Name: Vegan Chickpea "Tuna" Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed); 3 tablespoons tahini; 2 tablespoons vinegar; Juice of 1/2 lemon; 1 stalk celery (finely chopped); 1/8 red onion (finely chopped); 1 clove garlic (minced); Salt and pepper (to taste)

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Tangy, creamy and full of plant-based protein, this Chickpea "Tuna" Salad will quickly become your favorite sandwich filling!

Vegan Chickpea "Tuna" Salad piled high on bread with lettuce and tomato

I've always loved any kind of egg, chicken or tuna salad. So after I switched to a plant-based diet I knew I needed to find a vegan version to satisfy my cravings whenever they hit. I've shared this Spicy Buffalo Chickpea Salad, but today I wanted to share a non-spicy, more classic version of vegan tuna salad. Enter in: Vegan Chickpea "Tuna" Salad! This chickpea salad is tangy, creamy and hearty thanks to lots of vinegar, lemon juice, tahini and chickpeas. I love to pile this chickpea salad high on toasted whole wheat sandwich bread with lettuce and tomato for a hearty, flavorful lunch. This chickpea "tuna" salad also makes for a great dip for veggies or Homemade Whole Grain Sesame Crackers.

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Ingredients
How to replace mayo in tuna salad
How to make vegan chickpea tuna salad
Storage
Pairing
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Other than a few veggies, this salad calls for mostly pantry staple ingredients.

I'll list out everything you'll need below:

Chickpeas
Tahi n i
Vinegar
Lemon Juice (Lemon Squeezer)
Celery
Red Onion
Garlic
Salt and pepper

How to replace mayo in tuna salad

Obviously, tuna isn't vegan.

Neither is traditional mayo.

So to make a vegan version of tuna salad we're going to use chickpeas for the main protein source and tahini instead of mayo.

Tahini is a great substitute for mayo in vegan tuna salad as it adds the creamy factor that traditional mayo usually provides.

Then, in addition to the tahini, we'll be using vinegar and lemon juice to provide some tang!

How to make vegan chickpea tuna salad

To make Vegan Chickpea "Tuna" Salad, simply follow the step-by-step instructions below:

Step 1: Place the chickpeas, tahini, vinegar, and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined, making sure to leave some texture in the chickpeas. Alternatively, if you don't have a food processor, you can use a fork to mash the chickpeas.

Chickpeas coated in a tahini, lemon juice and vinegar before being mashed with a fork

chickpeas and tahini being smashed with a fork for chickpea tuna salad

Step 2: Pour the mashed chickpea mixture into a bowl and add in the celery, red onion, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until combined.

chopped red onion and celery being mixed into chickpea salad

A bowl filled with chickpea "tuna" salad

Step 3: Taste the salad and add more salt if needed.

Step 4: Pile the salad high on toasted bread with crispy lettuce and tomato or use it as a dip for veggies and/or crackers

Storage

Thanks to the fresh lemon juice, vinegar and salt, this Vegan Chickpea "Tuna" Salad stores beautifully.

Simply place any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. The leftovers should last for about a week.

Pairing

a chickpea salad sandwich with lettuce and tomato

I've already shared a few ways I like to enjoy this chickpea salad, but I'll list out a few suggestions below!

As a filling for sandwiches
As a filling for wraps
As a dip for crackers and/or veggies
As the filling for lettuce wraps
As the protein source for vegan mac & cheese
On top of a bed of lettuce for a hearty salad

Also, if you like this, you'll probably also enjoy this easy Tahini granola with crunchy clusters 🙂

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