred in my clueless youth). I’m one of those adders of dulse flakes, and since my mom always put green olives in hers, so do I! I think I need to get some cashews soaking, I sense “tun-not” salad in our very near future. 🙂
Cadry
That’s a really interesting suggestion with cannellini beans. I’ll have to try that next time!
Nicole
I actually haven’t ever made chickpea salad before and it’s been on my to-do list all summer. I feel exactly the same way about the whole fishy taste thing so your recipe looks like the perfect one for me to try!
Cadry
You’ll have to let me know if you try it out! I hope you enjoy it!
Caitlin
what a great idea! i loved tuna sandwiches growing up. my mom made the best ones. i loved in the summer when she would put a nice big slice of tomato from our garden in the sandwich, too. it was unbelievable.
Cadry
Fresh from the garden tomatoes are the best! My dad and I used to eat tomatoes, still warm from the garden, covered in mayo. I was thinking of that when I put dollops of chickpea salad inside of this one.