This Vegan Chickpea Salad is so flavorful and packed with nutrients. It is made with smashed chickpeas, and has the classic chicken salad flavors. Try it nestled between slices of gluten-free bread with lettuce and tomato for you and your family's lunches today!
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The Benefits Of Chickpeas
Chickpeas’ protein content in particular make it a favorite in plant-based diets, and also is featured heavily in diets where meat is not always eaten everyday, such as Indian and Mediterranean cuisines.
Complex carbohydrates are in fact essential for your body to run, and you will want to ensure that complex carbs make up the majority of your carb intake. Chickpeas contain resistant starches, meaning that they slow down digestion, lowering the chances of a blood sugar spike.
Chickpea Salad Recipe
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans), the base ingredient and star of the show.
- Celery is one of those ingredients where you may not understand why they always pop up in various salad recipes. It adds its particular flavor and crunch in such a subtle way, but if you leave it out, it will be missed!
- Red Bell Pepper also adds a subtle flavor that I love in cold salads. I’m not sure if it is some sort of placebo effect or subconscious bias, but I insist on using red bell peppers in this recipe because I believe they have the best flavor; however, whichever color I have on hand will work in a pinch.
- Red Onions are the quintessential salad and sandwich ingredient. If your kids hate onion, try grating it instead of chopping it.
- Sweet Relish adds a delish hint of pickley goodness, and the sweet flavor helps to add nuance to the savory flavors already present.
- Dill is another herb that I most often only use in similar cold salad recipes. I can’t put my finger on why, but you will also miss it if it’s not there.
- Salt to taste.
How To Make Chickpea Chicken Salad?
- Place your drained chickpea in a medium bowl, and mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Add your celery, bell pepper, onion, relish, salt, dill, and mayo to the smashed chickpeas. Stir to fully combine.
I personally like to make this the night before, or a few hours before it is needed. This allows the flavors to really combine and marinate, resulting in an ever better tasting salad. With that being said, it is still amazing when just freshly made. Refrigerate any remaining spread for up to 3 days.
Ingredients :-
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, (I used PA's Pickle)
- 1/4 teaspoon dill
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo, (I used Just Mayo) extra to spread on the bread
- 4 slices of bread, (I used gluten-free bread)
Instructions
Salad Instructions
- Place your drained chickpea in a medium bowl, and mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Add your celery, bell pepper, onion, relish, salt, dill, and mayo to the smashed chickpeas. Stir to fully combine.