‘Chickpea Of The Sea’ Tuna Salad Sandwich
Chickpea Tuna Salad – This classic vegan ‘tuna’ salad is the BEST and so easy to make! It’s a fan favorite and loved by all types of eaters!
This ‘Chickpea of the Sea’ Vegan Tuna Salad Sandwich is easy, healthy, delicious and sustainable!
Of course, it’s not going to taste exactly like tuna, but it will give you the mouth feel and fullness that its predecessor, the ‘tuna salad’ sandwich, gave you. Add some nori sheets or flakes to add more of a sea flavor.
This is a wonderfully simple mock vegan ‘tuna’ salad that can be served in a variety of ways! Enjoy it alone, on crackers, with leafy greens, or fresh veggie slices for scoopers.
My favorite part of sharing recipes, is trying all these different foods and sharing them here in hopes to inspire others looking to make changes seeking new inspiration. It’s not difficult eating a plant-based diet – in fact, it’s a joy!
I never tire of these simple recipes and I hope you like this easy chickpea tuna salad as much as I do!
Ingredient Notes
Here is everything you’ll need to make the best chickpea tuna salad. Includes optional add-ins as well.
- Chickpeas – Ues canned or freshly cooked.
- Onion – Use red or green (scallions) both work great.
- Celery – Adds a nice texture, but can be optional.
- Vegan Mayo – This will be the binder, you can sub with thinned hummus as well.
- Salt + Garlic Powder – Salt brings out the flavors and garlic powder is a flavor booster.
- Nori Sheets – An optional way to add ‘sea flavor’.
- Chia Seeds – Will add a dose of heart-healthy omega’s that’s also found in tuna.
How Do You Make Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad?
- Roughly mash the chickpeas; about 3/4 of them are good, with the back of a fork or potato masher. Mashing the chickpeas helps hold the salad together; once the binder is added and the ingredients are all mixed, it will be a nice thick mixture.
- Next, add the celery, onion, garlic powder, vegan mayo (or hummus mix), lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and mix well, adding any extra ingredients you like to taste. Alternatively, you could use a food processor, starting with the beans, pulse a few times, add the remaining ingredients, and pulse again a few times until the desired consistency.
That’s all it takes to make this delicious recipe. It’s healthy, versatile, quick, easy, and delicious!
This vegan chickpea tuna salad sandwich is my kind of wonderful!
Top Tips
- Change up the binder. I love using thinned plain hummus in place of vegan mayo. If using store-bought hummus that is thick, add a few heaping tablespoons to a small bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon of water at a time until desired thinness. It works perfectly!
- Add a sea flavor. Try adding a little seaweed, such as a sprinkle of dulse flakes or crushed nori sheet, to the mix for a taste of the sea.
- Add heart-healthy omegas. Tuna is full of omega; add 1 tablespoon or so of hemp hearts or chia seeds to the no-tuna mix for added nutrients.
- The recipe can easily be doubled. The one shown is a double batch. Feel free to double up; you’ll be glad to have leftovers.
How To Store + Meal Prep
- Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, in a covered container. Stir well before using.
- Meal prep: For meal prep, make the salad as directed and store it in the refrigerator. Meal prep with leafy greens, or make sandwiches or wraps.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan tuna salad is versatile and can be served as is or used as a filler. Here are a few of my favorite options:
- Salad: Serve with leafy greens as a salad.
- Wraps: It’s great for making tortilla wraps, tucking into pita bread, or making lettuce wraps.
- Sandwiches: It’s perfect as a sandwich filler or served as an open-faced sandwich. Try it with this homemade Artisan Bread!
- Crackers: Scoop up with a variety of crackers, pita chips, or rye crisps. Try these gluten-free Almond Flour Crackers.
- Veggie sticks: It’s delicious with fresh vegetable sticks for scooping. Use red bell pepper, celery or carrots, cucumber, zucchini, etc.
More Easy Chickpea Salads!
Because you can never have too many variations of creamy mashed chickpea salads, try these other wonderful recipes. You may just find a new favorite for the meal rotation!
- Cranberry Walnut Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Chickpea Avocado Salad Sandwich
- Vegan Sonoma Chickpea ‘Chicken’ Salad
- Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich (The Original)
- Curried Chickpea ‘Chicken’ Salad Sandwich
- Mediterranean Smashed Chickpea Salad
- Chickpea ‘Egg’ Salad Sandwich
If you try this vegan tuna salad recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
Print‘CHICKPEA OF THE SEA’ TUNA SALAD SANDWICH
This is a great mock ‘tuna’ salad sandwich using chickpeas. Alternately, serve this as lettuce wraps or use sliced vegetables like bell pepper and cucumber as scoopers.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 10 min
- Yield: Serves 3
- Category: Salad, Entree
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- juice of 1/2 lemon + some zest if you like
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup of vegan mayo (or 3 – 4 tablespoons hummus or white bean hummus + 2 – 3 tablespoons water)
- 1/4 cup celery (about 2 small stalks, leaves ok too), chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion (about 1/2 small), chopped
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- himalayan salt & cracked pepper, to taste
- dash of cayenne, optional
Other optional ingredients:
- crushed nori sheets or dulse (seaweed)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds or hemp hearts for some omega 3 & 6
- sweet or dill pickle relish
To Serve
- 6 slices whole grain, sprouted whole grain flourless or artisan bread, to serve
- leafy greens, to serve
- nori sheets, to serve (optional)
- pickles, optional
Instructions
Mash chickpeas: Drain and rinse chickpeas, place in a medium-size bowl, and roughly mash about 3/4 of the chickpeas with the back of a fork or potato masher until desired consistency.
Assemble salad: Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well, adding any extra ingredients you like. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to start with the beans, pulse a few times, and add the remaining ingredients, pulsing again a few times until the desired consistency.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Ways to serve:
- Serve on bread of choice, along with some leafy greens and the optional 1/4 sheet of nori.
- For a gluten-free meal, you can also serve it on bibb or romaine lettuce like a wrap instead of bread.
- Try serving with sliced fresh scoopable veggies like cucumber, red bell peppers, zucchini, etc.
- Lastly, pair it with your favorite crackers.
Salad serves 3 generously.
Store: Leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days. Stir before serving.
Notes
If using thick store-bought hummus, thin it with water, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring, and repeating until desired consistency. This will make for a really nice, creamy binder. If using the hummus recipe link in the ingredient list, omit the cumin.
The chickpea of the sea salad is great on leafy greens as a wrap. It’s cool and crunchy!
Nutrition facts are for the salad only (bread not included). Using the right bread may add another 10 grams of protein. Not too bad for a vegan sandwich!
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This is a wonderful recipe – simple and very easy to adapt to what you have on hand. Today I added in chopped cherry tomatoes and cucumber (I’ve never been able to develop a taste for celery), and diced shallots today, along with chia seeds, crumbled nori and mashed avocado and had it stuffed in a pita. Even my partner who’s usually a bit skeptical about vegan foods (they have a lot of food aversions) loved it and thought it was incredibly tasty. I can tell this is going to be a regular dish in my house, thank you!
Omg I just whipped this up, it was easy/ no stove or oven needed which is a plus and tasted so good! I followed the basic recipe & added recommended dulse flakes + hemp hearts+ cucumber+avocado+jalepeno and wow it’s so good and deff reminds me of tuna! thank you so much this is so much easier than the jackfruit tuna recipes
We are vegan and my husband and I LOOOOVED this! I added some finely chopped organic carrots and some organic kelp granules instead of the nori. I also added a slice of vegan cheese (Chao) and grilled the sandwiches on marble rye bread. It made 4 generous sandwiches. They were delicious and SOOOO reminiscent of the tuna melts we used to enjoy. This is a keeper and going into regular rotation, THANK YOU!
I made this. I filled this to the letter except for the cayenne, I used smoked paprika instead. OMG, GOOOOD!!! Thank you so much for sharing. Definitely a keeper in my house!
I’ve very recently turned full veggie after 6 months or so being pescatarian. I’d usually have tuna 1-2 times a week for lunch so was keen to get a decent sub’ to put in my sandwich and wow, I’ve found it on first time of asking! Great recipe, minimal prep time, just fantastic all round really. Many Thanks.
Tastes incredible! Will absolutely be making again :)
Wow this was really good. I’m not vegan yet, I’m kind of slowly transitioning to it, by incorporating more vegan recipes into my diet. Anyways, I had a craving for tuna salad and got curious if there was a vegan alternative, and I had the ingredients, so I whipped it up. Mashed chickpeas with a potato masher. Took a little bit, but it made it closer in texture to tuna than I think a food processor would have done. And honestly it was so good. I personally would’ve used a tiny less lemon juice but my lemon was also extra juicy, but it added a nice bright flavor.
Thanks for sharing, Tyler! It’s super helpful. Cheers :)
This was a revelation- I was a bit skeptical to be honest as although I like chickpeas I thought it would taste of them too strongly. You can hardly tell they are there. Didn’t have nori unfortunately but I think that would go really well in there. Made my own pitta bread and stuffed this inside with some lettuce and pickled cucumber. Delicious – will definitely make again.
omg, THIS RECIPE WAS SO BOMB… I GAVE SOME TO MY 8 YR OLD WHOM IS A VERY PICKY EATER WHEN IT COMES TO VEGAN FOOD. SHE LOVED IT, I LOVED IT.
Absolutely amazing! I had a friend tell me to use the food processor for quicker prep, but mashing is the only way the texture is authentic. This is a keeper and I’ve made it twice this week already. It’s a winner in my family. Thank you for sharing.
I love this recipe! It’s a great weekday lunch option. I am not vegan but I am vegetarian and one of the few things I miss is strangely tuna. This really fills the void! I usually eat it on toast maybe with avocado or just by itself with some mustard and pickles mixed in and it reminds me of my childhood. I am thinking of turning it into the base for a “tuna” pasta salad and just adding pasta and peas next. Thank you for one of my all time fav recipes!
This recipe is absolutely amazing, I was looking for something just like this! It’s perfect for sandwiches I like making for lunch for school