Vegan Smashed Chickpea Avocado Salad Sandwich

This easy mashed chickpea avocado salad sandwich recipe makes for such an amazing vegan alternative to the classic tuna or chicken salad sandwich!

For quick vegan lunches, we love making this high-protein tofu egg salad or this protein-packed mashed avocado. And this chickpea avocado sandwich filling is the perfect creamy yet protein-rich sandwich recipe made entirely without dairy product and without mayo!

And this recipe is so fast and effortless! All done in one bowl, perfect for meal-prepping ahead and done in under 10 minutes, so ridiculously easy!

We love this recipe to make healthy sandwiches or to fill tortilla wraps and I like that I can make it ahead for lunches during the week. You can also mash it very nicely to use as a thick dip for crackers or to dollop over bowls or salads.

Let me know how it turned out! ❤️

❤️ Why you will love this recipe

• Not expensive
• Easy and FAST
• Very versatile
• Healthy and packed with fiber and plant protein (no mayo!)
• Great for meal-prep
• Perfect for healthy vegan lunches
• Dairy-free, gluten-free (choose GF bread) and oil-free.

🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)

• Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are so convenient and perfect for this recipe, I used one can to make 2-4 sandwiches. You can also cook your own chickpeas to make it!
• Avocado: One large avocado is enough to bind all the ingredients together and make the mixture super creamy. Make sure to use a fully ripe avocado without any bitter dark spots.
• Lemon juice: brings that amazing zesty flavor to brighten up the whole mix and highlight the other flavors. Lime juice could also be used instead.
• Celery: I love celery in this mixture! Adds a nice freshness and a good crunch.
• Red onion: you can also swap for green onion. Yellow onion could work too if you can handle a more pungent flavor.
• Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, salt and dried dill makes for the perfect match here, but feel free to use different spices depending on your taste.

⭐️ Full list of ingredients (+ quantities) down below in the recipe card!

📝 Variations

You can use this recipe as a base and flavor the mixture differently. This can keep things interesting if you end up loving this recipe and want to make it regularly for lunches so you can swap the flavoring. Here are a few ideas:

• Curry chickpea avocado sandwich: make the mixture as is and add a nice pinch of curry and cumin powder.
• Pesto chickpea avocado sandwich: you can omit the dried spices and simply add a spoonful of pesto if you have some on hand.
• Herbed chickpea sandwich: add a generous amount of fresh herbs such as cilantro, parsley or basil. Mint would also work well and make it super fresh.
• Spicy chickpea sandwich: add cayenne pepper or a few drops of spicy sauce!

Other ingredients you can add to the mixture are diced red pepper, shredded carrots, hummus, turmeric powder, chopped pickles, olives, etc.

🍽 How to make smashed chickpea avocado sandwich

Step 1: Rinse and drain the canned chickpeas and transfer to a large bowl. Add the avocado, onion powder, garlic powder, dried dill, lemon juice and a good pinch of salt. Then, use a fork or potato masher to mash the mixture to a coarse consistency.

Step 2: Add the finely chopped celery and red onion.

Step 3: Stir to combine and taste to adjust flavor to your preference (salt, lemon juice).

Step 4: When ready to eat, toast the bread and then pile a generous amount of the chickpea mixture. Also layer with lettuce, sprouts, slices of tomatoes, etc. Eat right away. Enjoy!

⭐️ Detailed recipe (+ video) down below in the recipe card!

💡 Helpful tips

• Try to keep some texture when mashing the mixture. You want it creamy enough so it holds well, but keeping some whole chickpeas is nice to keep the texture interesting.
• Taste to adjust flavor to your preference: add more salt and other spices if needed.
• Don't omit the lemon juice... not only will it add more fresh flavor, but also will significantly slow down the browning process of the avocado.
• You could use a food processor to make it, although be careful as the mixture will quickly become overprocessed using it. In that case, I would highly recommend keeping a handful of chickpeas aside and adding them back still whole to the mixture to add some extra texture, especially if the mixture ended up being too processed.
• Don't forget to toast the bread first if possible. The mixture is creamy and soft which will work a little better with toasted bread.

🍴 Serving suggestions

My go-to way to serve it is in sandwiches. It just holds well and reminds me of a tuna sandwich.

But we also love to fill burritos using this mixture and load it with crunchy lettuce and tomatoes. This sandwich would also pair well with baby spinach, sliced cucumber, pickles, pickled red onion, shredded purple cabbage, dijon mustard, etc.

You can also use leftover mixture over salads to boost the protein and fiber content and add a creamy factor to the dish. Or simply make lettuce wraps using this recipe (bibb or butter lettuce kind).

You can also serve the mixture in a bowl and use it as a dip for crackers, pita or tortilla bread, veggies sticks, etc.

❗️ Storage tips

Keep in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Make sure it is protected from ambient air so the avocado does not turn brown too quickly (although the lemon juice will help slow that down). Stir well before serving.

You can also make the sandwiches ahead, but in that case, avoid adding tomatoes or cucumber slices as they would turn the bread soggy while resting.

🌱 More vegan sandwich recipes you might like

➡️ Other quick lunch recipes to try

I hope you like this vegan avocado chickpea salad sandwich as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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