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This vegetarian “chicken” salad has everything you need for a hearty lunch that’s ready in just 15 minutes. You can enjoy this top-rated recipe as a sandwich, with crackers, or even on a quesadilla (instructions below!). Our community has also had success making this with vegan options – see comments!
save this recipe!It could be the sensory scientist in me, but some of my favorite recipes to develop are the ones that “trick” your brain. This chickpea salad sandwich is the most classic example, with all the usual fixings of an epic chicken salad. Make a big batch in advance for easy meals throughout the week!
Made with chickpeas, we’re totally skipping the chicken in favor of two cans of protein-rich chickpeas combined with apple, onion, and celery. A tangy and savory mayo and Greek yogurt dressing makes the dish complete!
Reader rating
“I just made this for the first time and omgosh my heart. One of the only things I miss the taste of from my meat eating days is chicken salad.. so I am STOKED.” —Bekka
You don’t need much
This is just an overview – jump to the recipe card for measurements and printable instructions!
- Chickpeas: You’ll need two cans, drained. Don’t worry about taking those pesky skins off, they mix right in!
- The Mix-Ins: In keeping with classic California chicken salad ingredients, this one uses apple, celery, red onion, and sliced almonds to add crunch.
- Dressing: This is just a simple mixture of mayonnaise, plain Greek yogurt, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
go vegan
Many readers have had great success with making this a vegan chicken salad. Simply use vegan mayonnaise and a plant-based plain greek yogurt.
Just smash, Mix, & Chill!
Step 1: Drain and Prep The Chickpeas
To begin, drain 2 cans of chickpeas and roughly mash them with a fork or your fingers.
Step 2: Chop The Apple and Veggies
Finely chop 1 pink lady apple, 1 stalk of celery, and ¼ of a red onion.
Step 3: Assemble The Salad
Mix all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add the other salad ingredients and stir to evenly combine. Serve with lettuce on a croissant.
Customize this salad
Chicken salad is one of those recipes that can be made in approximately 1,000 different ways. And while I do feel mine is the best (I’m not biased, really), there are some ingredients that you can feel free to add or sub depending on what you like! Here are some ideas:
- Sunflower seeds or peanuts
- Grapes
- Chives, parsley, or dill
- Sour cream
- Brown sugar
- Black olives
- Green onion, bell pepper, cucumber, or similar veggies
Batch it!
Because this vegetarian chicken salad holds up so well in the fridge, it’s a great one to prep in big batches to enjoy as a component in meals all week!
Vegetarian Chickpea “Chicken” Salad (Vegan Options)
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 14-oz cans chickpeas, drained, 400 g cans
- 1 pink lady apple, finely diced
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion, about ¼ of an onion
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, can sub vegan mayo, 60 g
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, can sub plant-based yogurt, 60 g
- 2 tsp dijon mustard, 10 g
- 1 tsp lemon juice, 5 mL
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Smash: Drain t2 14-oz cans chickpeas and roughly smash the chickpeas with a fork or your fingers.
- Fillings: Add 1 pink lady apple (finely chopped), 1 stalk celery (finely chopped), ¼ cup finely chopped red onion, and ¼ cup sliced almonds to the bowl of smashed chickpeas.
- Dressing: Stir together ¼ cup mayonnaise¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp lemon juice, and ¼ tsp each salt and pepper.
- Assemble: Stir together Fillings and Dressing. Can be enjoyed right away, but it's tastiest after it chills in the fridge for about an hour.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
This is delicious! My very favorite add-in would have to be toasted nuts — almond slivers or chopped pecans, toasted in the microwave. Adds a wonderful texture and flavor!!
Delicious as a pita…
I needed to double the sauce ingredients so it wasn’t too dry because my cans of chickpeas were 15.5 oz and I think my pink lady apple was larger than yours; you may want to add the weight of the apple you used. I chopped the veggies so tiny that no one could even tell what was in the mix, but these sandwiches were the hit of my daughter’r baby shower.
It was easy to make and taste great! Made this for a baby shower. A great substitute for the non meat eaters! Thank you
What would you suggest to use instead of celery? I literally cannot eat it raw..
You could do chopped green peppers for some crunch! 🙂
LOVE THIS. I don’t care for yogurt and since I couldn’t buy a small container of plain, I left it out. This has so much flavor. Went together easy peasy too.
Thanks for the kind words, happy eating!
This recipe is fantastic! It’s balanced and really has the flavors of traditional chicken salad. I have also made this recipe with shredded chicken instead of the chick peas and it was a big hit!
Thanks for making it and sharing!
I never leave reviews for recipes, but this was so good!! Easy and super delicious.
Thrilled you loved it, thanks for the review!
Unbelievable! This was absolutely amazing! It was even better than chicken salad! I did add dill and dried cranberries instead of the apples. I may never make chicken salad again!
Nothing better than hearing this, thank you!
This is really good. It’s even better the second day.
Thanks for the sweet review Karen!