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    Home » Recipes » Entrées

    Published: May 29, 2022 · Modified: Jul 28, 2022 · This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

    Vegan Tuna Salad (Chickpeas)

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    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Mayo
    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Mayo
    VNFGF

    Looking for a vegan alternative to tuna mayo? Look no further than this chickpea tuna mayo! This creamy chickpea salad is delicious and very easy to make. Plus, it's a great way to get some extra protein and veggies into your diet.

    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Mayo Sandwich
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    It's May, the middle of springtime, and the time to bring on all those tasty salads to your potlucks, get-togethers, and meal prep sessions.

    I grew up eating tuna salad on top of patacones (green plantain fritters) for dinner. That was the easy dinner we all loved and the one that demanded less effort from mom.

    We needed to re-create the perfect comfort food chickpea tuna salad recipe for this apparently healthy dinner to the veganized healthified version of it... and I am happy. Today I told Joaquin that this is my definition of comfort food.

    Comfort food means something different for everyone. The food brings you home and that you could easily remember if mom, dad, or grannies made for you.

    This vegan tuna salad tastes the same as the canned tuna version and is the base for many other summer dishes and meal prep lunches, just like our grill-friendly vegan chickpea burgers (you don't want to miss them!). My parents made pasta, squash, and many other combinations with tuna salad. Stay tuned; I'll share the veganized version of all of them soon.

    Jump to:
    • 🧾 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🍶 Substitutions
    • 📖 Variations
    • 🍽 Equipment
    • 🥡 Storage
    • 💭 Top tip
    • 🥢 How to serve
    • 🥗 Calories chickpea salad
    • 🥪 More plant-based sandwich recipes
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 🌡️ Food safety
    • 💬 Reviews and Comments

    🧾 Ingredients

    You will only need some pantry staples to make the best tuna chickpea salad.

    Ingredients to make a vegan chickpea salad
    • chickpeas (cooked or canned)
    • celery
    • shallot
    • capers
    • vegan mayonnaise
    • mustard
    • fresh lemon juice
    • apple cider vinegar

    Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

    🔪 Instructions

    To make a chickpea tuna salad, we replace the canned tuna with chickpeas, keeping some of its texture, and then use the same ingredients you would use in your regular tuna salad recipe.

    Start by finely chopping the celery, shallot, and capers.

    mashing Chickpeas with a fork

    Coarsely mash the cooked or canned chickpeas.

    add thr chopped veggies and seassonings into the mixing bowl

    add all the ingredients into a medium bowl

    mixing ingredients of celery chickpea salad in a bowl

    mix everything until you have a creamy consistency

    sandwich made with a layer of tomatoes, radicchio, arugula and chickpea salad

    make your sandwich adding salad greens and sliced tomatoes

    Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad sandwich

    🍶 Substitutions

    • Capers - instead of capers in brine, you can use pickles or kalamata olives, green olives, or just exclude them.
    • Bread - use gluten-free buns instead of rye bread to make this gluten-free. We also love using our vegan buns to use this vegan tuna salad as the filling for bite-sized appetizers.
    • Shallots - the fresh shallots can be replaced with chopped red onion, white onion, or yellow onion.
    • Mustard - feel free to use dijon mustard; they both work.
    • Apple cider vinegar - red wine vinegar also works well.
    • Chickpeas - the garbanzo beans can be replaced with white beans (cannellini beans). Just be sure to minimally mash them as they can be even softer than chickpeas.

    Tip: white beans make fantastic chickpeas replacement, primarily if you don't process chickpeas well. We even used them to make chickpea-free hummus, and they work perfectly.

    📖 Variations

    Making this mock tuna salad is easy and can be fully customized to your liking.

    • Spicy - add chili pepper flakes instead of black pepper if you want to make it super spicy. We like black pepper better because it simply elevates the flavor without making it spicy.
    • More veggies - serve your vegan tuna salad as an appetizer, over radicchio, arugula, leafy greens, or romaine leaves; reduce the carbs content of your dish.
    • Kid-friendly - place the chopped shallots or onion to soak in water with a drop of vinegar to lower its intensity for at least 15 minutes. Two hours for maximum results.
    • Fishy - if you miss some of the sea flavors, add some finely chopped nori algae (seaweed).
    • Creamier - we like using just about the right amount of vegan mayo, 2 tablespoons as the recipe is written; add a third for an even creamier result.
    • Extra texture and flavor - add chopped sun-dried tomato.

    See more dips and spreads that work wonders in sandwiches on our website!

    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Mayo Sandwich

    🍽 Equipment

    • Bowl - you can use a small bowl, the one you use for your granola, but use a large bowl if making a batch of celery chickpea salad.
    • Fork or potato masher - if you are making a small batch, the most practical thing is to use a fork; otherwise, a potato masher can save you some minutes. If you plan to make a huge batch, an immersion blender (affiliate link) or food processor (affiliate link) can help; just ensure to use the pulse mode; you don't want to over-blend the chickpeas. They would lose their texture and become a cream.

    🥡 Storage

    Store this vegan mock tuna in the fridge. Suitable for 2-3 days.

    You can freeze your vegan tuna salad in an airtight container, but it doesn't stand up well to freezing for more than 3 months.

    💭 Top tip

    Do not over-mash the chickpeas. You want them to reassemble the tuna texture; otherwise, it will look more like crumbly hummus, which we love but is not what we aim for here.

    🥢 How to serve

    • Appetizer - on top of lettuce, radicchio, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, or pita chips. Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top.
    • Lunch - make a sandwich with rye bread or your favorite crusty bread like an Italian Artisan bread loaf.
    • Salad - make a tasty salad by combining the chickpea mixture in a large bowl with cooked elbow pasta and romaine lettuce. You can drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top.

    🥗 Calories chickpea salad

    • Calories: 288 kcal
    • Carbohydrates: 31 grams
    • Protein: 10 grams
    • Fats: 13 grams

    If you’re looking for a delicious, vegan way to add some extra protein to your day, give our chickpea tuna mayo recipe a try and enjoy its fresh flavor in endless combinations.

    Not only is this dish packed with plant-based protein, but it’s also incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious. In just minutes, you can have a hearty meal that will help you easily meet your daily protein goals. So what are you waiting for? Give this vegan chickpea tuna mayo a try today!

    Other recipes, including healthy garbanzo beans, and powered with plant protein that you can find on this site are our easy hummus recipe, the roasted red peppers hummus, vegetarian ceviche, and the saffron garbanzo beans stew made in only one pot.

    If you like simple dishes with chickpeas, try out this Traditional Spanish Chickpeas with spinach tapa.

    🥪 More plant-based sandwich recipes

    • Vegan Egg salad sandwich made with protein-rich tofu and cauliflower.
    • Chickpea Vegan Burger is a delicious option for grilling season.
    • Treat your family to a delicious street food classic, a fantastic falafel wrap.

    ⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

    📋 Recipe

    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Mayo Sandwich Feature

    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad Recipe

    Gus
    This vegan tuna mayo is made with chickpeas, making it perfect for a plant-based lunch or dinner.
    5 from 27 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Appetizer, Breakfast & Brunch, Main Course, Salad, Sandwiches & Wraps
    Cuisine American
    Servings 2 Servings
    Calories 288 kcal

    Equipment

    Tovolo Stainless Steel Deep Mixing Kitchen Metal Bowls for Baking & Marinating, Dishwasher-Safe
    (affiliate link)
    Bowl (affiliate link)
    potato-masher
    (affiliate link)
    Potato masher (affiliate link)

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 ½ cup chickpeas from a 15 oz can 390 g drained
    • 1 shallot finely chopped, or ¼ red onion
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
    • 1 tablespoon mustard
    • 1 celery stalk finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon capers finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Optional

    • 2 slices rye bread or homemade vegan buns
    • radicchio or romane lettuce
    • gluten-free elbow pasta
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Directions
     

    • Finely chop the shallot, celery stalk, and capers.
    • Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
    • Use in a sandwich or combine it with elbow pasta, or make bite-size appetizers with radicchio or romaine lettuce.

    Video

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 10gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 357mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 10gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 21IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 3mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram and Hashtag it #ourplantbasedworld so we can see what's cooking!!
    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad Recipe
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    288
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    13
    g
    20
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    6
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Sodium
     
    357
    mg
    16
    %
    Potassium
     
    168
    mg
    5
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    31
    g
    10
    %
    Fiber
     
    10
    g
    42
    %
    Sugar
     
    3
    g
    3
    %
    Protein
     
    10
    g
    20
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    21
    IU
    0
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    4
    mg
    5
    %
    Calcium
     
    88
    mg
    9
    %
    Iron
     
    3
    mg
    17
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    🌡️ Food safety

    We sometimes take for granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to or remove the list below with health and safety tips.

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
    • Wash hands after touching raw meat
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    More Vegan Main Dish Recipes

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      Sauteed Chickpeas with Spinach - Spanish Recipe
    • crispy mediterranean tofu air fryr recipe fatured.
      Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets with Mediterranean Marinade
    • thai massaman vegetable curry with tofu featured.
      Thai Massaman Vegetable Curry with Tofu (Instant Pot or Stovetop)
    • red wine risotto featured.
      Red Wine Risotto
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Amanda Wren-Grimwood says

      May 29, 2022 at 10:09 am

      5 stars
      Chick peas have such great texture and are so satisfying in a sandwich like this. I love the addition of capers too.

      Reply
    2. Juliane says

      May 29, 2022 at 2:36 pm

      5 stars
      This looks really good!!! Excited to give this a try!

      Reply
    3. Heather says

      May 29, 2022 at 2:38 pm

      5 stars
      Oh so clever using chickepeas instead! Can't have much tuna right now because I'm pregnant so this is a healthy protein packed alternative. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Gus says

        June 05, 2022 at 2:47 pm

        I am glad you found the recipe helpful! Definitely a great tuna-free and protein-packed option!

        Reply
    4. Claudia Lamascolo says

      May 29, 2022 at 3:30 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect for summer and getting into shape love your recipes thanks for posting going to try this!

      Reply
    5. Katie says

      May 29, 2022 at 4:40 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe!! Super simple, healthy, and delicious!

      Reply
      • Gus says

        May 30, 2022 at 9:56 am

        indeed! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Michelle says

      May 30, 2022 at 6:03 pm

      5 stars
      I LOVE making chickpea salad!! And the bread you used looks so good. Need to try it with rye next time!

      Reply
    7. Sara Welch says

      June 16, 2022 at 10:22 pm

      5 stars
      All your recipes hit it out of the park, and this was no exception! So delicious; definitely my new favorite way to enjoy lunch!

      Reply
      • Gus says

        June 16, 2022 at 10:28 pm

        Thank you, Sara! We're so glad you enjoyed this vegan tuna mayo recipe. It's one of our favorites too. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Kathleen says

      June 16, 2022 at 10:42 pm

      5 stars
      I really like all the flavors in the sandwich. Especially the addition of shallots and capers. Can't wait to try this.

      Reply
    9. Diana Reis says

      June 16, 2022 at 10:49 pm

      5 stars
      I'm not vegan, but I really love chickpeas! This is a great combo of flavors and a nice change of pace.

      Reply
    10. Kris says

      June 17, 2022 at 12:57 am

      5 stars
      So flavorful! We will definitely be making again! 🙂

      Reply
    11. Mariana Luz says

      September 18, 2022 at 2:53 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing this recipe. We made it to take it for a picnic by the beach with our vegan friends as we were making fish tuna salad, and everyone loved it. The kids wouldn't stop asking for more, so we are adding it to their lunch boxes as of this week. Thank you, we love your recipes!

      Reply
      • Gus says

        September 20, 2022 at 12:28 pm

        Hi Mariana, I am thrilled you loved our chickpea recipe. We usually make this recipe when we have kids around as well; they just devour it! Thanks for your review!

        Reply

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