Chickpea Salad
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free
Yield
3 servings
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Mashed chickpeas create a texture very similar to flaked chicken and the sauce gets a boost from a creamy eggless mayonnaise. I’ve also added a hefty amount of crunchy vegetables like celery, green onion, pickles, and bell peppers to give it a great crunch and loads of fibre. Serve this salad in pieces of Boston or Bibb lettuce, in a wrap or sandwich, or on crackers. If you have a picnic or road trip in store you’ll be happy to know that it packs well. Recipe is lightly adapted from The Oh She Glows Cookbook.
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickle
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) store-bought or homemade vegan mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh dill (optional)
- 1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons (7.5 to 15 mL) fresh lemon juice, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher until flaked in texture.
- Stir in the celery, green onions, pickles, bell peppers, mayonnaise, and garlic until combined.
- Now, stir in the mustard and dill, and season with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper, adjusting the quantities to taste.
- Serve with toasted bread, on crackers, wraps, or on top of a basic leafy green salad. Or just enjoy it all on its own!
Tip:
- If you’d like a soy-free version of this salad, be sure to use soy-free vegan mayonnaise. Vegenaise makes a great soy-free version.
this is my first experience making this particular recipe. I have been on a pretty ~ close ~ to ~ vegan diet for about 8 months this was/is the easiest, most delicious recipe I’ve tried so far. I used a pastry cutter to mash the chickpeas, because the gaps in my potato masher are way to wide to be effective. The cutter did the job very quickly & left enough decent sized junks to make an interesting texture. I see many yummylunches from this recipe in my future.
Hey Paula, Oh I love the idea of using a pastry cutter for the chickpeas….GENIUS!! So happy you loved it. Thank you for your review!
I just made this! So delicious!
Even my non-vegan husband loved it. Will be making this often.
Thank you for a great recipe!
Hey Minnie, Thanks so much for making the chickpea salad! I’m glad it was a big hit :)
I tired this even before I had to cut out dairy and its DELISH! I had not eaten mayo in years so I was a little nervous about how the vegan mayo would taste but it was great. I did add a little more lemon juice and added red pepper to spice it up a bit. Now that I have had to cut out dairy in the life this is a PERFECT salad for summer and to get me over the hump of …”WHAT CAN I EAT that doesn’t have dairy in it” question. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Aww I’m so happy to read your glowing review Ryan :) Thanks so much!
To say this is the most amazing recipe I have ever tried would be an understatement.
Aww thank you Claire!
Does this freeze well?
Hey Dana, I haven’t tried it before, so I’m not sure. I would suggest freezing a tiny portion and testing it out. I’d love to hear how it goes!
Wow, great recipe thanks so
Much for sharing!
Hugs from Mexico
Anyone know how long this would keep? Made mine and I’m loving it! I think I’m using smaller servings at a time, and I’d hate for it to go to waste, but I’ve got it in an air tight jar.
Hey there, It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Hope this helps!
I have had the ingredients for this in my pantry for a while, but hesitated. Chicken salad is my favorite. Nothing can replace a good chicken salad. I’m also not a huge fan of chickpeas. They are mealy, so unless they are in hummus, I’m usually not a fan.
O.M.G. I’m converted. This is amazing! I was licking the spoon as I made it. Now I want to try it with all my favorite chicken salad additions: apples and pecans, pineapple and walnuts; grapes. I want to stuff it into tomatoes. This is going into my lunch keeper file. Thank you so much!
Thanks Amy, so happy to hear you loved it! I think your additions would be so good.
Made this for lunch for my non-vegan friends using homemade mayo, they loved it! Thanks!
So glad to hear that Isabelle! Thanks for your review.
So good! I was pushed for time so used regular mayo (I’m not vegan, but I’m sure the vegan mayo is good too) I could have eaten it all in one sitting
So glad you love the chickpea salad! It’s such an energizing recipe.
I never write reviews, but I had to take a moment to tell you that this recipe was fantastic. Best chickpea salad recipe I’ve had and love the fact that so many veggies are included. Thanks!
Thanks so much for your feedback Jen! :)
Oh wow, this was so so good. I realized after I started that I didn’t have any green onions or red pepper (how does that happen!), but it was still amazing. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks Sheileen! I’m so glad to hear that you still loved it without the onion and pepper. :) I’ve found it to be a pretty versatile recipe!
I love this!!! It is so amazing. I don’t like red bell peppers so I didn’t add it but it was still very enjoyable. The dill pickle added a nice acidic flare along with the lemon juice. Great recipe. I will definitely make it again!
I have made this at least 10 times now and it’s amazing. I follow the recipe pretty much exactly and it turns out perfectly every time.
Mmm this was so good, even got my meat-eater father to go back for seconds and it didn’t even cross his mind it was vegan. Absolutely amazing. Thanks for the recipe, defininetly a keeper
Didn’t add the pickle but enjoyed it all the same – love the vegetables added in, gives a wonderful crunch alongside the softer chickpeas
Hey Cass, so happy you and your father enjoyed it! Thanks for your feedback
I thought the recipe in another app looked familiar. They use the same photo.
Hmmm. They did substitute greek yogurt for mayo….
Hi CJ, Thanks for letting me know! I have reached out to them to inquire.
This was DELICIOUS!! I am new to plant-based eating, and was looking for easy lunch options for work. This recipe is AWESOME!!
Thanks so much Sarah!! I’m so happy you love it as much as we do. I can’t get tired of it!
Hi! Super excited to try this recipe! How long will it last in the fridge? I’m hoping to make it for lunches this week!
Hey Courtney, It should last 3-4 days in an airtight container, maybe 5. Give it a good stir before serving and you may need to add a pinch os salt and pepper or lemon to freshen it up :)
Great! Thank you!
I love this sandwich! It looks so good and super easy to make. I have been looking for a good recipe like this. Cannot wait to try it!
Hello Angela,
I made the decision to switch to a vegan diet for health reasons, and have discovered, at one month in, that I have yet to miss the meat; very excited about that. I bought both of your books and have made the Chickpea Salad and the Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta; both meals were absolutely delicious, and my meat-eating husband loved the pasta dish.
No question, but I do have a recommendation for when you go to print with your third cookbook :) – would you and your publisher consider including nutritional information? In addition to expanding my collection of vegan recipes, I am also counting calories, and having the nutritional information at-hand would be so helpful.
Thanks for sharing your journey and cooking chops with the rest of us! Delicious!
Hi Catherine, aww thank you so much for following along and for supporting my cookbooks! I’m so glad you are enjoying the plant-based recipes so far!! Thanks for the suggestion about nutritional info too. I don’t have it for my first book, but there is nutritional info for book #3 (every day) — In the intro chapters there is a link to the nutritional info (I’m sorry I don’t have it on hand but it’s under the “Nutritional info” section in the intro! And all the info is provided for book #2 at that link. I also plan on providing it for my 3rd book too!
Ah, sorry I missed that link. Thanks for bringing to my attention, as I really appreciate having the nutritional info available.
I’m going to bake one of your desserts tomorrow … the Chocolate-Almond Brownies or the Crispy Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Looking forward to a sweet treat.
Thanks again for presenting such delicious, easy to make, family-friendly recipes!
Love this!! So easy to pack for a healthy work lunch!! I added 1/2 tsp of Turmeric. This is now one of my favorite recipes. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe has quickly become my favourite lunch to pack for work. It stores well in the fridge and I find it very filling and satisfying for a work day. My boyfriend even prefers this over a deli meat sandwich. Thank you so much for another amazing recipe!
This has been a favorite of my husband and mine for years. It is a wonderful replacement for tuna or chicken salad, and personally, I like it better. Non Vegan friends love this and request it. Love the crunch the veggies bring. I made it just as is and love it… Thank you Angela!!! You are awesome!……and if you don’t have fresh dill you can use dill spice.
I make this recipe at BBQs, for side dishes, for pre-made meals for the workweek. I make this dish for myself since I am vegan but this a perfect dish for meat-eaters that don’t know how awesome it is to be vegan. Highly recommend this recipe.
I made this, I’m not vegan so I didn’t make the vegan version, but it was SO good. I didn’t know what to expect, it’s like potato salad but healthier and more filling! I’m def making this more often!
This is amazing! I just made it using homemade cashew mayo. It is so good right out of the bowl and I can’t wait to see what it tastes like after the flavors settle in the fridge. It’s like crack! I think I will always have a bowl of this in my fridge ready to go. Who needs tuna salad, macaroni salad or potato salad when you can have this healthy salad? I just left out the salt and garlic and it’s perfect. Thank you!
This is so good, especially after it sits overnight and the flavors have a little time to meld. Its absolute perfection on some toasted whole grain bread (DAVE’S!) with sprouts. I am not a vegetarian, but do try to eat plant based meals as much as possible, and recipes like this make it so easy– I actually think I prefer this salad to those made with chicken or tuna. Everyone who sees me eating this at work asks for the recipe, without even tasting it. It looks that delicious. Thanks for another great recipe!
This is the best chickpea salad recipe that I have found. I think the addition of the dill pickle is the key ingredient, at least for me.
Soo good! I prefer it over chicken or egg salad!
I’ve made this recipe countless times and it’s a staple in the household. It’s been one of my go-to’s since going vegan about a year ago. I always have it on hand for sandwiches, wraps, on crackers, etc. It tastes amazing and very easy to make. Thank you!
Wow! This chickpea salad is fabulous. Only change I made was Dijon mustard for a bit more tang. Vegan does not have to be boring nor deprived of taste as this recipe demonstrates!
I’ve been plant based for over five years and have said I wanted to try a vegan chicken salad recipe, but just never have until today. Mostly because chicken salad used to be one of my favs and I was afraid I’d be disappointed. This recipe was awesome and easy. Thought I’d have left overs, but my husband finished it off. So sorry I waited so long to try it. Thanks so much,
I am not completely Vegan but am moving towards it. I made this recipe for the first time yesterday after getting the cookbook. It is already gone. It is so good that I’m making it again tomorrow at my husband’s request.
Hi! What is the calorie count for each serving? I’m trying this tonight I can’t wait!?
I made this for my mom (as she is vegan) and ended up loving it for myself. I now make it frequently for a quick lunch – love the flavor and fresh crunch!
i love this recipe – make it every week! the dill pickle is essential
I’ve been doing this recipe for so long now.. I love it. It doesn’t taste like the chicken salad I used to eat back in time when I wasn’t vegan but it tastes soooo delicious and fresh, a favourite since day 1!
My wife and I just love this sandwich. I can’t get enough of it. We’ve been vegan now for 2 years and this food has made a great addition to our new life style. When tomatoes are in season this year, I plan to hollow out a few and fill them with the mixture. Thank you so much for what you have done for the vegans among us.
I have made this three times (four if count a double batch as two times) this week! To say I’m obsessed is an understatement. Thank you for the fab recipe!
Spectacular! So delicious it is now on our regular rotation. Have been a non meat eater for 40 years & always looking for outstanding recipes. Made exactly as described. The (optional) fresh dill was worth every penny!