This Mashed Chickpea Salad is quick, easy and delicious in sandwiches and wraps, spread on crackers, stuffed into tomatoes, and more!
Mash up some chickpeas, add celery and onion, mix them with a mayonnaise-based dressing with lemon juice and dill, and you've got one tasty vegetarian sandwich filling that comes together in just 10 minutes and is perfect for making ahead!
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So, a few weekends ago, my family came to visit. They were arriving around lunchtime, and so I planned to have all the fixin's ready for sandwiches.
Since my sister doesn't eat meat, I wanted to make something vegetarian for her to enjoy. Plus, it was the perfect opportunity to try out a new recipe (I'm always up for that)!
I decided to go with this simple chickpea salad sandwich spread that is a perfect vegetarian alternative to tuna or chicken salad (in fact, I've even seen similar recipes called vegetarian tuna salad or vegetarian chicken salad).
It's kind of amazing just how meaty those mashed chickpeas can taste.
We put the salad on soft potato buns with some lettuce and cheese, and my sister absolutely loved it. I was so happy!
David and I loved it too...so much so that I've already made it several more times since, and I couldn't wait to share it with you all.
So when you want a meatless sandwich option, or if you're just looking for something new and different to have for lunch or a snack, give this recipe a try.
You most definitely don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy it!
Ingredients You Need
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Chickpeas (canned or home-cooked)
- Celery
- Red onion
- Mayonnaise
- Lemon Juice
- Dried dill
- Celery salt (for a little extra celery flavor; you can use seasoned salt or regular salt instead)
- Black pepper
Want to cook your own chickpeas? Check out my Instant Pot Chickpeas recipe for a quick and easy way to cook up a bag of dry chickpeas (no soaking required!).
How to Make Mashed Chickpea Salad
Note: This video is just a brief overview of the steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe with detailed instructions.
Tips & Tidbits
- I mash the chickpeas just until there are no whole chickpeas or super huge chunks; you don't want mash it into a hummus-like paste.
- To make this chickpea salad vegan, use vegan mayonnaise.
- I use dried dill for this recipe because that's what most of us usually have on hand, but you could certainly use fresh dill if you'd prefer.
- The general recommendation is to use 3 times the amount of fresh herbs as dried, so in this recipe, that would be 1½ teaspoons of chopped fresh dill (of course, you can always adjust that amount to suit your own taste).
- Sometimes I add a sprinkle or two of cayenne pepper for a little spicy heat!
- Eat the salad immediately or let it chill out in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving (or even overnight). I think it gets even better as it sits!
- You'll get about 2 cups of salad with this recipe, which could easily make 4 sandwiches using ½ cup of salad each. If you really want to pile those sammies high with salad, you might get 2 or 3 (you can always double the recipe to make a bigger batch if needed).
- This salad will last in the refrigerator (stored in an airtight container) for up to 3 to 4 days, so it's great for meal prepping. Make a batch on the weekend for lunches and snacks during the week!
Not only is this chickpea salad great on a sandwich, it's also fantastic on crackers, stuffed into a tomato, or just simply spooned onto a bed of lettuce and enjoyed as-is.
But maybe my most favorite way to use it is to make an open-faced melt by spreading it on a slice of toast, topping it with tomato and cheese, and then broiling it until the cheese melts. YUM!
I hope you try this Mashed Chickpea Salad recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Sandwich Salads to Try
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went. Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Mashed Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or about 1¾ cups home-cooked chickpeas)
- ½ cup finely diced celery, about ⅛-inch pieces
- ¼ cup finely diced red onions, about ⅛-inch pieces
- 3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon celery salt, or to taste (or you can use seasoned salt or regular salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl; mash with a fork to your desired consistency.I mash them just until there are no whole chickpeas or super large chunks; you don't want to turn them into a hummus-like paste.
- Add the celery, onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, celery salt and black pepper; mix until well-combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Enjoy immediately or cover and let chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight (I think it gets better as it sits).
- Use it to make sandwiches or wraps, spread it on crackers, stuff it in a tomato, put it on a bed of lettuce and eat it as-is...whatever you'd like!
Notes
- To make it vegan, use a vegan mayonnaise.
- Fresh dill can be substituted for dried. The general recommendation is to use 3 times the amount of fresh herbs as dried, so that would be 1½ teaspoons in this recipe (of course, you can always adjust that amount to suit your own taste).
- You'll get about 2 cups of salad with this recipe. You could easily make 4 sandwiches using ½ cup of salad each. If you really want to pile those sandwiches high with salad, you might get 2 or 3. You can always double the recipe to make a bigger batch if needed.
- Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
Galeria Sztuki Warszawa says
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