This Chickpea Salad Sandwich is made with wholesome ingredients and packs a ton of flavour, protein, and dietary fiber into a sandwich. Great for packed lunches, picnics, and more. If you're looking for an easy and delicious vegetarian sandwich, this is it!

Quick question: what's your favourite vegetarian sandwich?
Are you a classic PB&J kind of a person or are you more into a juicy Tempeh Bacon BLT? A delicious Falafel Sandwich?
Personally I could go either way depending on my mood, but if I'm packing a sandwich for my lunch I'm definitely looking for something substantial.
If you're looking for inspiration you should definitely check out this list of 22 Vegetarian and Vegan Sandwiches which has so many drool-worthy options. But I'd like to add one more to the list... this easy Chickpea Salad Sandwich.
What we have here is a sturdy, nourishing chickpea salad sandwich recipe that's packed with plant-based protein, loaded with veggies, and is dang delicious. It's like a vegetarian version of tuna salad or chicken salad, but better! Not only does it taste great, but it'll keep you satisfied all afternoon.
Sound good? Let's make it!
Chickpea Salad Sandwich Ingredients
You'll find specific quantities and more details in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. For now, let's take a walk through the ingredients list together!
- Chickpeas --> Canned is fine, or check out our Instant Pot Chickpeas if you want to cook 'em from scratch.
- Red bell peppers --> Diced up nice and fine.
- Green onions --> Thinly sliced, please and thanks.
- Capers --> For a little salty flavor.
- Sunflower seeds --> For crunch!
- Parsley --> Sooooo fresh.
- Yogurt* --> Regular or greek yogurt both work great.
- Mayo* --> Because we're worth it.
- Dijon mustard --> For a little punch.
- Maple syrup --> To sweeten things up.
- Salt and black pepper --> As one does
- Your favourite sandwich bread --> Because, sandwich.
*To make vegan chickpea salad, opt for vegan yogurt and vegan mayonnaise. Try adding a squeeze of lemon juice for a bit of tang!
Other than that, all you need is a large bowl for mixing and a fork for mashing the chickpeas and you are in business.
How to Make Chickpea Salad:
Step 1: Start by toasting your sunflower seeds until they're smelling nutty and delicious. I do this in a dry skillet over medium heat while I'm prepping the other ingredients. Just keep a close eye on them so they don't burn!
Step 2: Prep the rest of the ingredients. Dice your red pepper, slice your green onion, and chop your parsley.
Step 3: Place the chickpeas into a medium-sized bowl and give them a rough mashing with a fork, a potato masher, or the base of a glass. You don't want to purée them or anything, just break them up a bit.
Step 4: Add the diced veggies, toasted sunflower seeds, yogurt, mayo, mustard, and maple syrup to the bowl. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper.
Assemble your Sandwich
Simply spoon the chickpea mixture onto your favourite sandwich bread and, voila! You have a Chickpea Salad Sandwich!
I used a local sourdough here, but whatever you have on hand is great. And to be honest, this chickpea salad is good enough to eat out of the jar with a spoon, so you could totally just skip the bread if you wanted to.
Tips for the Best Chickpea Salad Sandwich
The beauty of this Chickpea Salad Sandwich is in its simplicity, so don't overcomplicate things! Here are a few of my favorite tips for mixing things up and making the best sandwich.
Choose the right bread
The right bread is your favorite bread! In these photos, I've used a local sourdough, but I also love this sandwich on really seedy bread, Danish rye bread, or even stuffed into a pita or on a wrap. Gluten-free bread is a great option too!
Toast your bread
I think the best sandwiches have a bit of contrast of textures. Toasted bread with that cool chickpea salad is so tasty! Toasted bread is also the perfect vehicle for an open-faced sandwich.
Skip the bread!
Not into bread? You can simply scoop the chickpea salad into a crunchy lettuce wrap and skip the bread altogether. This recipe is also great with just crackers on the side. Or, try our Chickpea Mason Jar Salad.
Mix it up
Spread your bread with some hummus, like this Chipotle Hummus or Mung Bean Hummus. Or try an olive tapenade or pesto. Layer the sandwich with your favourite veggies, like avocado, juicy tomatoes, etc.
Try adding some Spicy Pickled Onions or crunchy celery to the chickpea salad. A squeeze of lemon juice is great for bright flavor, and I love adding fresh dill when I've got it on hand.
How to store chickpea salad
The chickpea salad will last for about 3 days in an air-tight container in your fridge. I don't recommend bulk-prepping sandwiches for the week as the filling is a bit on the wet side and I worry it would make your bread soggy. But since the filling is already prepared, making a sandwich will take you approximately 30 seconds.
If you're looking for tips on how to make the best packed lunch (who isn't?!) be sure to check out this post with 10 Lunch Packing Tips for Healthy and Tasty Lunches.
Recipe FAQ
You bet! All you need to do to make a vegan chickpea salad sandwich is use vegan mayo and vegan yogurt and you are good to go.
The salad will last for about 3 days in your fridge in an airtight container.
Heck yes they are! Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, contain about 12.5 grams of fiber per cup, which is 50% of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber.
Chickpeas are also a great source of plant-based protein, offering up about 12 grams per cup.
Chickpeas are notable for antioxidant nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. Chickpeas also contain valuable amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the body’s omega-3 fatty acid from which all other omega-3 fats are made.
Other recipes you might enjoy
Chickpea Fritters
Curried Cauliflower Chickpea Wraps
Herbed Ricotta Toast
Halloumi Sandwich
Hummus Wraps
Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups chickpeas rinsed and drained Equal to one 14oz can of chickpeas
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds toasted
- 3 Tablespoons plain yoghurt
- 1 - 2 Tablespoons mayonaise
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 small red pepper finely diced
- ½ cup green onion thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1-2 Tablespoons capers drained
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 slices sandwich bread
Instructions
- Place a dry skillet over medium heat and add the sunflower seeds. Shake the pan frequently, until the seeds are lightly browned and fragrant - about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.¼ cup sunflower seeds
- Finely dice the red pepper. Thinly slice the green onion. Finely chop the parsley.1 small red pepper, ½ cup green onion, 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
- Place the chickpeas into a medium-sized bowl and lightly smash them with a fork.1 ¾ cups chickpeas rinsed and drained
- Add the toasted sunflower seeds, yogurt, mayo, mustard, maple syrup, green onion, parsley, and capers.¼ cup sunflower seeds, 3 Tablespoons plain yoghurt, 1 - 2 Tablespoons mayonaise, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, 1-2 Tablespoons capers
- Stir to combine, taste, and season with salt and pepper.salt and pepper
- To make the sandwiches, spoon the chickpea salad onto large slices of sandwich bread.8 slices sandwich bread
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
- Chickpea salad will last for about 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- To make vegan chickpea salad, replace the yogurt and mayo with plant-based yogurt OR with an equivalent amount of prepared hummus.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on September 11, 2011. It was retested, rephotographed, and updated on September 4, 2020. Most recently edited and updated with useful content on July 18, 2023.
GG
Hey Nutrition Lady loved this recipe. Made it today. Substituted fresh dill for the parsley. I noticed that your recipe "how to" does not include the diced red pepper even though its mentioned up top under "what you will need". Keep the good recipes flowing.
Katie Trant
Oops, will fix that immediately! Thanks for the keen eye 🙂
Meg Straight
Omg I made this yesterday - soooo good! I have it for lunch today and I can't wait! Thanks Katie!
Meg
Oh YUM! Just made this today and couldn't resist adding a few extras, but the basis was all your recipe and it is so delicious! I added capers and green olives, and about a tsp of dried tarragon. Thanks so much, Katie. My lunches will not be the same.
themuffinmyth
Yum! I can't wait to try it again with some salty olives chopped up in there. Great idea, Meg!
Meg
Yum, looks great! We're making paninis tonight on our new panini grill and I might make up a batch of this to try in a hot sandwich. Ever had the paninis at Liberty Bakery on Main Street? They have one option with something like this spread inside, with green olives added, and it's delicious. So I'm aiming for that, with this as the base chickpea recipe. Thanks Katie!
Dennis
This looks fabulous Katie! I really need a change in my sandwich routine.
Joao Santos
Hi Katie, what a coincidence I just have some leftover chickpeas!!! By the way, I made your black bean salad and everybody loved it!!!
themuffinmyth
I love that salad too! In fact, I have some black beans soaking for it right now!
Cammy
Love it! I used to just skip lunch and work all day, but have now committed to a full hour lunch break (and when given the time to realize it, I'm usually ravenous). How long will a batch of this keep in the fridge?
themuffinmyth
I'd say 5 days to be safe. I left some for 8 days and made a sandwich with it yesterday, which I ended up feeding to the dogs at work. It was starting to taste a little manky.
Jules
I thought this recipe sounded delicious, and it was! In fact, delicious and nutritious, what more could you ask for? It will be on high rotation from now, thank you.
Rivki Locker
I'm a big fan of anything with chickpeas. This looks like the perfect sandwich.