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Recipes

Vegan Chickpea Salad Is the Perfect Alternative to Classic Tuna Salad

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at MSU chapter.

Chickpeas are the powerhouse of the legume family. They’re super good for you (full of fiber, protein, Vitamin C, etc.), and you can make so many different dishes with them, from hummus to “cookie dough” dip to this vegan chickpea salad. 

vegan chickpea salad onion meat
Ellie Haun

This salad tastes like freshness—full of juicy tomatoes, crunchy celery, and earthy chickpeas. I started making this dish this past summer when I had an excess of tomatoes due to working at a hydroponic greenhouse. I worked twice a week picking tomatoes and getting covered in dirt, pollen, and tomato flowers. The greenhouse couldn’t sell all the tomatoes we picked, so I always went home with boxes and bags full of tomatoes (below are just some of the tomatoes I picked). They ended up in dishes like this one and in this vegan chickpea “tuna” salad.

Care About What I Eat pasture apple
Ellie Haun

This vegan chickpea salad, or should I say “salad,” because it doesn’t contain any leafy greens (and I feel like all true salads should include greens) is super easy to make. It takes only five minutes to make, contains only five ingredients, AND it’s protein-packed. Seriously, what’s not to love? This salad is a vegan spin on the classic “tuna salad” recipe with chickpeas instead of tuna as protein.

Vegan Chickpea Salad

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 5 minutesCook time: minutesTotal time: 5 minutesServings:2 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Ellie Haun

    Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Then add them to a large bowl.

  2. Ellie Haun

    Mix in the salt and vegan mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise). You can use regular mayo, but then the dish won’t be vegan anymore. Smash the chickpea mixture with a fork.

  3. Ellie Haun

    Wash the celery. Then chop it into ½-inch pieces. Wash the tomatoes and chop them up. Add both into the mixture. Serve “as is” in bowls, or on bread as a sandwich. Enjoy!

Seriously, who needs tuna when you have versatile chickpeas? They’re better for the environment and for your body than tuna, so use them instead. Make this vegan chickpea salad and enjoy the tastes of summer as you wait for actual summer to come!

Ellie is a senior studying food science at Michigan State University. Her favorite foods are chocolate, peanut butter, and carrots. When she's not baking cupcakes or taking pictures of food, she's probably running with the MSU running club or practicing yoga. Check out her blog, "Peanut Butter & Ellie," if you love all things peanut butter!