This Chickpea Salad Sandwich is one of my favorite vegan lunch ideas. It tastes remarkably like an egg salad sandwich, but it’s made with chickpeas and avocado instead!
What’s in Chickpea Salad?
Instead of using mayo, this chickpea salad gets its creaminess from avocado. The avocado flavor isn’t super-noticeable when you add in the lemon juice and mustard, plus all of the other crunchy veggies.
The beauty of this salad is that the flavor is totally customizable. I love the traditional flavor of egg salads made with mustard and dill, but I have a feeling it would also be delicious with any of your favorite herbs and seasonings.
I recently started adding a few diced pickles to this chickpea salad, and I’m addicted to the flavor. I use bread and butter pickles, but dill pickles will work, too.
For a lower-sodium option, you can replace this with diced cucumbers for added crunch.
Are Chickpeas Good For You?
Chickpeas are a good source of fiber and protein, so they make a great option when you want a vegan or vegetarian meal.
Here’s what I love about chickpeas:
- One study suggests that eating chickpeas regularly may help keep you feeling full, and help you make better food choices throughout the day.
- Chickpeas may be one of the better sources of plant-based protein, since they contain almost all of the essential amino acids. (Except for methionine– but you can find that in avocado!)
- According to one study, individuals who eat at least one serving of legumes each day (like chickpeas) may lose up to 25% more weight than those who don’t.
- Eating chickpeas may help regulate your blood sugar levels.
- Chickpeas may help to improve bowel function, too, which isn’t surprising since they are high in fiber.
Overall, I think there are lots of good reasons to include chickpeas in your diet, and I hope this chickpea salad sandwich will become a staple for you, too. It’s so comforting and delicious!
How to Make It
This chickpea salad comes together in just about 10 minutes, and then it’s ready to serve! Start by mashing together the avocado, mustard, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl.
Once that’s creamy, you can add in the chickpeas and chopped veggies. This recipe is very flexible, so if you don’t measure everything exactly or make swaps, it will still turn out well.
The final texture of this salad is up to you. I like to mash about half of the chickpeas with a fork, so that there are still some chunks in this salad for texture– but you can mash it even more if you want to.
Taste and and adjust the seasonings once you’ve mashed everything together, then stir in the fresh herbs, if you have some on hand. Fresh dill is delicious in this!
How to Serve It
You can serve this mashed chickpea salad just like you would any other egg or tuna salad. It’s delicious between two slices of bread as a sandwich, but you can also serve it in lettuce wraps or on top of a salad for extra protein.
Keep in mind that this salad will start to brown after 24 hours in the fridge, so it’s the prettiest the first day you serve it, but you can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
Chickpea Salad
- 1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas , drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups cooked)
- 1 ripe avocado , pitted
- 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 2 stalks celery , diced
- 1/4 cup diced pickles (optional)
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced dill (optional)
Sandwich Assembly
- sliced bread
- sliced red onion
- sliced tomatoes
- sprouts or lettuce
Instructions
- If using canned chickpeas, rinse and drain them well. Set them aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the avocado, mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Use a fork to mash it together, until creamy.
- Add in the chickpeas, red onion, pickles (if using), and celery, then stir well to combine. Stir in the fresh dill, if using, and adjust any seasoning to taste.
- Serve the chickpea salad right away as a sandwich filling. I like to serve it on whole grain bread with sliced tomatoes, red onion, and sprouts, but you can use any toppings you have on hand. It tastes remarkably like an egg salad sandwich.
- Leftover chickpea salad can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It will brown slightly over time, because of the avocado, but it still tastes good!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this chickpea salad sandwich, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! If you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from each other’s experiences!
More Easy Vegan Meal Ideas:
- Veggie Wraps (My Favorite!)
- Vegan Nachos
- Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
- Vegan Mac n’ Cheese
- Vegan Meatloaf
- Easy Vegan Pasta
Check out my collection of vegan recipes for more ideas, including easy snacks and decadent desserts!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite easy lunch?
LOVE egg salad, deviled, sliced eggs sandwiches etc. – cannot wait to try this. Yum Yum !
I eat this a lot but never with avo, I will definitely try this, its even better after a few days.
I love egg salad and chick peas but I’m always looking to try something new and different. This is different but simple this is a must try!
It was very delicious and refreshing. Thank you for the recipe!
Looks delish! I think I’ll make this for a light dinner tonight!!
I was thinking one could add kelp powder for a tuna/sea flavour to better mimic a tuna fish filling?
I love using avocados instead of mayo. I actually prefer the taste of avocado than mayo– the added bonus is avocados are healthier.
I love the idea of adding kelp!
Only thing I would add is to be sure to double the recipe when making it! It is that good!
Sounds delicious!
Looks so wonderful and way, way better than actual eggs. So nice for Vegan!
Forgot to mention, YUMMY!
I want to try this asap as I think it’s something I will love. As for tasting better the next day–good luck. So far I’ve made the avocado potato salad, Panera like black bean soup (which I was able to sample some of by day two,) and tonight I made the fresh quinoa salad, and just sampling a few spoonfuls, it’s a keeper. I can believe the reports of food being gobbled down. The salad, by the way, evokes everything you want in a summer salad. Since I have some leftover fresh dill and cucumbers from it, this new dish will be perfect to try. Tomorrow is the vegan Mac n Cheese for the first time.
Looks great. Never even tasted egg salad. Could never stand the smell growing up. Just wondering, what kind of bread were you using in the pic?
It’s just sourdough bread– we have a friend who makes it from scratch, and it’s SO good!
I added it to myfitnesspal.com under the exact name (no detoxinista preceding the name)
this looks delicious and i’m excited to try it! i’m thinking maybe adding some chopped celery would add even more of a crunch, which i love.. do you find this recipe to be on the softer side? I never loved egg or tuna salad because it was just too soft/mushy for my liking.. but i’m thinking i would love this!!
also, what type of bread do you use in this photo? thanks again!
How much you mash the chickpeas will affect the texture– the less you mash, the more texture it will have. And the bread in the photo isn’t anything special– just sourdough!
Yay, here it is! The ingredients are perfect, as I rarely want egg or tuna salad because they often seem too heavy to me. But not only are none of those ingredients in this, I actually love & feel good about each integral ingredient (might skip the dijon) – yay to being all about whole foods! I also love that this recipe is so versatile! Thank you to you & your sister-in-law!
I love your site Megan, I use it all the time, it’s one of my go to’s online. I made this and it was delicious! changed the herbs a tiny bit, only used 1 tablespoon of dill and about five fresh basil leaves, so yummy!! Thanks for another great recipe:)
This recipe is fantastic. I just tried the egg salad for dinner and loved it. Next time I will hold off the red onions though (or use a little less). I have tried several of your recipes already and this is one of my favorites. This egg salad will definitely be part of the next garden party 🙂
Made this today with extra dill, bell pepper, and red onion. Can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow; it was so good!
Awesome, awesome, awesome!
Thanks for this great recipe. Absolutely delicious.
This was absolutely delicious! We added a few red grapes we had on hand. We’ll be definitely making this again. Thanks for sharing all of your fabulous recipes!
I think curry would be a great flavor to try with this!
I love this recipe and make it frequently!
This was soooo soooo good. I didnt have red onions so used white and i on,y had fresh parsley so used that. Still amazing. This will be a go to for my pregnancy egg salad cravings. Sooo healthy!!!! Thank you. I put some on top of a brown rice cake, and ate the rest with Mary crackers. Yum yum
I’m very excited to try your recipes. It’s very similarly to the way I cook. Big thanks from my heart.
Best regards
Yugala
*I do sale baked goods at the Farmers Market in Carrboro, NC.
I made this today. YUMMM !!
So i’m trying to eat very healthy but sometimes it can get boring.. I made this recipe and it tastes exactly like egg salade that has mayonnaise in it (i really like mayonnaise but that’s something i gave up for my health)
I forgot to buy a red pepper so I used a tomato. I was worried that it was too much dille, but with the mustard the flavour is on point! I calculated the calories and it’s about 102 calories / 100 grams
You really did a great job 😀 the combination of all the ingredients make a very good flavour. Thank you!
just made this and I am blown away. WOW!!! Its amazing, seriously. I did not add the dill though because I don’t like dill. I also do not like cucumber so I sub’d that with celery. I added sunflower seeds because I added those to everything. Its still missing something but I am not sure what. Maybe a little black pepper. I was gonna add some grapes but couldn’t find any organic ones yet. anyway i love it and will keep playing with it, but this is a keeper for sure. THANKS!!!
Second day in a row I make it! delicious! this time added crispy turkey bacon pieces! a must salad in your fridge!
Thank you Dear!
Cant wait for your book to arrive!
<3
I love this recipe so much! I make it all the time; even my kids eat it up! I always make it with peeled diced zucchini instead of cucumber. The has such a similar texture to eggs it’s crazy awesome!
Made this for work lunches and it’s great! I love the flexibility – it’s delicious! I had to tell my husband to stop “taste-testing” it so I had enough for my lunch.
Love this recipe! The second time trying it, I used a potato masher instead of a fork, and it made it a bit easier/quicker. Also I was out of red onion, but green onion worked well as a substitute in a pinch!
This will be the second time I make it this week. Even hubs liked it and he’s not even close to vegan. He asked me to do it again. I served it in a wrap with sprouts. Oh yumm!
I would love to try this as I am allergic to eggs. Is there an alternative to the cucumber and avocado? I’m allergic to those as well. ? Thank you.
Dear Ella, usual one is allergic to non-organic vegetables and fruits (because of chemical substances such as fertilizers etc). Try organic food and it should work without problems. Really, really hope that you will soon be able to eat everything 💖 ! All the best, Gabriele (holistic nutritionist).
Wow, better than I ever imagined it could be! I’m not a fan of dijon mustard, so just subbed regular, yellow mustard (organic) and didn’t have fresh dill but had freeze dried, so used a little less of that and one other change…used dill pickle instead of cucumber. Still the same, basic recipe, though, and it is great! Just going to a vegan diet and really struggling so glad to find this little gem!
OMG this recipe is the bomb!!! I am on a plant based eating plan and am getting so bored with food…when i saw this it immediately peaked my curiosity and interest. It was the best!! thank you for this recipe!!!
I have a bunch of avocado and decided to make this for dinner. My husband and I couldn’t say enough nice stuff about it, and my 10 month old gobbled it up! We are not vegan, but I do experiment with vegan dishes to stay creative. I didn’t have cucumber on hand and it was still fantastic, although I will add it next time!
GREAT recipe! Thank you!! If you use black salt (Amazon) instead of sea salt, it REALLY ups the egg flavor.
Delicious — thank you! I doubled the recipe and eyeballed the amounts of everything. I also used celery instead of cucumber, because I didn’t have it. I look forward to having this for lunch and snacks.
I love this recipe! Is the calorie count right? 957 a serving is super high.
this is one of my faves but can that nutrition info be correct? The numbers seem too high?
I order the book Everyday dettox as a present for my birthday looking forward to arrive in Cyprus beginning a new life as vegan plant based and beautiful dettox meals and snacks .My first steps for my vegan life .i try and i love it . I have only 2 months but i never stop it.
Made this today, great recipe! I didn’t have pickles but added a teaspoon of relish! Thanks!
This recipe and my tried and true and always a HUGE hit!! WAY tastier than regular egg salad and without all the crap in it!!
Brought this for lunch today & I’m dancing in my seat! Delicious!!
This is so good!! I added the dill and pickles. I only used 1/8 cup of onion and next time I may use a little less than that. I will definitely make this often!
Easy to put together and tastes really good!
I’m not the biggest fan of avocado but I don’t taste it much in this recipe.
One of my favorites!
Love this recipe. I have made it quite a few times and really enjoy it. I usually make it with avocado as your recipes shows, but when I haven’t had avocado I have made it with Vegenese mayo and its also very good.
Thank You for your wonderful recipes Megan.
OMG! I have recently taken up food combining (for the second time), and was looking for some meal ideas and found this. ABSOLUTELY delicious!! I used a multi-grain English Muffin and ate it as an open faced sandwich. So tasty and satisfying! Will be checking out some more recipes, as well as purchasing the 5-Day Winter Reset. Thanks you for this content!
I’m a new vegan and this recipe is awesome and I’m not even a fan of avocado, but all these flavors together with the avocado… AMAZING!!! If I keep finding delicious recipes like being a vegan will be a piece of cake.
I make this Chickpea Salad often and we absolutely love it! On toasted sourdough, stuffed in a pita, or rolled in a tortilla as a wrap, you can’t go wrong!