This chickpea tuna salad has all of the best things about tuna salad, except that it doesn't clear the room with a stinky fish smell. So, with only 10 ingredients and less than 15 minutes, you could be sinking your teeth into this triple-decker.
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📖 About
First and foremost, we created this blog for all types of eaters, vegan and non-vegan. We do not discriminate. What we do discriminate against is bad tasting food. Jokes aside, we both have always despised the taste of tuna. Are we the only ones?
But, we always loved what tuna was mixed with! So, when we discovered you can basically make the same recipe with mashed chickpeas instead, it was love at first sight.
🍲 Key ingredients
A few of the main ingredients for this classic vegan staple include:
- Chickpeas: also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas are full of protein and fiber. They create a meaty "tuna" texture without giving you that fish taste. Chickpeas always taste best when cooked from dry, but if you're short on time, then the canned type work too.
- Pickles: these are a must in this recipe. They give a nice crunch and tangy flavor. You can't go wrong if you decide to throw some extra pickles in to the mix.
- Vegan Mayo: we think this one is pretty obvious. The vegan mayo is just meant for those mashed chickpeas. Trust us.
- Carrots: Along with the pickles and other vegetables, carrots give the chickpea salad a nice crunchy texture along with a subtle sweetness. And let's be honest, having some vibrant colors makes your food look so much more appetizing. We would definitely recommend shredding over chopping your carrots, but either way will work!
🔪 Instructions
To start this all off, you'll need to mash some chickpeas in a large mixing bowl with a fork or a potato masher. You can also pulse them a few times in a food processor if you have one, but only if you want to save a little time.
Next, chop up your veggies and add those along with the sauces. Combine everything together, and bam! You've got yourself a chickpea tuna salad in less than 15 minutes. How easy is that?!
The beauty of this recipe is how versatile it is. You can serve it on wraps, sandwiches, salads, or just eat it straight out of the bowl like we always end up doing.
🌡️ Storage
This recipe stores well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. It's a great meal to prep ahead for lunches because it's one of the few recipes that actually gets better with age (like a fine wine). But seriously, day 2 is where it's at.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Buy your chickpeas dry because they're way cheaper
- Make your own mayo
- Eat this by itself rather than put it on top of bread or in a wrap
🍴 Tasting notes
We always go a little crazy in our house when this chickpea tuna salad is around. We know you you will too. It's:
- Crunchy
- Creamy
- Protein-filled
- Tangy
- Classic
If you try this for lunch or dinner, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Chickpea Tuna Salad
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Food processor
- Potato masher
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas ($0.34)
- 1 small carrot, shredded ($0.14)
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced ($0.05)
- 2-3 small dill pickles, finely diced ($0.10)
- ¼ cup red onions, finely diced ($0.03)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice ($0.09)
- 3 tablespoon vegan mayo ($0.20)
- 1 tablespoon mustard ($0.04)
- ½ tablespoon dijon ($0.03)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste ($0.02)
Instructions
- Open and drain 2 cans of chickpeas. For best results, cook dried chickpeas in an instant pot.
- Measure out 2 cups of chickpeas into a food processor. Pulse a few times until you achieve a mashed consistency. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a potato masher or a fork to achieve the desired results.
- Transfer chickpeas into a large mixing bowl, and add in the rest of the ingredients. Combine well, adjusting seasonings as needed.
- Serve on toast, wraps, lettuce wraps, or just eat it straight out of the bowl!
Notes
- To shred the carrots, we just use a hand grater. However, if your food processor has a grating insert, that works too.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more tasty recipes, check out our:
- Smashed curried chickpea salad for a different taste and feel to the one you just made.
- Vegan chickpea salad for a Mediterranean-inspired chickpea salad with fresh vegetables, herbs, and a savory vinaigrette.
- Creamy Moroccan hummus if you need a break from the regular stuff.
- Mushroom hummus toast to make your mornings a little more boujee.
- Chana masala for a spicy Indian dish that's perfect for leftovers.
💬 FAQ
Of course! We just include it in our recipe to make it fully plant-based.
Try substituting with more of the regular mustard.
Yes! Try experimenting out with other types of pickles. Just remember, the bread and butter style won't give you the same tang.
K
My partner is vegetarian so I've been eating more meatless meals since we started dating, simply because it was more convenient to cook one meal and I'd been wanting to try incorporating more veggies anyway. Now that we live together, it's a little trickier so in my hunt for easy and tasty I found this. We did deviate a little based on what we had in our kitchen so it's great on its own, super easy to modify; sweet and sour pickles for dill, and re-hydrated cranberries for a sweet kick. This is something we both see as becoming a staple in our household. The hardest part was waiting since we did the chickpeas from scratch, but after that, it came together in literal minutes. Consider this site bookmarked! <3
Broke Bank Vegan
That is amazing to hear! We love that you are incorporating more plant-based meals into your life. These variations sound delicious (we will have to try them out!). Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment. Let us know if you have any questions!
Julia Bergman
I had to improvise a little cause I didn’t have all the ingredients. Added pickled red onions and some chopped bread and butter pickles. Served on toasted sourdough and fresh tomatoes for breakfast. So yummy.
Dr. Moira Drosdovech
A great variation of a fantastic and nutritional meal! I added sunflower seeds to mine for some extra crunch and served in a large leaf of green lettuce with avocado!