Hi!! I'm pleased to report that as of today I am very nearly over the worst cold of my adult life. Nothing like complete physical breakdown to make you appreciate every day life! It's a good thing chickpea salad sandwiches happened to be next up on the editorial calender cause this might be the only food I could've handled recipe testing and eating throughout my sick days.
Today's recipe is like the ultra "egg" salad version of chickpea salad sandwiches. My original version was this veggie-filled variation that used half red lentils and half chickpeas for the base. That recipe has become one of our most popular recipes and it happened to win the Canadian Lentils Recipe Revelations Contest last year. I've made that version time and time again (admittedly I usually use 100% chickpeas for the base cause if I'm opening a whole can I figure I may as well use it. As easy as red lentils are to cook, opening 1 can of chickpeas is just easier. Ya know?)
After 14+ months of eating lots of chickpea salad sandwiches I've now tried a ton of variations. I switch up the veggies, sometimes I use half hummus/half vegan mayo, and occasionally I like to add a good dash of curry powder. The biggest difference between today's version of this recipe and my original version is in the chickpeas. Since canned chickpeas can be a little too firm and dry I've started microwaving them with the juice from the can plus some chopped garlic, onion + garlic powder, and salt for flavour. After microwaving for 10 minutes, just chill and drain and these chickpeas are soft, ultra-flavourful, and ready to be mashed!
Combine the mashed chickpeas, chopped veggies, vegan mayo, lemon juice, turmeric, bread crumbs, black pepper, (and sriracha and paprika - not pictured thanks to my cold medicated brain, sorry!) Mix well, pop in the fridge to chill so the bread crumbs can equalize with the moisture of the salad. The bread crumbs might seem like a strange addition but they give this salad a thick and hearty consistency that won't squish out of your sandwiches.
For optimal "egg-y" flavour, swap the regular salt for "Kala Namak" aka black salt. Black salt has a light sulphurous flavour that adds delicious "egg-iness" to vegan quiches, tofu scrambles, and salad sandwiches! If you're vegan or egg-free make sure to keep an eye out for some cause it is a great pantry staple!
Enjoy!
Classic Chickpea "Egg" Salad Sandwiches
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 ½ cups 1x
- Category: Sandwich, Dip
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
Go for the classic vegan "egg" salad sandwich by pairing a thick layer of this chickpea salad with leaf lettuce and white or 60% whole wheat bread. Paper bag lunch perfection.
Ingredients
- 1 540 ml/19 fl. oz. can chickpeas + juice from can
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced or roughly chopped
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup celery, finely chopped
- ¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp dill pickles, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp baby dill, finely chopped
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp vegan mayo
- ½ tsp sriracha
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp paprika
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 can of chickpeas + juice from can, chopped garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Microwave for 10 minutes. Chill.
- After chilling, drain and if desired, pick out any obvious garlic bits (if you love garlic, feel free to leave it in there!)
- In a food processor, pulse chickpeas until about ⅓ of the mixture is chunky and about ⅓ is really smooth (the remaining ⅓ should be somewhere in between.) For the perfect texture, allow the processor to unevenly break down the chickpeas - do not mix or scrape the sides of your processor while you process the chickpeas.
- In a bowl, combine the mashed chickpeas, celery, green onion, pickles, dill, lemon juice, vegan mayo, sriracha, turmeric, paprika, breadcrumbs and black pepper. Chill for 10 minutes before assembling your sandwiches. I recommend putting approx. ⅓ cup filling per sandwich.
Notes
For optimal "egg-y" flavour, use "Kala Namak"/black salt in place of table salt in this recipe. Black salt is a great vegan pantry staple that adds a delicious light sulphurous (or "egg-y") flavour to egg-less quiches, scrambles, and salad sandwiches.
Kay
Can you reheat it the next day, if so the best method and time ?
Jj
I don’t think you’re meant to eat it warm… unless you like hot egg salad
Annie
This is Awesome! My wife went vegan in October for cholesterol issues and I've been craving egg salad something terrible. This recipe totally hits the spot. Nuking the chickpeas is an amazing prep step, sharing this with all my vegan peeps!
Thank you! 🙂
★★★★★
Brittany
So glad to hear that you both enjoyed them! Thank you very much for taking the time to rate and comment on the recipe, I really appreciate it!
Katy
OMG, yum. This recipe was amazing. I tweaked it a bit with adding mustard and way more pickles, but this really hits the spot. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Michelle
I'm trying to eliminate refined flour from my diet oh, so I would like to omit the breadcrumbs. Do you have any recommendations on what to use instead? Thank you
Brittany
Hi Michelle! I'd just omit them and lower the amount of mayo so that the texture looks similar to the photos. You might like this recipe for Lentil Chickpea Salad Sandwiches (contains no breadcrumbs), just sub additional chickpeas for the red lentils.
Colleen Flynn
These turned out wonderful. I made a huge crock of chickpeas and needed to use up some for school lunches. Came across this site and I whipped some up this morning. I left out the garlic and red spice sauce since I cook for a bunch of pickies and it still turned out great. Thanks!
★★★★★
Sonia
Just made it and this was really good!
I was initially thinking with all the ingredients it would be too much effort but there are not many steps and the result is worth it. Bonus it makes a decent amount to use during the week.
Thanks for this recipe!
William Mueller
You're very welcome Sonia! We appreciate you taking the time to make them. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
River
I'm a new vegan and found this recipe to be easy, fun to make and absolutely delicious. The texture us wonderful. Making for my family again today for lunch!
Thank you!
★★★★★
Brittany
YAY! Thanks so much River, I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting 😀
Lorri Robusto
I am going to make this sometime this week. Just checking, it says to microwave for 10 minutes, is this correct? It just seems like a long time in the microwave.
Brittany
Yes it is correct! It cooks the garlic, softens the chickpeas, and makes the liquid nice and flavourful!
Joanna
Im thinking of making this recipe but I don't have a microwave. You think it would be ok if i just let the mixture heat on the stovetop? For 10'?
Brittany
But adjust the time based on your microwave, it could be a little shorter for you!
LJ
Researched a couple of these sandwiches in an effort to replicate my mum's favorite chicken salad. Yours is the best. Thanks for sharing.
Brittany
That's great! I'm so glad this recipe hit the spot :)Thanks for commenting!
Doober
This would be great substitute for egg salad since I am allergic to eggs. I will try this soon.
Brittany
I hope you love it! Thanks for commenting!
Andrea
If I wanted to make a batch large enough for 4-5 sandwiches to eat throughout the week, would it keep well in the fridge? Hoping I can make this- looks so yummy! Thanks!
Brittany
Absolutely! I love making a big batch for the week. This salad should last for 5 days with no problem!
Angel
So yummy!
★★★★★
Jess @ Tiny Kitchen Chronicles
Yum these sandwiches look delicious!! Will definitely give this a try!
Brittany
Thanks so much Jess!
kj
Love all your recipes. But aside from that, I love your flower "wall paper".
★★★★★
Brittany
Thanks you so muuch! Glad you like it 😀
Johanna
I actually never finished my thought in that last comment. When I mean creepy, I mean it's amazing how it could actually taste like that without being tuna fish. So I'm not actually saying it's a bad thing, I think.
Johanna
I would like to just point out that chickpeas can have a creepy tuna fish flavor, actually, when I followed a recipe once. Do you ever get that kind of taste?
Brittany
You know I've never noticed that! I wonder if it was the recipe you used sort of "enchancing" the fishiness of chickpeas? Or your chickpeas could have been off or even flavoured by poor canning? I'm not sure but I've never noticed such a thing! If I were going for a "tuna salad" feel I think I'd include a little nori and maybe a touch of algae oil. Thanks for commenting Johanna!