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!
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!
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 olives, capers, sweet pickle relish, etc. Maybe not all together, but pick and choose.
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.
- 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.
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.
More Mashed Chickpea Recipes!
- Chickpea ‘Egg’ Salad Sandwich
- Cranberry Walnut Vegan ‘Chicken’ Salad
- Sonoma Chickpea ‘Chicken’ Salad
- ‘Chickpea of the Sea’ Vegan Tuna Salad
- Curried Chickpea Salad
- Chickpea Avocado Salad Sandwich
- Mediterranean Smashed Chickpea Salad
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!
PrintMASHED CHICKPEA SALAD SANDWICH
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.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
- Category: Salad, Appetizer
- Method: mash, mix
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 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 + 2 – 3 tablespoons water), see notes
- 1 – 2 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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I made this recipe a few times already it's always delicious! I switch the veggies often, i like adding peppers and i use red onion as i have it at home more often than scallions. I eat on a piece of toasted bread, or in a sandwich with spinach and slice apple. It's a lunch staple around here now!
Wow!! I love this recipe. Thank you so much! I did substitute the hummus for lemonaise and that added a lot of flavor and moisture. Next time I'm going to add the apple as suggested :)
I have whipped up this recipe twice in the last week – its too good! And goes pretty quick, I may double the recipe next time
A double batch is a good idea! :)
This is fantastic! Just made it for lunch and took every ounce of self control I had not to eat the whole bowl. I added 1/4 cup of cashews and handful of halved red grapes. Thanks much!
Sounds delicious!
i didn't have any mustard when i made it but it still tasted delicious! thanks so much – this will be a regular lunch for me going forward!
Looks lovely! Nice take on this chickpea salad. Cheers :)
We had this for dinner last night and it was amazing. I added more Hummus than called for and it was perfect. thank you for sharing.
You can't wrong with hummus, the more the merrier! :)
Would this work with other kinds of beans? I'm thinking black beans or red beans…
No harm in trying it out! Black beans with give you more protein per serving which is a plus. For me in this recipe I tend to go towards any white bean, maybe try cannellini beans if they're available to you. Those are high in protein as well. Would love to know how it turns for you if you try the darker beans. :)
Hey Julie, I made this for dinner on Saturday and had leftovers for breakfast on Sunday morning. With avo on the side it was absolute heaven. Thanks for your awesome recipes :)
I love it for breakfast too. I can eat it anytime of day and be happy! And, you're so welcome! :)
I'm new to eating vegan and was looking for something to put on sandwiches. I've tried this recipe and it's great! I've also combined it with the cranberry walnut chickpea salad by adding walnuts and cranberries but leaving out the maple syrup. It's great on sandwiches or with pita chips, and I've also wrapped it in lettuce. And what's best, even my kids like it!