Vegan “Tuna” Salad Sandwiches

Mashed chickpeas, red grapes, celery, and sunflower seeds make up this simple chickpea salad recipe. Nothing fishy here with this vegan tuna salad recipe! Best of all, it only takes 10 ingredients to make.

vegan tuna salad on wooden board with celery and red grapes

It’s that back-to-school, brown paper baggin’ it time of year and even though I’m long past my school years (and I don’t have kids), I’m always on the hunt for simple and quick lunch recipes.

What I love about this vegan tuna salad:

  • Mashed chickpeas: High in fiber and protein but NO fishy taste šŸ™‚
  • Vegan mayo: Healthier than traditional mayo
  • Red grapes: Add a nice texture and sweet element to the mix
  • Celery: A healthy crunch
  • Sunflower Seeds: Again, a healthy crunch and have an added dose of healthy fats
  • Dill: Dill just makes everything taste better (one of my personal favorite seasonings!)
  • Dill Pickle!: Yes, totally optional, but I’m a pickle fan and it adds a wonderful flavor and crunch

ingredients for vegan chickpea salad on white background

When I’m planning out lunches, my mind defaults to salads. They’re quick, easy, and healthy which are normally the boxes I’m trying to check.

But with a few healthy swaps, a sandwich doesn’t have to be this unhealthy option! For this sandwich, I use vegan mayo, whole grain bread, and pile on veggies for my fixings.

Gluten-free? No problem! This recipe is so versatile and I got substitutes for you below!

 

hands mixing vegan tuna salad in glass mixing bowl

How to make vegan tuna salad:

This recipe is as simple as it gets! Mash the chickpeas to your desired texture. I like mine slightly larger, like in the photo above, but it’s entirely up to you! Add everything else into a mixing bowl and you got yourself a vegan sandwich filling for the week.

Just like that you just mastered meal prepping for lunches. Go you!

vegan tuna salad sandwich on wooden board on white background with red grapes

Variations of this chickpea salad:

There’s no cookie-cutter way to make this mashed chickpea salad! Here’s some ways to mix it up:

  • Substitute sunflower seeds with walnuts or omit altogether for a nut-free recipe
  • Add craisins for an additional sweet element
  • Substitute vegan mayo with avocado! This is a great no-mayo option
  • Pair this vegan tuna salad with lettuce wraps instead of bread for my GF babes
  • Pile on tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, and cucumber for a FAT sandwich!
  • Have a side salad or sweet potato chips for a healthy, wholesome vegan lunch

vegan chickpea salad sandwich on wooden board with dill and red grapes

If you tried this vegan tuna salad recipe, let me know in the comments below and share a photo using #mindfulavocado. I’d love to hear from you! Want to see more recipes? Let’s get social! CONNECT WITH ME on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest to see what I’m currently cooking up!

If you liked this recipe, you’ll LOVE:
No Mayo Vegan Chickpea Salad
Curry Chickpea Salad
Buffalo Chickpea Salad Wraps

vegan tuna salad on whole grain bread on wood cutting board with white background

Vegan "Tuna" Salad Sandwiches

This chickpea salad sandwich recipe only requires 10 ingredients and can be made in less than 20 minutes! Mashed chickpeas, grapes, celery, and sunflower seeds make this simple vegan recipe a must try!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: chickpea salad sandwich, vegan lunch recipes, vegan sandwiches
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 sandwiches (makes about 1.5 cups of vegan tuna salad)
Calories: 246kcal
Author: Amanda

Ingredients

  • 1 14-ounce can chickpeas
  • 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup celery chopped
  • 1/2 cup red grapes quartered
  • 2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
  • salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 teaspoon each)
  • 1 Tablespoon kosher dill pickle finely chopped; optional

Sandwich Ingredients (toppings are all suggestions and optional):

  • whole grain bread
  • lettuce
  • tomato sliced
  • red onion sliced finely
  • avocado sliced
  • cucumber sliced

Instructions

  • In a medium mixing bowl, add drained chickpeas. Using the back of a fork, mash chickpeas to desired consistency. Mine were slightly mashed, but still some larger chunks.
  • Add remaining ingredients and mix well using a rubber spatula. Adjust seasonings as needed
  • Spread about 1/3 cup of salad on a slice of bread. Pile on lettuce, tomato, red onions, cucumber, avocado, etc. Top with another slice of bread.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (about 1/3 cup filling without bread or sandwich toppings) | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 35.4g | Protein: 10.2g | Fat: 7.9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 492mg | Fiber: 9.1g | Sugar: 7.4g | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 3.4mg

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10 thoughts on “Vegan “Tuna” Salad Sandwiches”

  1. 5 stars
    YUM! The chickpeas in this are the perfect match for the other chopped veggies and spices. Love the idea of using avocado too. I need to make this for lunch ASAP!

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    This vegan tuna sandwich is a great substitute sandwich for vegans or non vegans looking to switch as vegans. Great to find a healthy way of making a sandwich.

    Reply
  3. 5 stars
    This is such a clever idea. Honestly, I have just fallen in love with chickpeas and I love this idea of using them in a sandwich. I am going to make this for lunch tomorrow. Thank you for the inspiration.

    Reply

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