Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Looking for an easy vegan lunch? This chickpea salad sandwich has been a favorite of mine for over 10 years! Made with chickpeas, vegan mayo, dijon mustard, and relish, it’s creamy, flavorful, and ready in just 10 minutes.
When I first went vegan over 10 years ago, this chickpea salad sandwich quickly became one of my go-to lunches. It’s easy to make, a good source of plant-based protein, and packed with flavor.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
As you can imagine, I’ve made more chickpea salad sandwiches than I can count.
I’ve tested versions with avocado, hummus, and different seasonings, but I always come back to this version with vegan mayo, dijon mustard, and relish. It creates the best flavor and texture, while still being easy enough to make in minutes!
- Ready in 10 minutes with 10 simple ingredients
- Packed with plant-based protein and fiber
- Creamy, flavorful, and delicious, while being vegan, dairy-free, and egg-free
- Versatile and easy to enjoy as a sandwich, wrap, pita, or dip with crackers and veggies
- Meal prep friendly and perfect for busy weekdays
Featured Review
So good. This is fan favorite in my household, even my non vegan husband regularly requests this meal!
– Ali
Ingredient Notes
- Chickpeas: Good ole chickpeas are the star of this recipe and provide plant-based protein and fiber. I use canned chickpeas because they’re convenient and make this recipe come together in minutes. If you’re a chickpea fan, you’ll also love my vegan chickpea quinoa salad and vegan lemon chickpea salad.
- Vegan Mayonnaise: After testing several versions of this recipe over the years (including one with mashed avocado) vegan mayonnaise consistently produced the best flavor and texture.
- Red Onion + Celery: These add crunch, freshness, and flavor.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice brightens all the flavors, similar to my lemon tahini dressing. Apple cider vinegar works well too.
- Dill Pickle Relish: I used to make chickpea salad without dill pickle relish for years, but once I started adding it, I couldn’t go back. It may seem like a small ingredient, but it makes a big difference!
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon creates a balanced flavor that’s savory, tangy, and delicious.
- Spices: Salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Recipe Variations
- Make it spicy by adding a dash of hot sauce for a buffalo chickpea salad sandwich
- For an herby flavor, stir in chopped fresh parsley, dill, or chives
- Swap the red onion for chopped green onions
- Add a pinch of smoked paprika for a smokey flavor
- Swap the bread for lettuce wraps for a lighter option
How to Make a Chickpea Salad Sandwich (Step-by-Step)
This is just a recipe overview! Scroll down to the recipe card to get the full recipe with measurements.
- Step 1: Add about three-quarters of the drained and rinsed chickpeas to a large mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher until smooth.
- Step 3: Add the red onion, celery, vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill pickle relish, dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Stir everything together until evenly mixed. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Step 3: Add in the remaining one-quarter of the chickpeas.
- Step 4: Fold in the extra chickpeas, leaving them whole for texture.
- Step 5: Pile the chickpea salad onto your favorite bread and top with lettuce, sliced tomato, sprouts, microgreens, or any toppings you love.
- Step 6: Serve immediately, or store the chickpea salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.
Versions Tested
- Test #1: Made with mashed avocado instead of vegan mayonnaise. The texture was creamy, but the flavor wasn’t there. The avocado also turned browned pretty quickly, which isn’t ideal for meal prep.
- Test #2: I completely mashed 75% of the chickpeas and left the remaining 25% whole, creating the perfect balance of creamy and chunky texture. I also tested a combination of vegan mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and relish. This version had the best flavor, texture, and held up beautifully for meal prep, so it became the final recipe!
Megan’s Tips
- Mash only 75% of the chickpeas for the best texture. After testing different methods, I found that mashing 75% of the chickpeas and leaving the remaining 25% whole creates the best texture.
- Don’t skip the dill pickle relish. This is the ingredient that takes this chickpea salad from good to great! I made this recipe for years without relish, but once I added it, I never went back.
Ways to Serve Chickpea Salad
This vegan chickpea salad can be enjoyed so many different ways:
- Pile it on top of sourdough, pita bread, tortilla, or tortilla wraps
- Scoop it onto crackers for a quick snack
- Serve it in lettuce cups for a lighter option
- Add it to a grain bowl
- Enjoy it over a bed of greens like a salad
FAQs
This vegan chickpea salad is made with mashed chickpeas, vegan mayo, lemon juice, dijon mustard, relish, celery, and red onion.
It has a similar creamy texture and savory flavor due to the vegan mayo, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and relish.
Store your vegan chickpea salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Perfect for meal prep!
Yes – you can swap the vegan mayo for mashed avocado, hummus, or dairy-free plain yogurt, though vegan mayo really gives it that classic flavor and texture.
Yes! This vegan chickpea salad is one of my favorite meal prep lunches because it stores well, tastes even better after it sits in the fridge, and can be served a bunch of different ways (in sandwiches, wraps, or lettuce cups).
More Chickpea Recipes
If you love cooking with chickpeas, try one of these reader favorites:
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ★★★★★ star rating below. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- ⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, sub apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
for serving
- sliced bread, pita, tortillas, wraps, or crackers
- lettuce, sliced tomato, microgreens, etc.
Instructions
- Mash the chickpeas: Add about three-quarters of the chickpeas to a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Add the red onion, celery, vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill pickle relish, dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Mix until combined: Stir everything together until evenly mixed. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Fold in remaining chickpeas: Fold in the remaining one-quarter of the chickpeas, leaving them whole for texture.
- Assemble the sandwiches: Pile the chickpea salad onto your favorite bread and top with lettuce, sliced tomato, sprouts, microgreens, or any toppings you love.
Notes
Megan’s Recipe Notes
- Mash 75% of the chickpeas and leave 25% whole for the perfect creamy + chunky texture.
- Don’t skip the dill pickle relish! It adds the tangy flavor that makes this taste like a classic deli-style salad sandwich.
- I tested this recipe with mashed avocado instead of vegan mayo, but vegan mayo created the best flavor, texture, and meal prep results.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Nutritional information is for the chickpea salad only – it does not include the bread or toppings.
Make Ahead
- This chickpea salad is perfect for meal prep! Make it up to 4 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serving
- Serve as a sandwich, wrap, pita filling, lettuce cups, or with crackers and veggies.
Gluten-Free
- To make this gluten-free, serve with gluten-free bread, crackers, or lettuce wraps.
I really enjoyed this sandwich. Had it on sourdough with micro greens on top. #happyholidays
This sandwich is amazing. I had it on toasted sourdough with micro greens on top. Yum. Looking forward to having it in different ways. #happyholidays
So good. This is fan favorite in my household, even my non vegan husband regularly requests this meal!
Yay! So great to hear – it’s a go-to lunch in our home, too. Thanks for sharing your review, I appreciate it so much!