Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad
Over the years I’ve created over 500 recipes via Eat Drink Shrink. While I love all of them, there are many that have become staples in my kitchen! One of those, is this chickpea tuna salad!! Back in 2012 a vegan cafe called Terri produced this concept. It was everything and more, but I felt it packed a lot more mayo than I desired and I knew I could recreate the same recipe, but tailor it to my preferences..
and the vegan Chickpea Tuna was born!!
Long before my vegan days, I actually loved tuna salad lol. It was accessible, affordable, great on crackers etc. While the last time I had canned tuna was perhaps in 2004, I still love the flavor profile that it offered. The pickles, the fresh dill, and dijon, just seamlessly go well together. Whether you loved tuna salad or just love fab eats, this vegan chickpea tuna provides the same notes and is even better than the traditional tuna salad!!
What I love about this sammie, is everything! It’s quick easy, contains staple ingredients, can easily be made in bulk, perf for meal prep, affordable, packs flavor, packs texture, protein, fiber, and is non vegan approved to boot! (trying to watch your carbs? its good even without the bread!)
If you’re looking for the tuna salad replica or simply a meal prep concept to your weekly cooking routine, you need this vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad recipe!
Why this recipe is great:
Effortless
Minimal ingredients
Affordable ingredients
Nutrient dense
Packs tons of flavor and protein
Non vegan approved
Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 sandwiches 1x
Ingredients
Sandwich:
- 2 (15-oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 1/2 cup Follow Your Heart vegan mayo
- 1/3 cup dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 4 scallions, chopped (use some of the white)
- 1/3 cup relish
- 3 Tbsps fresh dill
- Salt/Pepper as needed
Instructions
- Throw all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mash using your hand or a fork.
- Chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to let the flavors blend together.
- Serve on buns with whatever toppings you like!
Notes
*For more of a nutrient boost, you can throw in chia seeds, hemp seeds, and even some turmeric!
*Want to omit the vegan mayo?! Soak 1/2 cup cashews, blend with 1/2 cup almond milk and use that as the base!
*You can also incorporate:
1/2 cup cucumber cut into small triangles, 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 3/4 tsp lemon zest (optional), 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Sandwich
- Cuisine: Lunch/Dinner
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
Hi, what exactly does the nutritional yeast bring to this particular dish? I’m not into it and was additionally wondering if there’s another ingredient I could use to replace or, just omit it and still have a great meal? Thanks!
Hi Noni! You can absolutely omit the nutritional yeast as it just adds a cheesiness as well as nutrients to the dish! Let me know how it turns out!
Is relish required in this recipe? I really don’t care for it.
Hi Ashley! Unless it’s egg, almond milk, baking soda, or baking powder, you can always modify spices etc!
Can Almond milk be changed with Soymilk?
Hi Robert! Absolutely. Milk alternatives are interchangeable.
Just clarifying — are you suggesting THREE cans of chickpeas for this recipe or is that a typo?
Hi Stephanie! Yes, 3 cans! You can always use more if you want to make it in bulk. I would just be sure to increase the dijon and vegan mayo.
3 cans is too much!!! What if am making it for one person?
Hi Layla! I’d use one can and if you’d like leftovers 2! Let me know how it turns out, just thinking about this recipe makes me miss it!
Tastes delicious. I wasn’t sure on cup measurements as we don’t use those here in the UK, so just guessed. One quick question, can it be frozen? Thanks
This was so delicious!! I skipped the relish and added in sunflower seeds (after looking at Minimalist Baker recipe) but otherwise followed it to the T and it was so good. My boyfriend brought some to work today with sourdough and asked for it again for tomorrow. This will be a staple for us ! Oh and I cooked chickpeas from scratch because I always prefer that. I did 2 dried cups. Thanks for this !
Oh I love reading this! I’ve been making this recipe since 2014 and even my picky husband loves this! Thanks for sharing!
Super delicious! My sons asked me to make more of it – they didn’t even realize that it didn’t contain chicken! I HIGHLY recommend trying this recipe!!
Your clicks are awesome.. I just love the way you present your dishes.. Looks amazing! Actually, all your food looks amazing…. Thanks for posting!