Name: Best Vegan Chickpea “Tuna” Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 5
Ingredients: 4 cups chickpeas; 3 cloves of garlic; 1/3 C fresh herbs (any you choose, but dill and parsley really make it pop!); 1/2 onion; 3 ribs of celery; 1/2 C mayonnaise; Salt to taste; 1 tsp pepper; 1/2 tsp celery seed

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This chickpea mock “tuna” salad is a perfect quick lunch for anyone on a plant based diet. Also, there is a lot of talk from health authorities warning of the dangers of high levels of mercury in our bodies wreaking havoc. A common culprit: canned tuna. So disappointing, because I really love a legit, classic tuna salad! When I heard that people used chickpeas in place of tuna, I was so happy because chickpeas are my very favorite bean! Chickpea tuna salad is a great alternative for anyone craving tuna salad sandwiches.

Chickpeas = Garbanzo Beans = DELICOUS

Chickpeas are a cute name for garbanzo beans. And if you have it in your mind that you don’t like chickpeas, don’t write this recipe off! Let me convince you to cook them yourself! Canned chickpeas are undercooked, under salted and under flavored. I know it sounds strange, but I cannot stop myself from dishing up a huge bowl of chickpeas, topping it with a pad of butter and freshly ground pepper when they are freshly cooked! If I’m cooking chickpeas for dinner, I WILL have two dinners— my first round being that creamy bowl I just described, then whatever meal that the chickpeas are going into. Simple food speaks to me! (This is a staple dinner for us—but instead of using tofu, I use chickpeas!)

Over the years, our family has had various seasons of eating a plant-based diet. In our early years, we didn’t have the budget for quality meat, so we leaned heavily on plant-based protein. While I was nursing, I had a few babies who couldn’t handle dairy, so most of our snacks came from vegan recipes. When we lived in Okinawa, we had no access to quality meat (other than fish that the boys caught!) so again, we were thankful for our background in plant based eating.

However, regardless of our whatever our eating style is, chickpeas ALWAYS have a primary place in our diet! This chickpea tuna-style salad was a weekly go-to for our lunches in Okinawa, and is on regular rotation here in San Diego. It is such an easy lunch to make ahead for busy days!

HOW TO MAKE CHICKPEA “TUNA” SALAD

Start by cooking chickpeas, or if you’re short on time, use a can of chickpeas. But for best results, cook your own!

In a food processor, mince garlic and any fresh herbs you have. (If it’s winter and you’re shopping for this recipe specifically, I think fresh parsley and fresh dill taste best. This time, I used fresh dill, thyme and oregano because that’s what I had in my garden.) Add sweet onion, green onion, crisp celery and dill pickles to the food processor. Give it a quick blitz until they are diced. If you do not have a food processor, no worries, just dice them finely.

Drain and rinse your chickpeas, but be sure to save the liquid so that you can make vegan mayonnaise with the liquid, called aquafaba.

Add chickpeas, mayonnaise, dijon mustard and black pepper to the food processor. Pulse until everything is incorporated well, but not yet a creamy texture. We’re looking for tuna fish texture here. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Enjoy vegan chickpea “tuna” salad sandwich!

This delicious recipe is one of the most versatile whole foods recipes you can keep on hand to use in so many different ways!

Variations we have used:

add lemon for some extra tang
add celery seeds for extra flavor
add sunflower seeds for a little crunch
use garlic powder, dried onions and dried herbs if you’re in a hurry or don’t have fresh on hand
make lettuce wraps with iceberg lettuce instead of slices of bread
sourdough rye bread is THE BEST paired with this!
Forego mashing the chickpeas and use this as a side dish for dinners

Print the recipe card below or save to Pinterest for later! As always, leave a comment below or tag me on instagram if you decide to make this! Let us know what variations you made to this recipe!