This easy chickpea tuna salad is bright, creamy, crunchy, and a perfect vegan tuna replacement over sandwiches and crackers! The recipe is plant-based, gluten-free, easy to prepare and a great appetizer, side dish or snack.
Creamy, Tangy, Vibrant Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad
If you’ve been craving tuna recently, this chickpea tuna salad recipe is a must-try. Using chickpeas as its base, this vegan tuna salad has all the same flavor profiles as the real thing but is 100% vegan. It’s creamy, savory, tangy, slightly fishy (thanks to nori and capers), and has all the right textures and mouthfeel – combining mashed chickpeas, for a slightly chewy tuna-like texture, with crisp celery, red onion, and pickles, in a creamy mayo-based sauce.
Better yet, not only does this mock tuna salad taste great, but it requires no cooking (perfect for warm summery days), is ready in minutes, and packed with plant-based protein and fiber. It’s also made with simple everyday ingredients (and far more sustainable), meal prep friendly, easily customizable, and a truly satisfying vegan tuna replacement you can enjoy in a dozen different ways!
Looking for more summer-friendly salads? Check out my recipes for vegan pasta salad, vegan potato salad, or Mediterranean orzo salad.
The Ingredients
- Chickpeas: (Garbanzo beans) Use home-cooked (about 1 ½ cups per can) or canned chickpeas (low-sodium if preferred).
- Celery: To add fresh crunch and flavor.
- Red onion: I like the more robust flavor of the raw red onion, though you could use mild green onion if preferred.
- Dill pickles: Or pickle relish for a sweet, bright, tangy flavor and crunch.
- Capers: (Optional) While optional, capers boost the fishiness of the vegan tuna recipe and add tang.
The Dressing
- Vegan mayonnaise: Use your favorite vegan mayonnaise. Alternatively, tahini sauce will work well.
- Lime juice: Or lemon juice to add brightness and tang (add zest for extra flavor). Alternatively, apple cider vinegar may work.
- Dijon mustard: This ingredient adds tang and depth with subtle heat. Regular yellow mustard would work, too.
- Nori sheets: These seaweed sheets enhance the overall ‘fishiness,’ helping it to taste more like tuna. Dulse flakes would also work.
- Dried dill: Anything ‘fishy’ pairs wonderfully with dill. Use 3x the amount of fresh dill instead, if preferred. Alternatively, fresh parsley pairs well.
- Salt & black pepper: To season the chickpea salad to taste.
What Else Could I Add to Vegan Tuna Salad?
- Garlic powder: Just a little adds depth to the mock tuna salad.
- Nutritional yeast: To enhance the umami flavors and complexity. Miso paste would also work for an umami boost.
- Spice: If you’d prefer a kick, add a pinch of chili powder, cayenne pepper powder, red pepper flakes, a drizzle of hot sauce, or even pickled jalapeño.
- Avocado: A little avocado mashed into the dressing adds heart-healthy fats and antioxidants while making for a richer, creamier, no-tuna salad.
- More vegetables: Add extra color and crunch with finely diced red bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, carrot (shredded), and/or corn.
- Olives: Any color, finely chopped for the subtle tangy, briny flavor.
- Chia seeds: To add omega-3s.
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.
How to Make Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad
- First, roughly chop the red onion, celery, and dill pickles, and transfer them to a food processor along with all the remaining ingredients.
- Pulse the mixture about 8-12 times until it’s well incorporated but still has plenty of texture.
Or,
- If you don’t have a food processor, finely dice the veggies first, transfer the chickpeas to a medium-large bowl and roughly mash them with a fork or potato masher, then add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Finally, taste the vegan tuna salad and adjust any of the flavors (mayo, lemon/lime, mustard, dill, salt & pepper). Enjoy!
Storage Instructions
Make ahead: Chickpea tuna salad tastes even better given a day for all the flavors to meld, so I highly recommend making it a day in advance (or making enough for leftovers!).
Store: Transfer the mock tuna salad to an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. The flavors will continue to charge over time, so feel free to liven it up before serving with extra lemon juice, mustard, or salt and pepper.
What to Serve with Chickpea Tuna Salad?
- Make a vegan tuna sandwich or roll (optionally with a side of soup)
- Spread over a bagel
- To make a vegan tuna melt
- To scoop up with crackers, pita chips, or crudités
- Over a bed of leafy greens (or in lettuce cups)
- Scooped onto a baked potato
- To stuff avocado or cucumber boats
FAQs
Is chickpea tuna healthy?
Chickpeas are not only a great source of plant-based protein, vitamin C, folate, iron, magnesium, antioxidants, and a heap of fiber. When combined with celery and red onion, you’ll consume even more nutrients.
However, while vegan mayo contains lower saturated fat levels than classic mayo, it is still best eaten in moderation. I often replace some or all the mayo with tahini sauce. A creamy vegan yogurt might work too.
Can you freeze chickpea tuna salad?
I don’t recommend freezing this vegan tuna salad, as there are several fresh elements that will be affected texturally upon the freezing and thawing process.
Recipe Tips
- Adjust the texture: There are a couple of ways this is affected. First, by how well you mash/pulse the chickpeas, and second, by how finely you chop the crunchy veggies. For the most realistic ‘tuna’ texture, the chickpeas should be fairly well-mashed but still with plenty of texture (not a paste!).
- Leave the flavors to meld: This vegan tuna salad massively benefits from at least 30 minutes of resting time before it’s served. During this time, the flavors meld and become a cohesive, delicious salad.
Other Vegan Salad Recipes
- Thai Glass Noodle Salad
- Couscous Salad
- Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas
- Lentil Salad with Tahini Dressing
- Lebanese Fattoush Salad
- Mexican Avocado Salad
If you try this easy vegan chickpea tuna salad recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan—I love seeing them.
Vegan Chickpea "Tuna" Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 small (60 g) red onion roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup (50 g) celery chopped
- 1/4-1/3 cup (60-80 g) vegan mayonnaise or tahini sauce
- 2 small dill pickles
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice or lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 nori sheet crumbled into small pieces
- 1 tsp capers (optional)
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Bread slices for serving
Instructions
- You can watch the video in the post for visual instructions.First, roughly chop the red onion, celery, and dill pickles, and transfer them to a food processor along with all the remaining ingredients.
- Pulse the mixture about 8-12 times until it’s well incorporated but still has plenty of texture.
- OR, if you don’t have a food processor, finely dice the veggies first, transfer the chickpeas to a medium-large bowl and roughly mash them with a fork or potato masher, then add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Finally, taste the vegan tuna salad and adjust any of the flavors (mayo, lemon/lime, mustard, dill, salt & pepper). Enjoy!
Notes
- I served the no-tuna salad with this gluten-free protein bread.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
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How can I make it taste like chicken salad?
Ela!!! I don’t know how you do it. But this is fabulous. Reminds so much of the tuna salad I used to love. I can’t tell the difference. Except no fishes were harmed in the making! Thank you!!
I am so glad you like it, Samantha! 🙂
I always made the Kripalu Yoga Center version of this called ” Chickpea of the sea” but quite frankly Ela, yours is better. and even better the next day for work lunches.
Thanks for the great recipe! 😀
I am so happy to hear that, Daby! 🙂
Texture and taste wise, we could not tell the difference from a canned tuna fish salad. But, more importantly, this was an easy recipe to prepare and the perfect light meal for a hot summer day.
Thanks for your great feedback, Oriana. 🙂