Smashed chickpea salad is the perfect delicious-in-a-hurry recipe for lunch, dinner, picnics, or meal prep. Made with all the traditional flavors of a classic tuna salad, but with chickpeas instead of tuna! Perfect on its own, in lettuce wraps, or for a sandwich. So versatile and ready in less than 20 minutes! Vegan / vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and soy free.
The best smashed chickpea salad
We love it when a recipe is this effortless to make AND is full of the most fresh and delightful flavors at the same time.
And that’s why this salad is such a hit! All it takes to make it is one bowl, a few simple steps of measuring and chopping, and 15-20 minutes.
Which makes it the perfect recipe to throw together for a quick lunch, light dinner, or snack when you’re short on time but still want to enjoy a delicious meal!
It can be eaten by itself, with crackers, in a lettuce wrap, or as a vegan chickpea “tuna” salad sandwich, and is hearty enough to last for a few days in the refrigerator.
Seriously easy, and seriously delicious!
Why you’ll love this smashed chickpea salad
It is:
- Fresh yet filling
- Fast and easy to make
- A one bowl no-cook recipe
- Filled with a variety of veggies
- Zippy and flavorful
- Versatile – one of the easiest salads to make with what you already have on hand!
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free
- Hearty and satisfying
- So darn delicious!
Ingredients and substitutions
You can find the full list of ingredients along with measurements in the recipe card below. These are just my ingredient notes and recommendations for easy swaps and substitutions!
- Canned chickpeas – Also called garbanzo beans, chickpeas make up the base of this salad. Canned chickpeas keep the prep time minimal but you can also cook your own or use leftover cooked chickpeas if you have them on hand.
- Red onion – Finely diced red onion adds a bit of zip and texture to the recipe. You could substitute with white onion, thinly sliced green onions, a little grated garlic, or leave it out all together.
- Celery – For fresh flavor and lots of textural crunch! It can be diced or thinly sliced. Feel free to skip if you don’t like it or don’t have it on hand – but I I would recommend adding something else with the same texture if you do!
- Fresh parsley – Parsley is our go to for salads like this because of it’s classic flavor. Other herbs like fresh dill or cilantro would both be great alternatives.
- Vegan mayonnaise – I love using an aquafaba vegan mayo like the one from Sir Kensignton’s or Chosen Foods to keep the recipe vegan. Regular mayo can also be used if you’re not vegan. I’ve included some suggestions in the sections below for what to use to make this recipe without any mayonnaise at all.
- Dijon mustard – Dijon mustard is a classic choice in terms of flavor, but most any other type of mustard can be used instead.
- Lemon juice – For a bit of bright acidity. Lots of types of vinegar are a good alternative. Some of my favorites are white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Seasoning – A tiny bit of paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper are all you need for the perfect simple seasoning.
How to make smashed chickpea salad
All you need to make this recipe is a cutting board, a knife, and a bowl! It comes together in a snap, perfect for those moments when you needed something light yet filling to eat ten minutes ago (ha!).
The chickpeas are lightly mashed / crushed, and mixed together with the rest of the salad ingredients.
If you’re ready to start cooking you can find the whole recipe in the recipe card below.
- Smash the chickpeas. Drain and rinse chickpeas and add to a large bowl and mash until a rough (but not too smooth) consistency is reached.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Season and serve! Season to taste with more salt and pepper if desired and serve!
How to mash chickpeas
There are a few effective ways of mashing / smashing chickpeas for this salad.
I typically use a pastry cutter or a large fork, but you could also use a potato masher or even the back of a sturdy wooden spoon.
I like leaving a fair amount of texture and a few whole beans to the chickpea mixture (which means not over mashing), but feel free to tailor the texture to your preference.
How to eat smashed chickpea salad
What does chickpea salad go with? So many things!
While it’s delicious all on it’s own, this salad is equally tasty served with crackers, with cucumber slices or celery sticks, over a bed of salad greens, in a lettuce wrap, or (of course!) on a sandwich with your favorite sandwich toppings.
I love serving it on a sandwich with thinly sliced cucumber, avocado, and sprouts or lettuce.
Storage
This garbanzo bean salad is quite sturdy and should keep well in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 4 days.
If you enjoyed this recipe we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review it below! It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
Print
One Bowl Smashed Chickpea Salad (20 minutes!)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Smashed chickpea salad is the perfect delicious-in-a-hurry recipe for lunch, dinner, picnics, or meal prep. Made with all the traditional flavors of a classic tuna salad, but with chickpeas instead of tuna! Perfect on its own, in lettuce wraps, or for a sandwich. So versatile and ready in less than 20 minutes! Vegan / vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and soy free.
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise of choice – vegan or regular avocado oil mayo
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Smash the chickpeas. Drain and rinse chickpeas and add to a large bowl. Using a fork, pastry cutter, or potato masher, or even the back of a sturdy wooden spoon, mash until a rough (but not too smooth) consistency is reached.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add diced red onion, celery, fresh herbs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Season and serve! Season to taste with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve by itself, over a bed of greens, in a lettuce wraps, with crackers, or on some toasted bread with your favorite sandwich toppings and enjoy!
Notes
See the section above titled “ingredients and substitutions” for lots substitution suggestions.
There are a few effective ways of mashing / smashing your chickpeas for this salad. I typically use a pastry cutter or a large fork, but you could also use a potato masher or even the back of a sturdy wooden spoon. I like leaving a fair amount of texture and a few whole beans to the chickpea mixture (which means not over mashing!), but feel free to tailor the texture to your preference.
While it’s delicious all on it’s own, this salad is equally tasty served with crackers, with cucumber slices or celery sticks, over a bed of salad greens, in a lettuce wrap, or (of course!) on a sandwich with your favorite sandwich toppings!
This garbanzo bean salad is quite sturdy and should keep well in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No cook
- Cuisine: American
Danni says
LOVED this recipe! I made it for my stretch working in the ER and it held up perfectly all 3 days. I used crackers from Trader Joe’s and it was so easy to eat & make! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Nyssa Tanner says
Love that you enjoyed this recipe and that it made such great leftovers! It’s always nice to have something to eat for lunches on hand for busy weeks. Thank you for your thoughtful comment, and happy cooking! – Nyssa
Tricia says
Nyssa’s done it again! So yummy. I didn’t do it fully vegan and used homemade Mayo but it’s so similar to tuna salad. This will be another staple in my kitchen!
Nyssa Tanner says
I’m so happy to hear that you loved this one! And good to know it’s just as tasty with homemade mayo 🙂 Thanks for leaving such a thoughtful review! – Nyssa