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Chickpea Tuna Salad is the perfect plant-based recipe that uses canned chickpeas, vegan mayo, celery, and spices for additional flavor. Great on sandwiches or paired with a salad for a delicious lunch!
This week I decided to clean out my pantry. I must admit that it was becoming a bit of a mess. I wasn’t able to find anything in there. Boxes of pasta covered the canned food, snacks were thrown around everywhere and it looked like a hurricane of food took place in there.
Yes, I was embarrassed that I had let it get that way.
No, I did not take any pictures of the mess to show you.
While sorting through the mess, I was able to organize and toss anything that had gone bad into the trash. Afterwards, I felt a real sense of accomplishment as I stood in the doorway admiring my awesome pantry organization skills. It reminded me that I should clean and organize things more often.
Along the process, I was also able to find several cans of chickpeas tucked away on a bottom shelf in the back corner. Those poor little cans of neglected chickpeas. I immediately had to make use of them in a delicious chickpea 'tuna' salad.
Have you ever heard of it? Well, it's similar to a tuna salad but instead of using canned tuna, chickpeas are used instead. This recipe is perfect if you're looking to eat more plant-based recipes and is an excellent source of protein and fiber. This recipe only requires a food processor or large bowl, fork, and arm muscle if you don’t have one.
Let's get started!
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE CHICKPEA SALAD?
- Chickpeas (canned)
- Mayo
- Celery
- Red onion
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
HOW TO MAKE THIS EASY CHICKPEA SALAD RECIPE?
DO THE CANNED CHICKPEAS NEED TO BE COOKED BEFORE USING IN THE RECIPE?
No, it is not necessary to cook the canned chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, before using them for this particular recipe. They are actually pre-cooked and just need to be drained and rinsed before using.
Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped
- ⅓ cup celery, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place 1 can of chickpeas, ⅓ cup mayo, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ cup chopped red onion, ⅓ cup chopped celery, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper into a food processor and pulse until incorporated and combined.
- You may have to stop the food processor a few times to scrape down the sides to make sure everything is combined, but please be careful not to over mix.
- Continue the process of pulsing until fully combined but the texture is still chunky or similar to tuna salad.
- Stop the food processor and remove the chickpea salad in a small bowl to serve. Spread the mixture evenly on a slice of toast, topped with spinach (or any green you prefer), and sliced tomato.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Original post date 07/06/2016. Updated 06/11/2021. Updated photos are by Gabby of Cookie Dough Diaries
WANT A FEW MORE EASY CHICKPEA RECIPES? TRY THESE:
Have any comments, questions, or other ideas for this Chickpea Salad? Please share them in the comments below!
Tamara
I am always looking for good lunch options and this is an awesome one. What's in our pantry? Chickpeas and tuna. And applesauce, but I'll keep that on the side..
admin
LOL!! I love it!! We both seem to keep spare cans of chickpeas of hand in our pantry 🙂
Akaleistar
I'm not wild about tuna salad, but I like chickpeas, and this looks like a nice alternative 🙂
admin
Thank you! I was not a big fan of tuna salad either.
Steve
I love this!
admin
Thank you Steve!
Sonya
I've made a faux tuna salad with chickpeas a few times. The first time I made it my husband missed the fact that I said it was "faux" tuna salad and wanted to know what kind of tuna I had used. He was surprised that it was made from chickpeas. The next time I just made some for myself 🙂
admin
That is too funny!! I could see how if you didn't know it was made with chickpeas it would be thought of as some funky tuna...HA!
Chantal
Hello fellow Floridian! This is a wonderful recipe for any time of the year down here. I started adding chick peas so it would be healthier, I really like your version. Thank you : )
LaKita
Hi Chantal! Thank you so much! This is a nice recipe to use chickpeas 🙂