This smashed chickpea salad sandwich is a healthy and delicious way to fill your belly! Easy and perfect to make ahead of time.
This recipe was originally published on 5/20/15
If you’re looking for an easy make ahead lunch this sandwich is it! Loaded with veggies, filling and delicious, plus perfect for the whole family.
Sandwiches are the easiest lunch! But if you’re not just slapping meat and cheese between two slices of bread you need to get a little more creative. This recipe is perfect for mixing up in advance to have on hand in the fridge, then all you have to do it spread it on bread and go!
Ingredients
The basic ingredients you need to make this mashed chickpea sandwich include:
- Chickpeas and brine
- Almonds
- Veggies
- Pickles
- Lemon juice
- Herbs and seasonings
How To Make a Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich
This recipe is super easy to make! Here are the simple steps:
- Pulse the ingredients to chop.
- Whisk the aquafaba until frothy.
- Mix everything.
- Top your bread.
- Serve!
Flavor suggestions
The recipe here tastes great as is, but it’s always fun to change things up with other flavors. Try mixing in any of the following:
- Roasted veggies
- Seeds for extra crunch
- Arugula would give this sandwich a nice peppery kick.
- Try different fresh herbs such as torn basil leaves.
Serving suggestions
Once you have the chickpea salad all mixed up, you need to find a way to eat it! Here are a few ideas for how to enjoy this recipe:
- Between slices of bread
- Stuffed in pita pockets
- In lettuce Wraps
- Scoop it up with crackers
- Dip in veggies like carrots, peppers, or celery
Tips and tricks
Here are a few more suggestions to help you out when making this chickpea salad sandwich:
- If you want a really fast version and don’t want to mess with whipping the brine, then simply add 1/2 cup chickpeas instead of 1/4 when pureeing to a paste, then mix with the chopped chickpeas and veggies.
- Prep in advance by chopping the veggies and beans beforehand so all you need to do the day you make it is put it all together.
- To make a nut free version of this recipe use pumpkin seeds instead of almonds.
- For simplicity purposes canned chickpeas are best since the brine is ready for you to use. However if you cook your own chickpeas you’ll need to reserve the broth to make the aquafaba.
- Store the chickpea salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Common Questions
The basic answer here is anything. Just like a tortilla, you really can put almost anything between bread.
Here are a few of my faves:
Veggies– all and any, I slap them on like no tomorrow!
Sauce– the pinnacle of finishing off the flavor of a meal, just spread it on with a heavy hand.
Cheese– dairy free cheese is great to throw on for an extra oomph and if you’re fancy, melt it.
Protein– Portobello mushrooms, baked tempeh, avocado, whatever it is, putting a good protein base on a sammie helps keep you full and satisfied.
Mimicking the feel of the classic tuna salad, but in a healthy way, isn’t that hard. You need to think of two main things: the main protein and the creamy base. There are many ideas out there on replacing tuna in a vegan tuna sandwich. Jackfruit, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm and chickpeas are the top choices. I chose the later, making this mashed chickpea salad sandwich the perfect easy meal.
With the use of BPA-free cans now, there is no harm in using canned chickpeas. Plus I feel that they mash a bit better. We all need to make our own decisions, but for me, balance and low stress plays a huge role in living the perfect food space for me. Learn more about Balancing a Plant-Based life.
Aquafaba is literally the liquid from a can of chickpeas. It took the vegan cooking world by storm some years back. It was discovered by Joel Roessel when he noticed that it frothed much like egg whites. It now is used as an egg replacer in many things, from baking to actual meringue!
With the baking world using it non-stop, I decided to take a different spin (big surprise here) and use it in a savory recipe. So I frothed it up by beating it on high to make it creamy and fluffy, then mixed it into my chickpea salad base to add to the creaminess of the chickpeas. No mayo needed! You can definitely add a bit of oil when you beat it for an extra creamy flavor, but it isn’t necessary.
Yep, you sure can. If you soak your dried chickpeas instead of using canned, save the liquid and reduce it like explained in this post here all about making your own Aquafaba.
Aquafaba can hang in the fridge for about a week. You can also pour the liquid into ice cube trays, then once frozen, dump the aquafaba cubes into a plastic bag. Boom, instant aquafaba for things like smashed chickpea salad sandwiches, baked goods, and those crazy moments when you attempt things like meringue.
More Vegan Sandwich and Burger Recipes
There’s just something about layering bread with tasty fillings that makes everything taste better! These easy plant based recipes do exactly that:
- Easy Lentil Veggie Burger
- Vegan Shawarma
- BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
- Vegan Cheesesteak Sandwich
- The Ultimate Vegan BLT
- Falafel Sandwich
- Vegan Meatball Sub
Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas , drained and rinsed, about one 15 oz can
- 6 tablespoons chickpea brine , the juice from can of chickpeas (can drizzle some oil in with this if you want an extra creamy result, see note)
- 1/2 cup almonds , or pumpkin seeds for nut free version
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped celery
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped pickles
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro , optional for added level of flavor
To serve:
- 4 slices your favorite sandwich bread , gluten-free if needed
- Sliced cucumber
- Lettuce
- Tomato
Instructions
- Drain the can of chickpeas, reserving the juice.
- Put almonds, carrots, celery, pickles and dill into a food processor. Chop into small pieces and put into a large bowl.
- Next add the chickpeas into the food processor and pulse until chunky. Take out all but 1/4 cup and add to the bowl.
- Puree the leftover chickpeas into a paste.
- Add the chickpea paste, pickle juice, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder and pepper into the bowl and mix well.
- Pour in the reserved chickpea brine (you can store the rest for future use), and beat with a stand mixer (with whisk attachment) or beater until it begins to get thick and creamy. You can drizzle a bit of oil here if you want an extra creamy result. You can also skip this step and just leave the mixture as is.
- Add it to the bowl and fold into the mixture.
- Serve on bread with cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce!
Notes
- If you want a really fast version and don’t want to mess with whipping the brine, then simply add 1/2 cup chickpeas instead of 1/4 when pureeing to a paste, then mix with the chopped chickpeas and veggies.
- Makes 2 cups chickpea mixture. Serving size is 1/2 cup.
- Nutrition facts are for the mashed chickpea filling only
- Chop veggies and beans beforehand so all you need to do the day you make it is put it all together.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Sarah says
Made a big batch to stick in the fridge for a couple days so it was perfect for easy lunches!
Jaclyn says
Really enjoyed this recipe today for lunch! Thanks
veggiesdontbite says
I am so happy to hear Jaclyn!
Shirley says
This was delicious! I made more of the chick peas into a mash because I like it to have more spreading quality. This is a keeper!! I can also see putting this on crackers or small cocktail sandwiches. Yummers!
veggiesdontbite says
So happy to hear you liked it Shirley!!
Laurie says
Fantastic recipe! The first vegan “tuna” i am trying.
Left out the seeds, dill and aquafaba and used some hummus i had already made for the “mayo” and added the pickle juice, lemin juice and spices to that.
Grated the carrots and used dill pickles and hand mashed the chick peas.
This is a keeper- i never leave reviews but this deserves one!!
veggiesdontbite says
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for the great review!
steviefbillman says
This is the perfect sandwich for the now warmer weather! Can just imagine eating this in the park! Will definitely be making this!
Tiffany says
I was so excited for this, but it just didn’t work ? I pressure can my own chickpeas and tried using that for my brine and it did not thicken up. I even used a hand mixer. Bummer. Anyone have luck using pressure caned beans as a brine?
veggiesdontbite says
Oh that’s so interesting to hear Tiffany! I use canned beans so I wonder what the difference is in the brine. I guessed it is the way it’s prepared so I did a search for you and found this: http://gayathriscookspot.com/2015/07/homemade-aquafaba-chickpea-brine-the-best-egg-white-substitute/ Let me know if that helps at all. I need to help you figure out how to get your brine to work because it’s amazing the possibilities you can use it for. I use it for baking all the time now, but it needs to be done right or it won’t work. Let me know if you figure it out! I’ll keep searching too!