Vegan Chicken Salad (Printable)

Mashed chickpeas with crisp veggies in a creamy dairy-free dressing. Ready in 15 minutes for sandwiches or wraps.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Salad Base

01 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 1 cup celery, finely diced
03 - 1/2 cup red grapes, halved (or dried cranberries)
04 - 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
05 - 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or sliced almonds (optional)
06 - 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Dressing

08 - 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
09 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
10 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
11 - 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave
12 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
13 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large bowl, roughly mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher, leaving some whole for texture.
02 - Add the celery, grapes, red onion, nuts, cucumber, and parsley to the mashed chickpeas. Mix well to combine.
03 - In a separate small bowl, whisk together the vegan mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper until smooth.
04 - Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.
05 - Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired.
06 - Serve chilled on fresh greens, in a sandwich, or wrapped in a tortilla.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in fifteen minutes flat with zero cooking, which makes it the ultimate weeknight rescue.
  • The chickpea mash gets surprisingly close to that tender chicken salad texture without any fake meat products.
02 -
  • Do not overmash the chickpeas or you will end up with hummus instead of a salad with texture.
  • Letting it sit in the fridge for thirty minutes before serving makes the flavors come together in a way that immediate eating simply cannot match.
03 -
  • Roll the lemon firmly on the counter before cutting it and you will get nearly double the juice.
  • Toasting the nuts in a dry skillet for three minutes transforms them from background filler to the best part of the salad.

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