Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe [Only 5 ingredients!] (2024)

My easy 5-ingredient vegan chickpea salad sandwich recipe is going to rock your world! Made with easy to find ingredients in about 10 minutes, this recipe is simpler than most chickpea salad sandwich recipes you’ll find online, yet it has delicious flavor and a nice texture. Perfect for vegan meal prep!

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This vegan chickpea salad sandwich has been my family’s favorite go-to recipe to pack for lunch at work. We also bring it with us when we travel.

Here’s how it became our travel staple food.

A few years ago when we still lived in Alabama, my husband Rob and I were flying from Dallas to Seattle.

Before we left our house, I packed a couple of my vegan chickpea salad sandwiches and a little container of baby carrots so that we had something to eat onthat 4-hour flight.

The idea was to avoid the stress of having to search for vegan-friendly food at the airport while running from one plane to another.

As soon as our lunchtime hunger pangs struck, we unwrapped our sandwiches and dug in. After a few bites, Rob’s face lit up and he told me: ‘These are SOOO GOOD!’

For the rest of the meal, he kept complimenting his sandwich after virtually every bite. He even said that he felt bad for the rest of the people on the plane because they had no idea what they were missing out on!

I made these sandwiches before, but for some reason Rob appreciated them so much more on that flight.

Since that day,I’ve been making the chickpea salad sandwiches at least once a week. We especially like it with some fresh carrots on the side.

The beauty of this chickpea salad is that its flavor and texture are somewhere in between tuna, chicken, and egg salads.

So if you’ve been missing those since you went vegan, you just found a perfect plant-based replacement.

How to Make 5-Ingredient Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich

(Find the ingredient amounts and the printable recipe card below.)

Drain and rinse one can of chickpeas (14.5 oz).

In a medium bowl, mash all of the chickpeas with a potato masher until almost all of the beans are broken down. It’s OK if a few chickpeas remain whole.

Add chopped pickles, celery, red onions, and the vegan mayo. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

If you’d like the chickpea salad to taste more like tuna salad, add kelp powder and/or Old Bay seasoning to taste.

TO ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICHES: Toast bread slices (2 per sandwich). Spread as much chickpea salad as you’d like on the bottom slices.

Spread ripe avocado (if using) on the top slices. Add lettuce or spinach leaves on top of the chickpea salad filling.

Put both slices together to close the sandwich. Enjoy!

Watch me make this recipe in episode 5 of my live vegan cooking show on YouTube:

Tuna salad sandwich used to be Rob’s go-to lunch option to bring to work before we went vegan. He was skeptical when I first introduced this chickpea salad sandwich into our lunch rotation.

It took him just a few bites to find out that it’s good and filling. And a flight to Seattle to love it even more!

There’s been lots of versions of this salad posted all over the internet, but my version is as simple and delicious as it gets. No need to mess with perfection, right? 🙂

This chickpea salad works great dressed with Vegenaise or Just Mayo, but if you prefer not to use packaged stuff from the store, you can try your hand at making homemade vegan mayo.

The latter option is very familiar to me since in Russia, where I grew up, mayo-based salads of this kind are hugely popular around the holidays.

My version, however,is way healthier than what you’d normally see on a Russian holiday table.

Beans are loaded with nutrition, easy on the wallet, and very versatile for all kinds of cooking.

In fact, regular bean consumption may be the one single predictor of a longer lifespan, as explained in this informative short video by Michael Greger, MD.

What Side Dishes Can I Serve with this Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich?

This vegan chickpea salad sandwich goes really well with a side of chipotle coleslaw, or some slow cooker collard greens if you’re in the mood for Southern-inspired comfort food experience.

Looking for more delicious and easy sandwich ideas? This vegan tofu banh mi sandwich has been our family’s other sandwich obsession lately.

Want to try something out-of-the-box? Check out my savory chickpea flour pancakes – they are made from garbanzo bean flour, and loaded with plant-based protein and vegetables.

This recipe is a part of my collection of healthy vegan recipes made with easy to find everyday pantry staple foods found in every vegan pantry.

By the way, if you’d like to change things up, the chickpea-based filling of this vegan chickpeasalad sandwich can easily be used in veggie wraps, as a topping for salads, or even made into a dip.

I hope you enjoy my easy 5-ingredient vegan chickpea salad sandwich as much as we do in our family!

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