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Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich

The best Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich (aka Chickpea Mash) is quick, easy and healthy! It’s also easily customizable, and can be used as a wrap filler or served on a bed of leafy greens!

head on view of the best mashed chickpea salad sandwich cut in half and stacked.

Meet the great mashed chickpea salad!

This salad makes a great chickpea salad sandwich and reminds me very much of an egg or tuna salad. It’s one of my favorite to-go lunches and I figured it was time to add this versatile smashed chickpea salad to the recipe collection!

Typically, when I make this recipe, I’ll graze on it for most of the day. It’s completely satisfying and tastes great while giving me more than half of my required protein and fiber for the day!

Made with ingredients you probably already have on hand, it’s super quick and easy, and perfect for everyday eating and to-go meals.

So without further ado, let’s get mashing!

top down view of ingredients used to make the best mashed chickpea salad.

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients for this easy chickpea mash can be changed to suit your taste and keep it interesting!

  • Chickpeas – Use canned or freshly cooked garbanzo beans.
  • Celery – Great for a cool crunchiness, but can be omitted.
  • Carrots – I diced up baby carrots, but shredded carrots will work too.
  • Scallions – Try red onion in place of green onions for variation.
  • vegan mayo – can sub with thinned hummus or tahini (If using hummus or tahini, I highly recommend adding a few tablespoons of water to thin it, making for a wonderfully creamy texture.)
  • Mustard – Use Dijon or whole grain (I forgot to add the mustard to the picture above, but it’s in the recipe)
  • Garlic powder – For good measure, add a nice flavor.
  • Pepitas – Sunflower seeds are a great option too!
  • Lemon – I love lemon on just about anything, it adds brightness and zing.

Optional Add-ins

  • Add diced red bell pepper for more color.
  • Vary it up by adding olivescaperssweet pickle relish, etc. Maybe not all together, but pick and choose.

top down view showing the process of mashing chickpeas in a bowl with items surrounding.

How To Make Mashed Chickpea Salad

  • Start by prepping your veggies.
  • Mash the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas to a serving bowl and roughly mash them with the back of a sturdy fork. You’ll want to mash about 3/4 of the chickpeas so the mash holds together. If you find you didn’t smash enough now, you can always mash a little more once everything is combined.
top down view showing the process of making mashed chickpea salad.
  • Assemble chickpea mash. Add the carrots, celery, green onions, mustard, vegan mayo or thinned hummus, salt and pepper (shown above). Combine it all together (as shown below).

Now you’re ready to rock this salad any way you like!

Top Tips

  • Double the recipe. This recipe can easily be doubled as is the batch pictured in the photos. Trust me, you’ll be glad to have the leftovers!
  • Mash or unmash. Although this recipe calls for mashing the chickpeas, which helps bind them together, feel free to skip the mash if you prefer.

top down view of the best mashed chickpea salad in a serving bowl with items surrounding.

How To Store + Meal Prep

  • Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, in a covered container. Mix well before serving.
  • Meal prep: For meal prep, make the salad as directed and store it in the refrigerator. You can also use reusable containers with leafy greens to make sandwiches or wraps.

Ways To Serve Chickpea Mash

  • Sandwich: I love to eat this chickpea mash in a sandwich. Use your favorite bread, toasted or untoasted, layer with avocado, and add sliced tomato if you like. If you’re a sandwich lover, I know you’ll love this one. Even tucked in a wrap or pita bread would be great!
  • Salad: I often serve this on a bed of chopped romaine lettuce with sliced cherry tomatoes and a big squeeze of fresh lemon overtop (shown below), and sometimes I add a dash of paprika for a bit of extra flavor and pop of color.
  • Scoop It Up: This chickpea salad also works great scooped up as a hearty dip for crackers, sliced cucumbers and bell pepper slices. Serve it as a party appetizer for your next gathering with friends and family.
top down view of healthy mashed chickpea salad with leafy greens in white bowl.

More Mashed Chickpea Recipes!

If you try this chickpea mash recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make. Cheers!

Print

MASHED CHICKPEA SALAD SANDWICH

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 11 reviews

The great Mashed Chickpea Salad works well as a sandwich filler, lettuce wraps, served on a bed of leafy greens or scooped up with sliced colored bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, etc.

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Vegansita
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 15 min
  • Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
  • Category: Salad, Appetizer
  • Method: mash, mix
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup celery, sliced
  • 1/2 cup carrots, diced
  • 1/4 cup scallions, sliced
  • 1/3 cup vegan mayo (1/4 – 1/3 cup or so hummus or tahini + 23 tablespoons water), see notes
  • 12 tablespoons dijon mustard (stoneground ok too)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt + pepper, to taste
  • juice of 1 lemon, optional (adds brightness)
  • small handful pepitas (pumpkin seeds), optional
  • paprika (regular or smoked paprika), to garnish

To Serve

  • Bread of choice or tortillas
  • Leafy lettuce
  • mashed avocado

Instructions

Mash chickpeas: Place chickpeas in a medium size bowl and roughly mash about 3/4 of the garbanzo beans with the back of a sturdy fork, potato masher or pastry blender.

Assemble salad: Add the remaining ingredients and combine to mix. Add more vegan mayo or hummus if you like it creamier. Taste for seasoning.

Ways to serve:

  • Sandwich: Using bread, layer the bottom half with leafy greens and the top half with mashed avocado. Spread the chickpea salad on the bottom half and top with the top half. Slice in half and enjoy!
  • Wraps: Lay a tortilla on flat surface, add a few leafy greens in the center, top with chickpea salad and roll. Alternatively, stuff pita bread with salad and leafy greens.
  • Salad: serve on a bed of leafy greens.
  • Dip: Scoop up with crackers or sliced vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, celery sticks, etc.

Store: Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 – 6 days.

Notes

*If you find your hummus is a bit thick, thin it out with 2 – 3 tablespoons of water, you may find you need 1 more tablespoon. I always do this with my humus when using as a binder. This will make for a perfect consistency to use as a binder without being overly thick and/or drying as well.

Try using diced red onion for a little different color.

Add in diced red bell pepper for crunch and color.

Vary it up by adding olives, capers, sweet pickle relish, etc. Maybe not all together, but pick and choose.

You may like to try this Simple White Bean Hummus as a binder.

Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

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121 Comments

  1. Lori Murphy says:

    This salad is seriously so delicious that I always double the recipe when I make it. The only thing I don’t double is the amount of lemon juice because it is perfectly lemony this way- I think it might be overpowering if I doubled it. Thanks for this wonderful recipe that is a staple for lunches in our house!






  2. Definitely a winner. Thank you! I didn’t have green onions on hand so I used diced yellow onions instead. Added some capers. Delicious!






  3. This recipe is a winner! I love the texture of the chickpeas with the diced celery and carrot, and the flavor is very similar to chicken salad. Used spicy hummus instead of mayo and added 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning.






  4. Hello! I’m making this Sandwich for a tea party so of course I am using the whitest bread I can find. I don’t plan on using lettuce or avocado so my question is do you think the chickpea mixture on white bread will get soggy if I make it a few hours ahead of time thank you so much!

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      No, the sandwiches will hold up just fine if made a few hours ahead. Enjoy your tea party and the chickpea sandwiches!

  5. I just realized I never left a comment on this recipe and I’ve been making it for years. I eat it almost every day on a sandwich. Delicious exactly as written!






  6. Can you freeze this salad?

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Great question, Sandy! Yes, you can freeze this chickpea mash for up to 2 – 3 months. Let thaw in the fridge.

  7. Shelley Levine says:

    Excellent recipe. I am always disappointed in the chickpea salad recipes. This one definitely hits the mark. I included two tbs. of pickle relish… Yum!






  8. I LOVE this recipe! Every summer I always look for new “chicken” salads put on sandwiches and this is by far my new favorite. Personally, the texture of chickpeas by themselves bother me so this is a PERFECT chickpea salad for me! It tastes a lot like hummus but the mustard and lemon juice give it the tang that’s perfect for a “chickpea” salad.






  9. Winner, winner, chickpea salad in a tortilla dinner!






  10. Jessi Summers says:

    I found this recipe while I was looking for something to eat with spring greens. I already had all of these ingredients on hand, so it was a no brainer to try it. The hardest part was mashing the chickpeas, which wasn’t even hard at all. Really delicious! Now if only I was a cleaner sandwich eater… :)






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