An easy spicy vegan chickpea salad sandwich with just 7 ingredients, plus some optional add-ins. With a touch of hot sriracha or buffalo hot sauce, this is the classic salad made even better. Serve with extra veggies, bread, wraps, or lettuce wraps, for a quick lunch.
Pack an excellent meal to go with a chickpea salad sandwich, raw carrot salad, and a little vegan carrot cake cookie. It's a healthy vegan lunch you'll look forward to!
Ingredients
With just a few common ingredients, vegan chickpea salad is super easy to make at home. Add some pickled jalapeños to the mix to up the spice even more.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chickpeas: cook your own or used canned, drained and rinsed well. If cooking them at home, don't use baking soda, you want some texture.
- Hot sauce: this can be sriracha, buffalo sauce, or any other hot sauce you like.
- Bread: for a good gluten-free option, either use something like my gluten-free sourdough or crunchy lettuce wraps.
- Mayo: use a good vegan mayo for a vegan salad, or sub regular mayo if you eat it.
How to Make Chickpea Salad
Step 1: drain and rinse the chickpeas, then add them to a large bowl.
Step 2: partly mash the chickpeas, about half mashed, keeping some texture.
Step 3: add the remaining ingredients to the bowl.
Step 4: mix until well combined. Serve with lettuce, cumber, and radish, in bread, wraps, or lettuce cups.
Top Tips
- Add extras: try adding in a half cup of shredded carrot, a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs, pickles, or ¼ cup diced red pepper.
- Make it saucy: if you love mayo, add an extra tablespoon to the mix. This will make it a bit richer and less thick.
- Use yogurt: for a lighter salad, try using yogurt (unsweetened soy is good) or even tahini in place of some or all of the mayo. Make sure to season a bit more to make up for it, and add a splash of vinegar.
How to Store
Storage: keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing: transfer the chickpea salad to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
FAQ
Can you eat chickpeas straight from the can to a salad?
Canned chickpeas are cooked and ready to eat. They should be drained and rinsed before eating for the best taste.
What is vegan mayo made of?
Usually water, oil, vinegar, and various flavourings like salt and spices. It's typically a bit thicker than egg-based mayonnaise.
What can I use instead of sriracha?
Try sambal oelek, buffalo hot sauce, or any other hot sauce you like.
More Vegan Lunch Recipes
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Recipe
Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Equipment
- 1 Sieve
- 1 shallow bowl
- 1 Fork
Ingredients
- 15.5 ounce canned chickpeas or just under 2 cups cooked
- 1 rib celery, diced ¼ cup
- 1 green onion, sliced or 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons vegan mayo*
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha or buffalo hot sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to a large, shallow bowl. Mash with a fork until about halfway mashed, with some texture remaining.15.5 ounce canned chickpeas
- Add the celery, green onion, mayo, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine well.1 rib celery, diced, 1 green onion, sliced, 2 tablespoons vegan mayo*, 1-2 tablespoons sriracha or buffalo hot sauce, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Chill before serving if preferred, or serve immediately with greens, cucumber, radish slices, or any other vegetables you like. This makes about 4 sandwiches and more wraps or lettuce cups.