This crushed chickpea salad sandwich is a vegetarian and vegan alternative to chicken and tuna salad! It’s cheap to prepare and packed with plant-based protein for a flavorful, filling lunch. It’s perfect for preparing meals in advance. This chickpea salad sandwich features partially crushed chickpeas tossed with a creamy lemon-garlic mayo, green onions and fresh herbs. Serve on bread, crackers, lettuce wraps, or any way you might serve chicken or tuna salad!
Chickpeas are such a versatile and delicious plant protein. They are cheap, extremely nutritious and rich in all kinds of vitamins and minerals. And because they’re high in both protein and fiber, they’re filling and keep you feeling full.
I almost always have a couple of cans of chickpeas in my pantry, whether it’s this chickpea salad or some of my other favorite chickpea recipes like chickpea curry, homemade hummus, or crispy roasted chickpeas.
This chickpea salad can be made ahead and assembled for sandwiches when you need it, making it perfect for meal prep. Bonus: my kids loved it. I can’t wait to make this again and again, and I know you’ll love this delicious, easy recipe!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Canned chickpeas – or the equivalent of cooked chickpeas. Here you can use another legume such as white beans, although the consistency won’t be quite the same.
- Lemon juice
- Fresh garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Mayonnaise – this can be omitted or a vegan alternative used if necessary.
- Green onions – You can use finely chopped red or sweet onion instead, which will have a stronger onion flavor.
- Herbs – I used dill, mint, oregano and parsley. Use what you have here: chives, basil, tarragon, a small amount of thyme and other delicate fresh herbs will be great depending on what you have and your taste preferences. I don’t recommend rosemary because it can have a bit of a tough texture when fresh.
- Crushed red pepper – optional, but adds a nice subtle touch.
- Salt and pepper
- Bread – or a croissant cut in half, a pita pocket, lettuce wraps or crackers, for serving.
- Lettuce, tomato or other sandwich ingredients – whatever you want! Sprouts, sliced avocado, sliced onion, etc. they all work well here.
How to prepare chickpea salad sandwiches
Just mix the mayonnaise together (vegan if necessary), lemon juice, herbs, green onions, chili pepper, olive oil and lemon juice in the bottom of a large or medium bowl. Then add the drained and rinsed chickpeas and, using a potato masher, mash them until you obtain the desired consistency. Mix with a spoon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Then assemble your sandwiches and enjoy!
Alternatively you can use a food processor or blender. The only reason I haven’t is that I hate cleaning them, ha! Simply add everything except the chickpeas and blend everything, then add the chickpeas and blend until you reach the desired consistency. Season to taste.
Tips and tricks
- Be sure to rinse the chickpeas thoroughly. Drain the canned chickpeas in a colander and rinse well until you no longer see any foam and the water runs clear. This will remove the preserving liquid, which contains a lot of excess salt and is also the substance that can cause indigestion with beans.
- When mashing chickpeas, your goal is to make it a smoother consistency that holds together in a sandwich. If you didn’t crush it, the chickpeas would just pop out of the sandwich! So make sure you press it down enough so it sticks together enough to hold up well in a sandwich.
- The only non-vegan ingredient listed is mayonnaise. Just make sure to use a vegan substitute if necessary (or for an egg-free version). Or you can replace it with more olive oil or half a mashed avocado.
- Save leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days.
More vegetarian sandwich recipes
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Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwiches
These crushed chickpea salad sandwiches are a vegetarian and vegan alternative to chicken and tuna salad sandwiches! Packed with protein and fiber, topped with fresh herbs and a creamy lemon garlic mayo, you’ll love this affordable, healthy, easy and flavorful recipe. It’s perfect for easy lunches, especially since you can prep it ahead of time for meal prep.
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Portions: 4 portions
Calories: 307kcal
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ingredients
- 2 15 ounce cans Chickpeas drained and rinsed thoroughly
- ¼ cup mayonnaise vegan if necessary
- 1 table spoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 spoons lemon juice about a lemon
- 1 small segment garlic finely chop with the help of a microplane grater
- ¼ teaspoon chopped red chilli more or less depending on your spice preferences
- 2 green onions thin parts, dark and light green in color
- ¼ cup fresh herbs parsley, mint, cilantro, dill, chives, thyme, oregano, tarragon and basil all work – use what you have!
- bread or pita, baguette, crackers, or whatever you want to serve the chickpea salad on.
- sandwich fixings optional, such as lettuce, tomato, sliced onion, avocado, sprouts, etc.
- salt and pepper taste
Instructions
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In a large or medium bowl, add the ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juicechopped 1 small clove of garlic, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, 2 green onionsAND ¼ cup fresh herbs. Mix well.
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Add the drained and rinsed one 2 15 ounce canned chickpeas to the bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the chickpeas a little, making sure to leave some texture. Use a spoon to mix everything together after mashing the chickpeas to the desired consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper taste.
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Serve the chickpea salad bread with sandwich fixings if desired.
Notes
- Nutritional information it is only for the chickpea salad and does not include the bread or side of the sandwiches.
- Storing leftovers: Store leftover chickpea salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days.
- The amount of salt needed it will depend on the chickpeas you use. Different brands contain different amounts of salt, which is why I didn’t specify an exact amount. I ended up using about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper for mine.
- For a vegan version, make sure to use a vegan mayonnaise or simply omit it and add more olive oil instead. Instead of mayonnaise, mashed avocado would also work well.
- If you prefer, you can mix it in a food processor or blender. Simply add everything except the chickpeas, blend everything, then add the chickpeas and blend until you reach the desired consistency.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.75cup | Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 31G | Protein: 10G | Fat: 17G | Saturated fats: 2G | Polyunsaturated fats: 8G | Monounsaturated fat: 6G | Trans fats: 0.03G | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 363mg | Fiber: 8G | Sugar: 6G | Vitamin A: 451UI | C vitamin: 11mg | Soccer: 65mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information disclaimer
The nutritional information provided is my best estimate and does not include added sodium from flavoring seasoning, any optional ingredients, and does not take into account brands. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
