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This vegan chickpea tuna salad is creamy, tangy, wholesome, meal-prep friendly, & perfect for making a filling snack or lunch packed with plant-based protein!
20-Minute Creamy and Delicious Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad
We’ve already shared a mayo-free, oil-free, overall lighter vegan garbanzo bean salad recipe, but for those who want a classic tuna salad turned vegan, this is the recipe for you. Not only is this chickpea tuna salad simple, but it’s also healthy, delicious, affordable, and more sustainable, with a genuinely impressive ‘tuna-like’ taste and texture.
While we won’t claim the taste is identical, combining the flaky, ‘meaty’ mouthfeel of gently mashed chickpeas with other classic tuna salad ingredients like celery, dill pickles, onion, and mayo makes for a filling, satisfying vegan tuna replacement. It’s packed with plant-based protein and fiber, too.
Best of all, this vegan tuna salad recipe is meal-prep-friendly. Perfect for when you need something quick and easy, loaded with flavor, texture, and satisfying goodness. It’s super versatile, too—enjoy it in a sandwich, salad wrap, with crackers (like these rosemary vegan crackers), or keep reading for our favorite serving recommendations.
Looking for more budget-friendly but flavor-packed chickpea recipes? Check out delicious easy hummus recipe, healthy baked falafel, easy quinoa chickpea burgers, or potato and chickpea tacos.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
Who knew you could create a delicious vegan tuna substitute with simple and inexpensive pantry staples?!
To cook your own chickpeas, you’ll need ¾ cup (about 125 grams) of dried chickpeas. Leave them to soak overnight, then drain, rinse, and simmer with fresh water until tender (about an hour). Simmer them with a piece of kombu seaweed for a fishier flavor.
What Else Could I Add?
- Seaweed: To add more fishy flavor, stir in some nori seasoning, dulse powder, or shredded nori sheets. This is the add-in we recommend to really boost the tuna taste.
- Capers: While not the least expensive thing you’d find in your pantry, 2-3 tsp of these can further the tangy, fishy feel of the dish.
- Spices: Build flavor in this vegan tuna recipe with smoked paprika, onion powder, or chili powder/cayenne pepper (or hot sauce).
- Vegetables: Add extra fresh crunch and vibrancy with finely diced bell pepper, shredded carrot (a complete guide to carrot), corn, cucumber and/or tomato (de-seeded), and olives.
- Fresh herbs: Parsley and/or fresh dill would also work well. Learn how to store fresh herbs to last here.
- Avocado: Mash a little avocado in with the chickpeas for extra creaminess. Learn more avocado tips with this guide to avocado.
- Nutritional yeast: Just a little to enhance the flavor complexity in the chickpea tuna recipe. Learn how to use nutritional yeast here.
How to Make Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad
Step 1: First, drain and rinse the chickpeas, then use a fork or potato masher in a large bowl until the chickpeas are all broken up but not mushy (you don’t want any whole chickpeas to remain).
Step 2: Then, dice the celery (leafy green tops included), green onions, and pickles, and add them to the chickpea mixture.
Step 3: Add all the dressing ingredients, starting with just a portion of the vegan mayonnaise and mustard and increasing to taste (some prefer more or less of either), mixing well in between. Then season to taste.
Step 4: Finally, transfer the vegan tuna salad to the fridge for an hour (or even overnight) to chill and ‘marinate.’ Enjoy!
Alternatively, use the pulse function in a mini food processor. With this method, you can throw all the ingredients (after step 2) in the processor and pulse for 1-2 seconds at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
Top Recipe Tips
- To save time: Use a food processor to mash the chickpeas to your desired consistency and a food chopper and/or mandoline to help quickly slice and dice the veggies.
- Adjust the consistency: We prefer chunky vegan tuna with plenty of texture, but mash it more and adjust the size of the veggie add-ins to change the mouthfeel/texture.
- Leave it to rest: This time ensures the flavors have time to meld and will improve the overall flavor and consistency of the chickpea tuna salad.
How to Serve Chickpea Tuna?
We love enjoying the vegan tuna salad over a ciabatta roll (or bagels/pita) with tomatoes and avocados (optionally with diced jalapeño for kick). However, you can also enjoy it as an appetizer or side with:
- Crackers and chips
- Crudites like bell pepper, carrot sticks, cucumber, etc.
- A bed of leafy greens (spinach, arugula, lettuce, etc.) and other salad bowls
- Within wraps like lettuce wraps or these easy hummus tortilla wraps
- To make chickpea sweet potato boats
- In a sandwich paired with quick vegan tomato soup or other light soups
- In a vegan grilled cheese to make a vegan tuna melt
- Over a baked potato
- Add to Mediterranean vegan pasta salad
Storage Instructions
This easy chickpea tuna salad recipe is easy to prepare in advance and tastes even better on day two. Once prepared, any leftover smashed chickpea salad can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for between 4-5 days.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container, though the texture and flavor will be somewhat affected.
Other Chickpea Recipes to Consider….
Vegan Dinners
Curried Chickpeas
Vegan Dinners
Vegan Chickpea Stew
Vegan Lunches
BBQ Chickpea Wraps
![completed Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup [Stove + Crockpot] in two bowls on a white surface](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-06-at-10.47.55-AM-378x378.png)
Vegan Dinners
Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup [Stove + Crockpot]
If you tried this Plant-Based Chickpea Tuna Salad recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Plant-Based Chickpea Tuna Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas
- 1 large bunch of green onions (or red onion)
- 4 ribs of celery (with the leafy tops, if available)
- 1 to 2 large dill pickle(s) depending on preference
- ⅓ cup of vegan mayo
- 3 tablespoons of mustard (your favorite type)
- 1 tablespoon of granulated garlic (or 1 minced clove)
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of sugar or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by draining the chickpeas and adding to a food processor (you can also break them up by hand with a fork). Wiz the beans for 1-2 seconds and repeat until the beans are broken up (do not cream or mash, just break them up). This should take no more than 6-8 seconds in the food processor. Move to a large mixing bowl.
- Dice the celery with the leafy tops, add to the mixture. Chop the green onions and pickles and add. Now, slowly combine the rest of the ingredients to taste. Some will like more “mayo” some will like less. I like less with extra mustard!
- Once the “tuna” is done, chill it for an hour. I like to serve mine over a ciabatta roll with tomatoes, and avocados. I also usually sprinkle some diced jalapeno for a little kick!
Notes
- To save time: Use a food processor to mash the chickpeas to your desired consistency and a food chopper and/or mandoline to help quickly slice and dice the veggies.
- Adjust the consistency: We prefer chunky vegan tuna with plenty of texture, but mash it more and adjust the size of the veggie add-ins to change the mouthfeel/texture.
- Leave it to rest: This time ensures the flavors have time to meld and will improve the overall flavor and consistency of the chickpea tuna salad.
I am on a low salt diet, too much salt, any way to reduce the salt?
Hi! You can omit the salt completely and for the ingredients like chickpeas, pickles, and mustard, choose the low or no salt versions 🙂 Hope you enjoy it if you end up giving it a go!
Good basic recipe but WAY too salty IMO. Next time I’ll use sweet pickles and cut the salt in half! There’s no good reason for so much salt especially when people can always salt to taste later.
Hi Jackie,
Thanks so much for the feedback! Sweet pickles and less salt sound like a great adjustment—love when people make it their own. I really appreciate you taking the time to share!
please tell me what brand of veggie chopper you use!
Hi! Here’s the link to the chopper Toni uses: https://amzn.to/467cGMf
Super easy and delicious!
Gotta love the easy recipes!
I cut in all in half for 3 servings. SO yummy! And easy. And so much better than tuna salad. If I make it again with canned beans that are already salted, I will eliminate all the added salt—and simply salt to taste. Even with just 1/2 tsp for 1/2 recipe, it was too salty for my taste, but I’m someone who’s been intentionally cutting back on sodium.
That’s great to know! So glad you enjoyed it overall 🙂
A TABLESPOON of salt?? I thought that was insanely high so I started out with 2 teaspoons of salt and I couldn’t tolerate it it was so salty. I added a third can of chickpeas in order to make it less salty, and I still can barely eat it. I have had many Mock tuna recipes And this one doesn’t make sense to me with the level of salt. It has to be a mistake.
You can always adapt as needed! 🙂
Perfect and easy!
I tried this recipe for my husband, a guest and a friend and they loved it. Because I am new to plant-based eating there were some ingredients I didn’t have. For example, instead of vegan Mayo, I used real Mayo (sorry about that) for the green onions, I used white onions and instead of apple-cider vinegar, I used regular white vinegar.
Thank you!!!
so happy to hear that you all enjoyed this one! Rooting for you on your plant-based journey! 🙂
Made this today! Outstanding. I served on rye bread with avocado and it was delicious!! Perfect lunch!
Oooo. Love the bread and avocado combo!
This is seriously my go-to recipe for chickpea tuna! Even my non-vegan friends love it!
One of my favorite lunch recipes! So easy and flavorful!
Yum! This vegan chickpea tuna salad makes the perfect lunch. So delicious and filling!
I meal prepped this chickpea tuna salad for the week and it was so fast! I’m excited to have a tasty lunch all week!
Great recipe for picnics! We have made it a couple of times and everyone loves it!
That’s so awesome to hear! Definitely a great way to bring out on a picnic!
So so good! Love this chickpea tuna salad!
I never really liked the idea of a chickpea tuna salad until I tried this. Now I’m completely won over. Fab recipe, thank you.
Glad this recipe could shed a different light on it! It’s so good!
This is wonderful!!! I’ve shared it with all my WFPB friends.
Love that! So glad you and your friends are enjoying this one!
Yummy “tuna” salad! This is an easy salad to make and I love eating it on toast! I would put about half the amount of salt, but other than that, it’s great!
Definitely hits the spot! I love it for a quick and easy lunch for the week!
my granddaughter is a vegetarian and I need more recipes , I saw this recipe for chickpeas tuna and I was just wondering “ what kind of tuna ???? “ she will be surprised if I can make this dish like this for her …
The texture is spot on! Hope you both enjoy this one 🙂