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    Home » Recipes » Main Course

    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad (No Mayo)

    Published: May 27, 2021 . Modified: Nov 17, 2023 by Allie

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

    This is an oil-free vegan chickpea “tuna” salad sandwich made with no mayo.  It’s an easy and quick lunch that can be made in about 15 minutes using tahini and dijon mustard to give your chickpea salad a creamy texture.  

    chickpea salad sandwich with sliced tomatoes and lettuce

    For more easy no-cook meal ideas try a hummus cucumber sandwich, vegan curry chickpea salad, vegan toast ideas (with sweet and savory ideas), or vegan avocado toast (with 25 topping ideas). My recipe for quinoa zesty salad with black beans requires cooking quinoa but it still works great for a simple meal.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Substitutions
    • Instructions
    • Servings suggestions
    • How to make chickpea salad taste more like tuna?
    • Storage
    • Related recipes 
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    Chickpeas - For this recipe, we’ll mash the chickpeas to form the base of the vegan "tuna" salad and hold all of the delightful flavor elements.

    Tahini and water - Gives the mashed chickpea salad a nutty, earthy flavor and a creamy texture: removing the need for mayo.  The water helps thin out the tahini providing a creamy texture and cutting down on the amount of it needed for the recipe.

    Dijon mustard - Gives the sandwich a tangy flavor and an acidic component.

    Maple syrup - Gives a subtle sweetness to balance the slight bitterness of the tahini.

    Celery - This helps with texture by giving some crunch to the sandwich.

    Pickles - This replaces the pickle relish usually found in tuna salad.  Use your favorite pickle brand.

    Dill weed - This is simply dried dill leaves and adds a slightly sweet anise-like flavor.

    Substitutions

    • The tahini can be replaced with vegan mayo or avocado.  I haven’t tested it, but hummus would probably work well too.  If you do substitute with any of these, I would at least reduce the maple syrup to 1 teaspoon or eliminate it altogether.  I would also leave out the tablespoon of water if you substitute the tahini with mayo, avocado, or hummus (unless the hummus is thick).
    • The teaspoon of dill weed (dried dill leaves) can be replaced with 1 tablespoon of fresh dill.
    • The dried dill can also be substituted with chives.  It’s not the same flavor, but if you don’t have dill or just don’t like it, the chives will still add a little something extra to the chickpeas.
    • The dijon-style mustard can be replaced with yellow mustard.
    • The celery is for the texture, so it can be replaced with another crunchy vegetable.  If you do substitute it, whatever you choose may alter the taste and texture of the chickpea salad.  Red bell pepper will add some crunch while also making the salad a little sweeter.  Diced cucumber will also add some crunch, but has a higher water content so it might introduce more liquid into the smashed chickpea salad.
    ingredients for chickpea salad sandwich
    mashed chickpeas in a bowl

    Instructions

    Start by draining and rinsing the can of chickpeas.  Mash the chickpeas using a fork, or a potato masher.  Then add the diced celery and pickle to the bowl with mashed chickpeas along with the rest of the ingredients.  Then taste for seasoning. 

    To fit your unique preferences does it need more salt, pepper, tahini, or Dijon mustard?  Some brands of dijon-style mustard are milder than others.  For example, my store brand is milder than my Grey Poupon Dijon mustard, so if I’m using the store’s brand, I add more.

    If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon of tahini, water, or pickle juice at a time to reach your desired texture.

    ingredients in a bowl for chickpea salad sandwich
    ingredients mixed for chickpea salad sandwich

    Servings suggestions

    Serve the chickpea salad as a sandwich with your favorite toppings, in a lettuce wrap, or as a dip with crackers.  I like to serve it on toasted whole-wheat bread with lettuce, sliced tomato, and sliced red onion. It also works great for kids’ school lunches and can be made ahead of time.

    How to make chickpea salad taste more like tuna?

    To get the “from the sea” taste in mock tuna salad try adding Dulse flakes.  If you can’t find those, nori sheets that are used to make sushi can be substituted.  Grind the sheets up using a spice grinder or crumble them up.  Add them in after mashing the chickpeas when you add the rest of the ingredients. Dulse is saltier than nori, so you might want to hold off on the pinch of salt in the recipe.

    chickpea salad sandwich with sliced tomatoes and red onions

    Storage

    Store the leftover vegan chickpea tuna salad in the refrigerator inside an air-tight container for about 3-4 days.

    Related recipes 

    • Hummus cucumber sandwich
    • Vegan curry chickpea salad
    • Curry chickpea salad wrap
    • Vegan avocado toast
    • Tahini soba noodles
    • Vegan toast

    I hope you enjoy this recipe for an oil-free creamy chickpea salad sandwich! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.

    This was originally posted on September 10, 2018, and updated on May 27, 2021.

    Print

    Recipe

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    chickpea salad sandwich with sliced tomatoes and lettuce

    Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad (No Mayo)


    ★★★★★

    5 from 2 reviews

    • Author: Allie
    • Total Time: 15 minutes
    • Yield: 4 servings 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    This is an oil-free vegan chickpea “tuna” salad sandwich made with no mayo.  It’s an easy and quick lunch that can be made in about 15 minutes using tahini and dijon mustard to give your chickpea salad a creamy texture.  


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 ((15 ounces) 425 g))can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • ¼ cup (45 g) diced dill pickle (or use your favorite type of pickle)
    • 1 celery rib, diced (about ½ cup)
    • 2 tablespoons tahini
    • 1  ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
    • 1 teaspoon dill weed (dried dill leaves)
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • Pinch of salt and pepper, or to taste

     

    For serving

    • 8 slices whole-wheat bread
    • Sliced tomatoes
    • Sliced cucumbers

    Instructions

    1. Drain chickpeas and mash them in a bowl with the back of a fork or potato masher. 
    2. Then add the rest of your ingredients to the mashed chickpeas.
    3. Stir everything until combined.  While stirring I mash more of the chickpeas into the tahini/mustard mixture to make it creamier.
    4. Taste for seasoning, and adjust to your preferences.  If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon of tahini, water, or pickle juice at a time to reach your desired texture.
    5. Store the leftover chickpea salad in the refrigerator inside an air-tight container for about 3-4 days.
    6. Serve on whole-wheat bread, crackers, lettuce cups, or whatever your heart desires

    Notes

    Buy tahini with only one ingredient, sesame seeds.  There may be natural oil separation, which is normal, just stir the tahini to combine the separated oil back into the paste.  Make sure you don’t measure it out before you’ve dealt with the separation.

    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 0 minutes
    • Category: Main Course
    • Method: no-bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: chickpea salad sandwich no mayo, vegan chickpea tuna salad recipe

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @threelittlechickpeasblog on Instagram and hashtag it #threelittlechickpeasblog

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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    1. Amanda

      May 05, 2022 at 10:56 am

      Thanks for the recipe! I enjoyed the addition of tahini and dijon mustard, I'm not a mayo fan.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Allie

        May 05, 2022 at 10:56 am

        I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe, I'm not a fan of mayo either.

        Reply
    2. Rebecca

      September 03, 2022 at 10:18 am

      What could I sub the tahini for? Or just leave it out? (Sesame seed allergy:( )

      Reply
      • Allie

        September 03, 2022 at 4:43 pm

        You could try sour cream, yogurt, cashew butter, or if you like the flavor of sunflower butter. The chickpea salad will be drier if left out, so you could also try adding a little pickle juice with a smidge more of the mustard so it's not as dry. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    3. Logan

      July 09, 2023 at 2:21 pm

      This was a big hit with my family at lunch today! Plus I don't think I even spent 15 minutes putting some sandwiches together. Highly recommend!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Allie

        July 10, 2023 at 4:56 pm

        I'm glad you like the recipe and that it was a big hit with your family!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Allie! I love cooking and I want to share my simple plant-based meals with you. Eating this way doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Just simply delicious!

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    chickpea salad on whole wheat bread