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.
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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.
Wow! we have really enjoyed this. We used to make copycat recipes of chicken Salad Chick salads and have missed them. We plan to use this one again and try some of those recipes. We will also make this one again. We enjoyed it on a cranberry walnut sourdough. Thanks for another great recipe.
that sourdough sounds incredible!
I made this exactly according to the recipe and it’s a no for me. It’s very bland. I’ll dump in more of the herbs and seasonings to see if that helps.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it
If I don’t want to use canned chickpeas, how many cups of chickpeas would I need for this recipe?
About 3 cups
This was so easy to make! I’ve made other vegan chicken salad in the past and the taste is always off. This one is delicious!
Love to hear that so much
This is absolutely my FAVORITE “chicken” salad to make now! Larisha is a genius! This is flavorful, savory, filling, super easy to make and versatile. I’ve put on crackers, croissants, lettuce, toast, and even tortillas— nothing is off limits for me with this recipe! You have GOT to make this one.
ahhh love this so much! Thank you for sharing
Absolutely perfect make ahead lunch or summer dinner recipe. We had it scooped onto salad and took it to work and school in wraps with baby spinach and a slice of avocado. Your recipes are my family’s favorite every time.
We love to hear that ! Thank you
This is so delicious! OMG!
So happy to hear that!
I am not a chickpea person so I was impressed by how good this was. The flavoring is awesome. I added a little bit of chicken-less seasoning. Will definitely go into my meal prep rotation!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed!