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This Chickpea Salad Sandwich tastes remarkably like an egg salad sandwich. It’s the perfect way to get more plant-based protein into your life! 

chickpea salad sandwich with sliced tomatoes and a toothpick in the bread.

Made with simple ingredients, this chickpea salad sandwich recipe takes just minutes to prepare. It makes an easy lunch idea when you have a ripe avocado on hand, and it’s also easy to customize!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Avocado lends creaminess to this recipe, but you can use vegan mayo or Greek yogurt if you prefer. Since this recipe is mashed together in one bowl, you can taste and adjust the seasoning as you go!

Paired with crunchy red onion, celery, tangy lemon juice, and fresh herbs, this smashed chickpea salad is loaded with flavor and texture. 

If you don’t have chickpeas on hand, you can also use any other white beans for a similar result. 

chickpea salad sandwich ingredients laying on a cutting board.

How to Make the Best Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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

avocado mashed in a glass bowl with mustard and lemon juice.

Rinse and drain the 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.

chickpeas mashed with red onion, celery, and avocado.

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.

Store leftover chickpea salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Tip: The avocado will 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. Vegan mayo or Greek yogurt may be a better option for you in that case. (Use a 1/4 cup of either to replace the avocado.)

chickpea salad sandwich with sliced tomatoes and a toothpick in the bread.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don’t have avocado?

If you don’t want to use mayo or yogurt, you could also use hummus as a creamy base for a vegan chickpea salad sandwich. 

What can I do with chickpea liquid?

Since you’re opening a can of chickpeas for this recipe, save the liquid (also known as aquafaba) to make Aquafaba Mousse or use it as an egg substitute in Vegan Oat Flour Pancakes

Looking for more chickpea recipes? Try Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, Chickpea Noodle Soup, Chickpea Pancakes, or Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookies

chickpea salad sandwich with sliced tomatoes and a toothpick in the bread.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

5 from 36 votes
This Chickpea Salad Sandwich tastes remarkably like an egg salad sandwich. Made with creamy avocado, it's the perfect way to eat more plant-based protein and takes just minutes to prepare.
prep10 mins cook0 mins total10 mins
Servings:4

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!

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for roughly a heaping 1/2 cup of chickpea salad, assuming you get a little over 2 cups total from this recipe. This information is automatically calculated and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
Update Note: This recipe was updated in April 2024 but the only change is omitting the optional pickles. You can find the original recipe here.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 495mg | Potassium: 361mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 94IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: vegan
Keyword: chickpea salad sandwich

If you try this simple chickpea salad sandwich recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. This is such a delicious sandwich that I can bring with me to work! Thank you for all the fantastic recipes, Megan!

  2. I made this recently and used small crusty rolls. We were going to the beach and needed something that would pack well. I removed some of the roll insides to make it more manageable + have more chickpea filling in the actual roll. Such a great idea to use avocado instead of mayo. I’m actually not a fan of egg salad sandwiches but my husband is. We used this for a couple of days and at the end of the week, there was still some left so we had it on a shredded kale salad. It was excellent.