Chickpeas are just about the most versatile bean I’ve ever come across. They pair well with so many flavors making them the ultimate bean in my book. No wonder they are loved by so many!
They may not have as much protein or fiber as black beans and cannellini beans, but chickpeas come in close enough with 15 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber per 1 cup. They are a nutrient dense food with good carbohydrates the body needs and are low in fat with only 4 grams of fat per 1 cup.
Other beans are not nearly as versatile as the chickpea. You can make savory chickpea pancakes with the flour, add them to ratatouille, stews, salads, make hummus, falafels, roast them as a snack and the list goes on and on. They are the greatest bean ever and I can’t wait to put them into new recipes here in the future. I have lots of ideas for these little guys!
We’ll start by adding this super awesome Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad Sandwich to the collection. If you didn’t already know, chickpeas make for great sandwich fillers too!
You may already be familiar with my ‘Chickpea of the Sea’ Salad and my other classic Mashed Chickpea Salad. This one is just as delicious but with a sweet flair that I just know you’ll fall in love with!
I assure you that this will hit the spot and satisfy your craving for a chunky, sweet, peppery, crunchy style sandwich. Full of texture and flavor this has become my new favorite. It’s a hearty salad that will comfort you and leave you feeling completely satisfied!
This can be served as a traditional or open faced sandwich. Or simply serve on a bed of lettuce and skip the bread. You may even find that you love the salad all by itself without any accompaniment! I can easily eat this straight from the bowl all day long. :)
Slice your celery, feel free to add in some celery leaves if you can. For the scallions, when slicing use both the green and white parts. Roughly chop your walnuts. When buying cranberries, use organic whenever possible (I like the ones from Trader Joe’s, they’re so brightly colored too!). You can also use fresh chopped cranberries!
Roughly mash your chickpeas. I doubled this batch using 3 cups of chickpeas instead of 1 1/2 so I’d have plenty of leftovers. If you double the batch you’ll be glad you have them too! Add in the remaining ingredients and mix. About as simple as it gets, which is why I love chickpea salads!
There you have it…serve on your favorite bread either open faced or closed. I have it paired here with a fruit, nut and seed loaf. Would also be great on a bed of leafy greens. However you like, enjoy!
Do you love chickpea salad sandwiches? For more inspiration take a look at these other delicious variations!
- Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Mashed Chickpea & Avocado Sandwich
- Sonoma Chickpea Salad
- Chickpea of the Sea Salad
- Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Mediterranean Mashed Chickpea Salad
CRANBERRY WALNUT CHICKPEA SALAD SANDWICH
The chickpea strikes again making for another great sandwich filler that will knock your socks off! If staying away from bread, serve this on a bed of leafy greens or eat as it right from the bowl. Any way you serve this salad is delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked or 2 cans (15 oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup organic dried cranberries (chopped fresh would be great too)
- 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup scallions (green onions), thinly sliced, white & green parts
- mineral salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon each)
Dressing
- 6 tablespoons (1/3 cup) tahini or vegan mayo
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) champagne, white wine or cider vinegar (I used Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons water (only needed if using tahini)
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
To serve
- leafy lettuce of choice
- bread of choice
Instructions
Start by mixing your dressing. In a small bowl combine tahini/mayo, vinegar, water and maple syrup. Set aside so the flavors come together. This can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Add a tad more water, or vinegar if you’re a vinegar lover, to thin out dressing as desired. If using vegan mayo, you may like to add 2 more tablespoons.
In a medium to large bowl, add your garbanzo beans and roughly mash with a strong fork or potato masher. Add in celery, cranberries, nuts, scallions, salt, pepper and dressing, mix well. Serve at room temp or let chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.
Serve on your favorite bread as a closed or open faced sandwich, or on a bed of leafy greens. You may even opt to simply enjoy the salad as is.
Serves 6 – 8.
NOTES:
Add extra of anything you like, and vice versa, if you’re not keen on an ingredient use less or omit! One particular ingredient may be the vinegar. I’m not much of a vinegar fan but I loved the orange muscat champagne vinegar and found I used quite a bit and loved it!
Change up the walnuts, using pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc. If using sunflower seeds, use half the amount called for.
For the dressing, I have only made this using tahini since I do not use any kind of store bought vegan mayos. If using vegan mayo, adjust accordingly adding more mayo as needed, maybe 1/2 cup instead of 1/3. I do recommend trying this recipe with tahini…it is seriously so good that you would never know and it is much better/cleaner for you than the store bought mayos!
Tahlia DeLorenzo says
Looks amazing! I am always looking for new ways to cook beans and this sounds amazing!
Shawna Thom says
I don't mean for this to sound stupid, but in the picture above, where you see the chickpeas and then the bowl next to it with all ingredients including a 'liquid' of some sort – that you then mix up and put between 2 slices of bread. What is the 'liquid' or cream sauce???
Hunter says
Its in the list of ingredients, the dressing…
6 tablespoons (1/3 cup) tahini or vegan mayo
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) champagne, white wine or cider vinegar (I used Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar)
2 tablespoons water (only needed if using tahini)
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Hi Shawna, looks like Hunter answered the question. It's the dressing/binder for the salad. I changed the recipe to separate the ingredients making them easier to find while putting the recipe together. Hope you try the salad soon! :)
Val says
Question: how would it be to mix tahini and water with silken tofu and the vinegar to make the dressing?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I don't think you really need the tofu for the dressing unless your trying to use less tahini and/or add more protein to the salad. I suppose it would be fine. If it gets too thin add a bit more tahini to thicken it up. You'll have to play around with the measurements a bit until you get the consistency the way you like it. Let me know how it goes if you give a try!
Mary Knapp says
Are the carbs in the salad the daily requirement or are they the carbs from the bread?
singtaylor says
Shawna- I think it is the tahini dressing. I wondered about that myself!
The Vegan Cookie Fairy says
You are the Queen of Chickpeas.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you! I accept that title. LOL I love my little chickypeas. ♥
Matthew @ My Little Eye Surgery says
Many thanks! This post seems to have done the trick!
Greta Gale says
This looks delicious! I agree, chickpeas are definitely one of my favourite things because they're so versatile!
xoxo
Flourish Blog
Katie @ Produce On Parade says
Oh my goodness, this looks wonderful. What a genius idea. I've made "tuna" – aka chickpea salad sandwiches before but not with cranberries and walnut, yum!
coconutandberries says
Oh my this looks good. Chickpeas are definitely my favourite bean! I'm going to put some on to soak right now :)
alfa foxtrot says
Just ate this on sourdough with sliced pickles and arugula…YUM! Thanks for all the great recipes!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Yummy! Thanks for stopping to share your take on this. :)
Glorianne says
I just made this with some sprouted chickpeas I used for some hummus over the weekend. I used the orange muscat champagne vinegar because I had some along with the tahini. My changes were fresh pomegranate and some chopped dried cherries. I also bumped up the spice with some dried homegrown serrano/habanero blend. Not too spicy though. It's chilling but seems quite yummy. I'm taking lunch to a friend so I'm bringing romaine leaves to make some wraps. I'm bring avo and arugula too to add to the mix. LOVE your site and recipes always my go to place!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
That sounds fabulous! Those are great substitutes and I love the idea of making wraps! All sounds so good. Thank you for the kind words and inspiration! :)
Elizabeth Brogan Tore says
I made this… and it's amazing. I will make it again, and again. :)
veganmiam.com says
Chickpea salads (or mash) are one of my favorite quickie meals to make whilst traveling, they are easy to make! I would love to try some tahini and cranberries in the salad, that sounds like a lovely combination!
Maria @ Little Miss Cornucopia says
my nine year old looooves all things chickpeas. i will definitely be making this for him :) thank you so much for sharing!
Anonymous says
Delicious! I made this today as written with the exception of throwing in some shredded cabbage at the end. It was excellent, thank you so much!!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Your so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers :)
Anonymous says
Tried this for a lunch option. IT IS SO DELICIOUS!! It tastes so fresh and just AMAZING! I am new to the vegan lifestyle and this recipe is definitely going in my recipe book! I substituted sunflower seeds for the walnuts because it's what I had. Very good with that too :)
Thanks so much for the recipe!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Glad you loved this! It's a keeper for sure. :)
TW says
These are so good! This is definitely going to be a new staple of mine. I served these to my dad who is completely anti-vegan anything and he asked for leftovers to take for lunch this week!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Wonderful, I love to hear that! I hope you both continue to enjoy the recipe. Cheers :)
Carrie says
Another hit! The combination of crunchy/creamy texture and tart/sweet/earthy taste makes a party in your mouth. I didn't have walnuts on hand and substituted part cashews and part pumpkin seeds. Yum!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Your substitutions sound perfect! A party in your mouth is a great description. LOL Glad you loved it! Cheers :)
Nina says
Oh my god this is the absolute best vegetarian/vegan sandwich I have ever had. I'm not usually a fan of chickpeas, but they are truly splendid in this recipe! You may have a chickpea convert on your hands, my friend. I can't wait to try more of your recipes in the days to come
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I wasn't a fan of chickpeas either up until I turned vegan and now they are my favorite bean ever! So versatile they are. Glad you loved this recipe as much as I did! Cheers to more chickpeas :)
Miranda says
I am not a vegan…not even a vegetarian…but this sounds amazing, and I am always looking for new lunch ideas that I can make ahead of time and grab-and-go since I'm SO NOT a morning person. ;) I have all ingredients on hand and will be making this tonight for my next few lunches (and/or lazy dinner nights!) Thanks for expanding my horizons!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I hope you every bite! Cheers :)
Anonymous says
I made this and I absolutely love love love it! Wow! Thank you for this recipe.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
My pleasure! Thank you for stopping to share the love :)
Anonymous says
Can you please give me the run down on the calorie count . Thanks
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I apologize but I don't count calories and have never bothered with doing it for my recipes. Take a look at the following link for a few sites you can go to add up the calories for any recipe that doesn't have it. It may be something I consider adding to each recipe in the future but for now I just don't have the time or will. Follow this link: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-can-home-cooks-calculate-n-91782
Hope this helps! Cheers :)
Yazzie says
This recipe was great! Instead of the dressing you have posted, I used Trader Joe's vegan hummus. It turned out great! Also, I added jerk seasoning. Can you say delicious?!
Yazzie says
All natural hummus. ;-)
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Sounds wonderful! I love hummus, it's so versatile. Thanks for sharing and happy new year! :)
Anonymous says
OH WOW!!!! this is DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you so much and I am so happy I decided to give it a try! I used the tahini, next time I will try the vegan mayo (didn't have any). Thanks again!!!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
So glad you loved it!
Anonymous says
This is absolutely DELICIOUS!! Thank you so much for all of your recipes – you're blog is a staple in my kitchen!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you! Makes my day :)
Little Box Brownie .com says
Have just send your Blog to my Mum
She Loves Chickpeas and Salads I know she'll just Love your Food
Squeeze Cuddles says
This looks scrumptious! I love chickpeas. The combination of ingredients sounds delicious. I'll be making this sandwich soon
Anonymous says
Delicious recipe! Easy to put together and very tasty. Thank you for sharing.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Welcome, glad you loved it!
Jacqui says
This recipe was excellent – I used some champagne pear vinegar that I had and it worked just fine. Because it was dark, like balsamic, it gave the salad a grey hue which wasn't very attractive but it tasted yummy! It was even better the next day. Next time I want to try this with red grapes instead of dried cranberries, and pecans instead of walnuts.
Thanks for all your recipes! I don't know what I'd do without your site!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Pear vinegar sounds deliciuous! Red grapes will be amazing, giving a nice freshness to the salad. Enjoy! Thank you, glad your finding my site worthwhile. Cheers :)
Jackie says
How many servings is this for?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
It serves 6 – 8. I added the serving size to the recipe too. Thanks for asking!
Anonymous says
Try adding vanilla greek yogurt! Super yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Anonymous says
This is amazing! I used currents and I will make this a lot.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
So glad you loved it! Currents are perfect, I just bought some and want to use it in this too! Thank you for stopping to share. :)
Anonymous says
You just killed my tastebuds with this chickpea sandwich and the chickpea salad sandwich!! Never made anything so perfect, thank you!! I've just made some more sandwiches to take to a potluck, and hope to spread the recipe around more! I tagged you in my instagram :) @staying_nourished
Anonymous says
This is seriously amazing. I've made chickpea salad sandwiches before and I've never been a huge fan, but this won me over. Thanks for the great recipe.
Wendy @ Plantivores says
This looks simply divine and I'll be making some this weekend! Thank you for calling this what it is: chickpea salad. I get so disappointed when I try "mock" anything and it doesn't taste like the "real" version I used to eat. I'd much prefer to just call a spade a spade. :)
Sophy says
I sooo agree; just call a spade a spade! This recipe is so delicious it doesn't need to be anything "fake".:)
I added some cumin.
HeidiH says
I was just looking to make something good out of chickpeas today, having soaked some last night and pressure-cooked them in the morning. A salad for August? Sounded like just the thing! I had all the ingredients, so I gave it a shot, using champagne citrus vinegar, toasted pecans and the tahini option.
I was stunned at how well it could pass for chicken salad! Chicken is not something I have eaten in years, but this could sub right in. I would not have believed it if I hadn’t eaten it first.
I look forward to trying the ‘Chickpea of the Sea’ version. I will keep this as “Chic’ Salad” in my recipe file! Instant favorite!
Anonymous says
I'm enjoying a sandwich right now with this filling…it is so good!
Tracy Roberts says
This is good stuff! It's a nice departure from the normal deli-style chickpea salad I usually make. I had to add a lot more water, but I think I also mashed up my chickpeas more which made it drier. Anyway it turned out great I will be making it again!
Cynthia@Ornamental Style says
Very good! I've made a half of a recipe twice now–both times with white beans (I think navy one time and Great Northern the other). The first time was only because my guest doesn't like chickpeas. I've also made it with low-fat vegan mayo and then with the tahini. When I made the tahini dressing, I substituted one tablespoon of unsweetened applesauce for one tablespoon of tahini to reduce the fat/calorie count. Both dressings worked fine. I used white balsamic vinegar. The next time I might buy white wine vinegar. The first time I ate it in pita pockets, the second time just by itself. Very versatile. Thanks for an excellent recipe
julie@thesimpleveganista says
All your adds and subs sound great! Glad this is verasatile enough for different tastes. :)
Anonymous says
can you use any other bean beside chickpeas, I wonder?? Thank you – looks super yummy!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I'm sure you could try, maybe another white bean would work just as well. :)
Jillian says
I made this recipe for the first time today. I have been vegetarian for some time and was looking to go vegan. The recipe is delicious. Thanks!
Anonymous says
Pulsed the chickpeas in the food processor rather than hand mash this time–yum
Sarah says
this. is. delicious.
Anonymous says
I made this a few days ago, its absolutely delish! It even gets better on day two and three :) thank you for sharing, I felt super healthy after eating it and adding cherry tomatoes and spinach leaves worked too, which gives a good whallop of goodness all together in one meal. Will defo b making again :)
Drebe73 says
Made this tonight. Really delicious as I love chickpeas. I omitted the green onion, and instead added just a little yellow onion. Added a dash of dried rosemary. Added golden raisins in addition to the dried cranberries as well as diced fresh red delicious apples. For the dressing, I used home made tahini. When I blended the dressing it came out very thick, so I added more apple cider vinegar and some more water. The dressing has a reminiscent tangy mustard flavor which compliments the sweeteness from the fruit perfectly. This is a winner and oh so simple to make.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I love your substitutions and additions! Sounds great :)
Marsha says
OMG, this is fantastic. I made it to take to a party. I used pomegranate red wine vinegar and 1.5 Tbsp sugar as I was out of maple syrup.
Anonymous says
Can anyone comment on whether or not this recipe is freezer friendly? Thanks!
Jenny Fourcaudot says
Delicious! And i'm not vegan. Not yet. But i have to write this recipe in my recipe's book. Sorry, my english is not perfect.
Jen @sweetgreenkitchen.com says
Chickpeas are my favorite bean and this salad looks amazing. Your pictures are so gorgeous, I just want to take a bite right out of them! I also love the combo of cranberries and celery mixed in, which is how I make tuna salad, can't wait to try this! Thanks – Jen @ sweetgreenkitchen.com
twinz4me2 says
I just found this recipe and made it today for lunch. It is chilling in the fridge as I type :) The taste is amazing and I love the texture. I did not have maple syrup so I just added a bit of honey. Yummy! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Keith says
Amazing recipe – this is going to be a regular!!
Heather Oaks says
I love this Keith guy! He is the best recommending guy ever.
Rachel Page says
A perfect to-go food.
Mantis Hugo says
I gotto go and prepare the ingredients. The only things I have are Cranberry Concentrate Liquid and bread slices. Thank you for sharing the recipe of this delicious sandwich.
Anonymous says
I am thinking this will be a great addition to a Thanksgiving dinner. Very colorful & Delishious!
earthzenmama says
I made this tonight….it was just as delicious as it looks! I subbed broccoli for the celery, though (which was phenomenal). Thank you for this delightful recipe! I posted a link on my blog (http://earthzenmama.com) to this recipe to spread the yummy-word!
Dominika Lozowska says
What vegan bread do you use? Is it available at trader joes?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
From Trader Joe's I use the sprouted wheat breads. They have a couple that are vegan. The bread I have here was picked up at a farmers market. I also love Dave's Killer Bread which you can find at many grocery stores. Some of their loaves are vegan and excellent!
Anonymous says
I found a vegan mayo at Walmart "Just Mayo" made by Hampton Creek. I made the Cranberry Walnut Chickpea Salad using the Just Mayo for dinner tonight. I served it over romaine and a side of broccoli. We really enjoyed it and I will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing. EJ
Rebecca Sanchez says
This recipie is amazing!! What is the Calories info??
Sheila McGinnis says
I'll be cooking this today and I'm so excited!! Just wanted to share my experiences with your recipes – every recipe I've tried has been amazing and a regular go-to meal for my boyfriend and I. We love the flavors and combinations, and that they seem to avoid the weird, packaged "veganized" versions of other foods. Thank you!!
David Olson says
Found this on 50 vegan sandwich post yesterday and couldn't wait so I made the following substitutions- super slaw for crunch instead of celery, and WHAT? no cranberries so i used cran/apple chutney I had made last month. Can't wait to try with grapes/cinnamon and curry/chutney next. THANKS SO MUCH- Laura/David
Anonymous says
Just found your blog. Bookmarked and will be returning often. I love a recipe a lot like your chickpea of the sea salad as my most days lunch. But anything, even fabulous things, can get a little old after a while. This looks like a nice twist on an old favorite. I'll try it straight up the first time, but I can already see a second twist I will try and that is to add some chopped apple and a bit of curry powder.
Sophy says
Just made this tonight and added some cumin for my spice loving family. Absolutely delicious! Definitely a keeper; thanks for sharing! I generally eat vegetarian for the sake of my health, and needed something different to keep my family happy. Wow, you really helped me pull it off this time! Many, many thanks.
This is the second of your {chickpea} recipes I've tried in less than a week. I've been looking for more ways to use chickpeas because my hubby likes them and keeps buying more. Now we'll have to stock up!:))
Darlene says
Made this last night for dinner. It was SO good! Thank you!
Juliana says
I just made this today — DELICIOUS!!! Great recipe! Thanks, I’ll be making this one again.
Rebecca Gilbert says
I’m addicted! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it ! I really enjoy cranberry and walnuts together, so your recipe caught my attention. So glad I made it. THANK YOU…delicious!
Anna says
This is absolutely my favorite chickpea salad recipe ever!. As a vegan I’ve tried several recipes; all we pretty okay, but this one is fantastic! I’ve made it three times in the last month. So good! Great recipe!
Krista Wood says
I’ve made this salad several times. LOVE IT! I do see that it serves six but what is the actual serving size (1/2 cup, 1 cup)?
Thank you!!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
I’d say each serving is about 2/3 – 3/4 cup. Glad you love the recipe! Cheers :)
Annie says
This is amazing. I love so many of your recipes.
Thanks for making vegan eating so tasty!
Pat says
I just made this and it was delicious! I used veganaise and apple cider vinegar. I will try your other suggestions as well. Thank you for sharing
Susie says
Looks delish! Just to clarify, the nutritional info provided is for the salad ONLY, not including dressing? Thanks!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
The dressing is included in the nutritional information. Enjoy! :)
Beth Grant DeRoos says
This makes a beautiful salad when presented on a bed of fresh baby spinach or fresh French mesclun greens. And would make a lovely salad as part of Thanksgiving dinner. Am following you on Facebook too!
Bénédicte (aka Skipi65) says
Hi Julie, I discovered your blog only 2 months ago as I was looking for ideas for soups. Tried to 2 with red lentils … not surprisingly I am now addicted to your blog. Tried this recipe at lunch time, and I just loved it (will make it again and again). Funnily I am not a vegan/vegetarian. Love meat and fish as much as vegetables. Wishing you a happy new year and thanks for sharing your recipes. Bénédicte
A. says
Made this to meal prep for the week and have easy lunches. Went half tahini and half mayo cause i couldnt decide. It tastes awesome! Thank you :)
Rachele says
Just made this for a camping trip. It was delicious! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe! Tasted amazing!
Erin says
absolutely delicious!!!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yay, so glad you loved this! It’s one of my favorites. Cheers :)
Deanna says
I just made this and it’s so very good! Surprisingly and weirdly I actually had the Orange Muskat Champagne Vinegar! I’ve never really known what to do with it, until now! Thank you for the recipe, I make the chickpea of the sea one all the time and love it as well.
Laneya Wiles says
Can you use frozen cranberries?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yes, just let them thaw out, they should be fine!
Sherida says
Thank you, this is excellent.
TristinXXII says
I made this yesterday and it turned out really good! Would give it 5 stars. I used fresh cranberries and veganese.
The only thing I changed was using a mixture of apple cider and balsamic instead of the Champagne and white wine, because I didn’t have any, and I didn’t measure most of it out so my rations were probably different.
Gabby says
Hi! I was wondering how the recipe differs in terms of the amount of each ingredient when making 1 serving (or the smallest serving you know)? Thank you! Can’t wait to try it:)
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
I would suggest just cutting the recipe in half, it will be much easier than trying to make 1 serving. Plus, it’s so good that you will be glad you made a small batch. I promise!