Quick to whip up? ✅ Flavorful and filling? ✅ Highly-customizable? ✅ Ideal for meal-prep? ✅ Believe it or not, this Chickpea Salad Sandwich is all this and more.
Pile it high on toasted bread and enjoy a lunch of perfectly balanced bites—chunky chickpeas and crunchy veggies in creamy vegan mayo with a zingy brightness courtesy of lemon, mustard, and briny capers, plus plenty of dill for herby freshness.
Table of Contents:
1. Ingredient notes
2. Step-by-step instructions
3. Tips for making this recipe
4. Frequently Asked Questions
5. Recipe card with notes
If at first you don’t succeed…go back to the classics
My initial vision for this recipe involved a tahini-yogurt sauce coating the chickpeas, similar to what I use in my (mind-blowingly good) vegan potato salad. But chickpeas ≠ boiled potatoes, and even with the best creamy, high-fat coconut yogurt…well, it was good, but it tasted too healthy (you know what I mean).
So I pivoted to the classic stuff, vegan mayo, and it was an instantly better sandwich. Creamy, indulgent, nostalgic. All the things.
I guess part of being a recipe developer is knowing when not to reinvent the wheel, because the wheel (vegan mayo) makes for a pretty bangin’ chickpea salad.
So use vegan mayo and make the creamy-crunchy, luscious-and-zippy chickpea salad you deserve, and then craft the sandwich of your dreams.
Ingredient notes
Chickpeas
Regular ol’ fuss-free canned chickpeas do the trick beautifully here. Chickpeas are rich in protein and fiber, which makes them a super satiating winning combination.
Vegan mayo
As I mentioned earlier, I tried a few other ingredients in my quest to make this chickpea salad indulgently creamy but, ultimately, none did the job as well as vegan mayo.
The recipe includes a range in the amount of mayo, so add according to your desired creaminess—½ cup (112g) for a creamier, richer mouthfeel, ⅓ cup (75g) for a lighter vibe.
Favorite brands: My faves are Just Mayo and Follow Your Heart Vegenaise, but I also like Sir Kensington’s Vegan Mayo.
Substitute: If you hate vegan mayo for whatever reason, I’ve included instructions for whipping up a substitute in the FAQs. It’s good, but not as good as the original!
The tangy trio: capers, lemon, Dijon mustard
These three work their brightening magic on this chickpea salad—they cut through the richness of the mayo and punch things up with some serious zing.
Aromatics & veggies
Everything in this category is chosen for a specific purpose:
- Red onion gives a subtle sharpness that contrasts beautifully with the creamy consistency;
- Dill (a classic component in chickpea salads) brings a herbaceous freshness;
- Celery (optional) adds a refreshing crunch;
- And garlic because of course, and I won’t be explaining myself further.
That said, you have room to riff! Check out the Tips section for customization ideas.
Step-by-step instructions
Add the onion, celery (if using), dill, and capers to a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped.
Add the chickpeas and pulse until they’re crumbled into small pieces (but not pureed).
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and fold in the dill pickle relish, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, black pepper, kosher salt, and mayo.
Mix well and taste, adjusting seasoning and adding more lemon juice or mustard as desired.
Scoop chickpea salad onto toasted bread, top with sandwich fixings and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve as an open-faced sandwich, or top with another slice of bread and slice in half.
Tips for making this recipe
My ideal sandwich experience
Sandwich-making is an intensely personal endeavor. But if you want to be my sandwich twin, follow these steps:
- Use good-quality bread—not squishy sandwich bread with 28 different ingredients that will disintegrate as soon as you scoop a generous amount of filling on it.
- Toast your bread for a little textural contrast. A toaster or toaster oven will do, but for a seriously indulgent sandwich, toast your bread in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil.
- Rub that toasted bread while still warm with a halved garlic clove. It gives instant garlic bread vibes (some of the best vibes out there, in my opinion).
- Top with the fixings that make your heart sing!
Customization options: the filling
Add some heat: Add ½ of a jalapeño pepper or serrano pepper. Roughly chop it up and add it to the food processor when you add the onions and dill. Or fold in a few teaspoons of Calabrian chili paste when you add the mayo.
Veggie power: Add more veggies by dicing up a small red or yellow pepper and adding it along with the red onion. Or add a couple Persian cucumbers. If adding more veg, you may need to add more salt to taste, and possibly more lemon juice.
Olive this sandwich: Some smashed and chopped castelvetrano olives (or other mild green olives) would be fun here!
Same vibes, different salad: Looking for a faux tuna-style chickpea salad sandwich? Try my Vegan Tuna Salad, which tastes shockingly similar to tuna salad.
Customization options: the sandwich fixings
Wanna move beyond the standard lettuce and tomato fixings? Permission enthusiastically granted. Try:
- Thinly-sliced red onion + cucumbers + capers + everything-but-the-bagel seasoning
- Thinly-sliced radishes and carrots, quickly pickled in lemon juice, salt, and a bit of sugar
- Pickles. That’s the whole idea. Lots. Of. Pickles. Or, pickles and pickled jalapeños.
Bonus idea: Try serving this as an open-faced sandwich! And while you’re at it, top with broccoli sprouts or microgreens, cucumber ribbons, avocado, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for #californiavibes
Gluten free? If you can’t find gluten-free bread you like, use this filling in a wrap or turn these into lettuce cups!
Frequently Asked Questions
For a mayo-free alternative, whisk together:
• ¼ cup (56g) well-stirred tahini
• 4 oz (112g) creamy coconut yogurt
• 1 TBSP (14g) extra virgin olive oil
Full disclosure: In our testing, this version was good, but not as good as the vegan mayo version you’ll find in the recipe card.
The food processor makes things faster and doesn’t require fine chopping, but you can absolutely replace it with a little old fashioned chopping:
1. Finely chop the onion, celery, dill, and capers.
2. Mash the chickpeas in a large bowl with a sturdy fork or potato masher until chunky.
3. Mix in the chopped veggies/herbs and the dressing ingredients.
Sealed in an airtight container, this chickpea salad will stay good in the fridge for 5 to 6 days—all the more reason to make a batch at the start of the week!
Did this chickpea salad level up your lunchtime game? Leave a rating and review below and tell me all about it—I’d love to hear how you customized your sandwich!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- ½ heaping cup (90g) red onion, roughly chopped (about ½ small onion)
- ½ heaping cup (90g) celery, roughly chopped (optional, see Note 1)
- ½ cup (15g) fresh dill, tightly packed (no tough stems)
- 2 tablespoons (25g) capers, drained
- 2 (15-ounce / 425g) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons (36g) dill pickle relish (or 2 dill pickles, roughly chopped)
- 1 fat clove garlic, minced, grated, or crushed with a press
- 1 small lemon, zested and juiced (see Note 2)
- ⅓ to ½ cup (75 to 112g) vegan mayo (see Note 3)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or whole grain mustard)
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
For serving
- 10 to 12 slices sandwich bread (see Note 4)
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, halved (if toasting bread)
- A few pats vegan butter (optional, if toasting bread)
- Sandwich fixings of choice (e.g., crisp lettuce, sliced tomatoes / cucumbers, pickles, etc.)
Instructions
- In your food processor bowl (see Note 5), combine the onion, celery if using, dill, and capers. Pulse repeatedly (don’t continuously blend) until the ingredients are finely chopped.
- Add in the chickpeas and pulse again until chickpeas are crumbled into small pieces but not pureed. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
- To the chickpea mixture, fold in the dill pickle relish, garlic, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice, mustard, black pepper to taste, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and mayo (½ cup / 112g mayo for a creamier, richer mouthfeel; ⅓ cup / 75g for a lighter vibe).
- Mix everything well with a spatula until well-combined and creamy. Taste, adding more lemon juice, mustard, salt, or pepper as desired.
- For toasted sandwiches (my preference): Lightly toast each slice of bread using a toaster, toaster oven, broiler, or a frying pan. While still warm, rub each slice of bread with the cut side of a halved garlic clove. If desired, spread a thin layer of vegan butter on one slice of bread.
- Assemble the sandwiches: Scoop a generous amount of chickpea salad onto each slice of bread. Top with sandwich fixings and sprinkle lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper (if desired, lightly drizzle the veggie toppings with extra virgin olive oil). Top with the remaining slice of bread and slice in half, or serve as open-faced sandwiches).
Notes
- If you don’t love celery, feel free to omit it or replace it with the same amount of cucumber or red bell pepper. Or if you don’t have fresh celery, you can replace it with ½ to 1 teaspoon of celery seeds.
- The lemon zest adds a bright lemony flavor. If you don’t want that, feel free to omit it or add just half of the zest, then taste and add more as desired.
- Use ½ cup / 112g mayo for a creamier, richer mouthfeel; ⅓ cup / 75g for a lighter vibe. Our favorite vegan mayo brands are Just Mayo and Follow Your Heart Vegenaise; we also like Sir Kensington’s vegan mayo. If you need a mayo-free alternative, replace the mayo with: 1/4 cup (56g) well-stirred tahini, 4 oz (112g) creamy coconut yogurt, and 1 TBSP (14g) extra virgin olive oil.
- This makes 5 to 6 sandwiches using standard sandwich bread. If you are using bakery-style bread, you’ll likely get 4 larger sandwiches.
- If you don’t want to use your food processor: (1) finely chop the onion, celery, dill, and capers; (2) mash the chickpeas in a large bowl with a sturdy fork or potato masher until chunky; (3) mix in the chopped veggies/herbs and the dressing ingredients.
Whipped up a batch of the chickpea salad for lunches this weekend for my daughter and husband, and I had to make a mini sandwich for myself. Absolutely perfect! You are right, the vegan mayo does add a special touch!