This Chickpea Salad Sandwich is loaded with a creamy chickpea filling that includes lots of fresh veggies and herbs. Pile it on some toasted bread with lettuce, tomato, and onion for a hearty and flavorful meal.
Try some of my other favorite recipes using chickpeas next — General Tso Chickpeas, Chickpea Curry, or Vegetarian Gyros.
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
It’s no secret how much we love creamy Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad here on the site with all the lots of recipe variations I’ve shared over the years (these Jalapeño Chicken Salad Sandwiches have been on repeat lately). And so it’s about time a vegetarian version made it on the site.
Chickpeas are the secret ingredient replacing chicken or tuna, and it’s pretty amazing how meaty these sandwiches end up tasting. It’s hard to believe the filling is basically just veggies and chickpeas.
I also wanted these sandwiches to be high in protein and healthy fats. So, instead of soaking the chickpeas in mayo, we mix in smashed avocado. This adds lots of flavor and makes it creamy!
Chickpea Salad Sandwich Tips
- Use a really ripe avocado. This chickpea salad needs a ripe avocado for taste and smoothness. If the avocado isn’t ripe, it won’t mash up and blend quite right. You can check if an avocado is ripe by gently pressing it. If it feels like pressing the tip of your nose, it’s ready.
- Wash and drain the chickpeas well. Wet or watery chickpeas will water down the mix and make it less flavorful.
- Finely chop the herbs. We want the herbs evenly spread out throughout the mixture. Don’t want to take the time to do this by hand? Throw them in the food processor along with the chickpeas.
- Adjust the flavors to your taste. We really enjoy the bold mix of lemon and Dijon in these Chickpea Salad Sandwiches. If you’re not a fan of either, just skip them. This recipe is easy to adjust, so you can change the herbs, spices, or anything else as long as you keep the amounts similar. Go ahead and use what you like best.
- Don’t forget to season. Add additional salt, pepper (and even garlic powder) until the chickpea salad filling flavors sing. Canned chickpeas contain different amounts of salt, so you may want less or more than what I’ve said in the recipe card.
Serving suggestions
- We like this chickpea salad sandwich filling best on a hearty toasted wholegrain bread. We love adding fresh, ripe tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, and sometimes I’ll throw on some bread and butter pickles (yum!).
- For a low-carb meal, layer this sandwich filling on butter lettuce leaves and enjoy it as a lettuce wrap.
- Add chickpea filling to warmed pita bread or naan with fresh veggies of your choice. Fold it up and eat it like a taco.
- Layer the chickpea filling on small toasted whole grain rolls for a fun appetizer or side dish.
- Veggie ideas: quick pickled red onions (recipe on these pinto bean tacos), matchstick carrots, micro-greens, baby spinach, banana peppers.
Tools that make this recipe easier!
While none of these tools are needed to make a Chickpea Salad Sandwich, they do make things easier!
- I love using a salad spinner to really dry the chickpeas before blending.
- Blending the chickpeas in a food processor takes seconds! A potato masher or a fork can also work, but the result might not be as even.
- Use a small cheese grater and a citrus zester or this citrus juicer to make getting lemon zest and juice quick and easy.
Storage
- Storage: Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. It should stay fresh for up to 5 days.
- If you’ve already made sandwiches, they’re best enjoyed immediately, but you can store them wrapped tightly in the fridge for a day. The salad might make the bread soggy if left longer.
More Vegetarian Recipes
- Vegetarian Sushi Bowls with a spicy mayo
- Bean and Cheese Burritos with seasoned rice
- Black Bean Bowls with coconut-lime rice
- Vegetarian Enchiladas with black beans and corn
- Caprese Quinoa Salad with a balsamic dressing
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained, rinsed, and dried
- 1/2 cup mashed avocado
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 8 slices whole-grain bread
- Serving suggestions see note 1
Instructions
- Zest lemon with a zester to get 1/2 teaspoon zest. Juice the lemon using a citrus juicer to get 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Pulse the drained, rinsed, and dried chickpeas through the food processor until broken up and fairly chunky (see note 2). Transfer to a medium bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients, including lemon juice and zest, and mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings to personal preference.
- Toast bread. Add lettuce to one side and a generous amount of the chickpea filling on top. Add your sandwich favorites; we love sliced Roma tomatoes, red onion, and bread and butter pickles. Add the other slice of toast on top and enjoy immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’d love to try this but I’m wondering how it holds up if making it in the morning and packing it for that day’s lunch. What about saving the leftover chickpea salad for tomorrow’s lunch? Will it turn brown because of the avocado, or is there enough lemon to keep it fresh for a few hours or a couple of days? Thank you!
It stores really nicely and the avocado doesn’t brown quickly because we add the lemon juice! 🙂
So good on whole grain sourdough bread! I used vegan mayo since I didn’t have ripe avocado.
So glad to hear you enjoyed this! Vegan mayo is a great idea! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I could hug you! This recipe was amazing! I’ve been a vegetarian for a year & a half & having been looking for a recipe to replace my traditional chicken salad sandwich. This does the trick for me. The combination of flavors & textures was perfect. It was easy to put together too. Thank you.
Awe yay!! SO happy this was a hit! Thanks for the comment and for trying so many of my recipes! 🙂
will be making this soon but without pickles and lettuce as am not a big fan of them i never had chickpea salad sandwich before perfect for my after office meals will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hope you love it!