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If you’re looking for an easy and affordable lunch idea, this chickpea salad recipe is perfect for you. It’s loaded with plant-based protein and takes just a few minutes to assemble.
Instead of mayo, this hearty sandwich filling uses creamy avocado. (Don’t worry, it’s not noticeable.) Paired with crunchy celery, red onion, and fresh dill, it tastes like classic egg salad, but it’s vegan-friendly.
Stuff it into sandwiches and wraps, or pile it onto a crunchy cracker or rice cake. You’ll want to eat this again and again after you taste it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“I keep coming back to this recipe over and over…so good!” – Linda
Chickpea Avocado Salad Ingredients
- Chickpeas. Using canned chickpeas for this recipe makes it as quick and easy as possible. Be sure to rinse and drain them well before using.
- Avocado. A ripe avocado provides a creamy base instead of using mayonnaise.
- Veggies. Diced celery and red onion add the perfect amount of crunch.
- Lemon Juice. Adds a tangy, refreshing flavor.
- Mustard. This adds even more depth of flavor, so it tastes like classic egg salad.
- Fresh Dill. Freshly chopped herbs make this recipe really stand out, but a pinch of dried dill can be used as a substitute if needed.
How to Make a Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Step 1:
In a large mixing bowl, add the avocado, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Use a fork to mash them together, almost like you’re making guacamole.
Step 2:
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Rinse and drain a 15-ounce can of chickpeas, then add them to the bowl along with the diced onion, celery, and fresh dill. Use the fork again to mix well, mashing some of the chickpeas as you go.
The texture of this chickpea salad is up to you, so mash as much or as little as you like. If you prefer more of a mashed salad, use a potato masher to help.
Step 3:
Taste the chickpea mixture and adjust any seasoning to your liking, adding a pinch of salt or black pepper if needed. For added sweetness, you can add up to a teaspoon of maple syrup or the juice from a jar of bread & butter pickles.
Serve this chickpea salad just like you would tuna salad or chicken salad. It’s the perfect filling for lettuce wraps or between slices of whole-grain bread. (This recipe is gluten-free when you use gluten-free bread.) Add sliced tomatoes, red onion, or any other veggies you love.
Storage Tips
Store leftover chickpea salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The avocado will start to turn brown over time unless you add extra lemon juice, so keep that in mind if you want to make this as part of your meal prep routine.
Chickpea Avocado Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Chickpea Avocado Salad
- 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas , drained and rinsed
- 1 ripe avocado , pitted
- 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 2 celery ribs , diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced dill (optional)
Sandwich Assembly
- sliced bread
- sliced red onion
- sliced tomatoes
- lettuce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the avocado flesh, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Use a fork to mash it together, until creamy.
- Add in the drained chickpeas, red onion, celery, and fresh dill. Stir well, mashing some of the chickpeas as you go, until it reaches your desired texture. Taste the chickpea filling and adjust any seasoning to taste.
- Serve the chickpea salad right away as a sandwich filling or in a lettuce wrap. For a sandwich, serve it on whole-grain bread with sliced tomatoes, red onion, and lettuce, or 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 2 days. It will brown slightly over time, because of the avocado, but it still tastes good!
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Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
If you try this simple chickpea salad sandwich recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
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!
Awesome, awesome, awesome!
Thanks for this great recipe. Absolutely delicious.
Made this today with extra dill, bell pepper, and red onion. Can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow; it was so good!
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 🙂
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:)
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!
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!
I added it to myfitnesspal.com under the exact name (no detoxinista preceding the name)
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 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.