This easy vegan “chicken” salad is super easy to make, just one bowl! Less than 10 ingredients and can be Top 8 Free.
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Some people may find it “odd” that people that give up meat, whether for dietary needs or preferences that would want to find a mock option for a meal. However, I’ll tell you that no matter what you have to give up (again, for allergies or choice) you always want to have things that remind you of what you remember before those choices. This Vegan Chicken Salad is one of those things for many.
This vegan chickpea salad is made with under 10 ingredients and comes together in about 15 minutes. It’s perfect for meal prep, one needs one bowl, and can be free of all major allergens.
Prefect for the summer when you don’t feel like cooking, to take on trips, or have a picnic, this vegan chicken salad sandwich recipe will be one to make over and over again.
What ingredients do you need for this vegan chicken salad?
Some of the best recipes are those that you don’t need many ingredients for, this is one of them. What’s even better is that about half the ingredients are spices, which is even easier for you to make. The ingredients that you need for this vegan chickpea salad sandwich are:
- chickpeas
- celery
- vegan mayo
- lemon juice
- dried dill
- garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- pepper
- walnuts (optional)
How do you make vegan chicken salad?
To start, you want to drain and rinse your chickpeas. Then, mash them well with the back of a fork. To make this easier, you could also use a food processor, but you want flaky chickpeas and nothing close to resembling hummus, so pulsing is best.
Once you have your chickpeas ready, add in the chopped celery, with mayo, lemon juice, and all the seasoning. If adding chopped walnuts, also add that in now.
Combine everything really well. Taste the mixture and adjust any seasonings. It can be eaten right away, but we love letting it set overnight and let the flavors come together more.
Serve as desired (ideas below).
*Another option that a lot of people like are quartered red grapes, we didn’t show that in the photos, but you could absolutely add some in to this vegan chicken salad sandwich recipe.
What do you serve vegan chicken salad on?
The most common way to eat this is a vegan chicken salad sandwich. Put the mixture in between two slices of bread or toast.
Other ideas are:
- on crackers
- on top on a salad
- put on top of cucumbers
- inside a pita
- roll up into a flour or corn soft taco shell
Get creative!
What are sides that go with this vegan chickpea salad?
There are endless possibilities to serve with this vegan sandwich recipe. We often love to just serve it with potato chips, like these crunchy kale chips, or a light salad. Even some raw veggies would be perfect with our dairy free ranch dressing.
Other ideas are:
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Cucumber and Tomato Salad
- Italian Vegan Pasta Salad
- Spicy Corn on the Cob
- Cucumber Salad
- Tomato Quinoa Salad
Can I make this Top 8 Allergen friendly?
This recipe is allergen friendly and can be made Top 8 Free. Because our recipes are written as vegan, they are already egg and dairy free.
You need to ensure that the mayo that you use is soy free (or you can make your own top 8 free mayo). Also, just omit the walnuts or replace with sunflower seeds.
These two swaps will make this a Top 8 Allergen free meal.
Can I meal prep this vegan chicken salad ahead of time?
Yes! This vegan chickpea salad sandwich recipe is actually better prepared a day in advanced at least. It will also keep for at least 5 days in the fridge (if you can hold out on eating it that long!)
What are other vegan sandwiches to try?
If you are in the mood for breakfast – this bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit is perfect (yes, completely vegan!). The ultimate summer grilling recipe has to be our Classic Vegan Black Bean Burger (It’s the BEST!) Or, try this Vegan Masala Sandwich.
Pin this vegan chicken salad for later:
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Vegan Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
- ½ cup vegan mayo
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped (OPTIONAL)
- 1 juice of a lemon
- ½ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mash chickpeas well with the back of a fork.
*To make this easier, you could also use a food processor, but you want flaky chickpeas and nothing close to resembling hummus, so pulsing is best. - Add in chopped celery, mayo, lemon juice, and all the seasonings. If adding chopped walnuts, also add that in now.
- Combine everything really well.
- Taste the mixture and adjust any seasonings.
- Serve or let chill in fridge in air tight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 5/8/2019 and updated on 4/2/2020.
Um… WOW! I wasn’t positive I’d like this. It’s been 40+ years since I’ve had the dead chicken kind of chicken salad – and I’m not even sure I liked it then, but this recipe is absolutely DELICIOUS! I did add walnuts and I’m so glad I did. The texture is great. This dish is tangy, creamy, and hearty, but not heavy. Perfect for lunches. I will be making this on the reg. Thank you so much!
This is amazing! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try. We’re so happy to hear that you really enjoyed this one!
I made this a little while ago and it is chilling in the fridge. I am going to take a sandwich to work tonight and i am so excited to try it! I make something similar to this except I have never used dill weed or garlic powder in it before. And instead of walnuts I always use almonds. It smells so yummy with the dill!!!!
Thank you so much! We hope it made for an awesome lunch. We appreciate you giving the recipe try!
All your recipes are fire. Love the detail and the passion with which you make everything. This one was incredibly delicious
Awwww thank you so much!
I love this recipe! It’s my go to mock chicken salad and it is so good (and easy)!
Thank you so much! We truly appreciate you giving the recipe a try!