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Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich is a complete meal with pinto beans and spices added. Quick & simple vegan recipe to prepare that keeps great in the fridge or freezer.

Two chickpea salad sandwich halves stacked on top of each other to show the veggies inside.

How about a big fat Chickpea Salad Sandwich along with a nice refreshing glass of iced tea?

I think I can’t finish this post right now because that sounds too good. Be right back!

Well, that was a great idea! The sandwich really hit the spot and tea always goes perfectly with a lunch like this.

Let me tell you about the sandwich which turned out to be an evolution.

It was going to be a blend with Italian Dressing but I do that quite a bit already so I thought ‘let’s do something new and get really creative’.

When browsing through my cupboards for some inspiration and I saw all the beans I knew a couple of varieties would be a good mash-up.

My cabinets are usually pretty full and it makes it really fun when I am trying to brainstorm new recipes.

Love the addition of dijon and paprika too. An extra bit of tang from the mustard and just a tiny bit of heated spice from the paprika.

All of a sudden stuff is coming out of the refrigerator and with a little of this and that there was a delicious looking bean salad spread. Don’t hold back and pile it on some nice fresh wheat bread with layers of avocado.

Chickpea fun facts

  • Garbanzo beans are the same thing as chickpeas. Most cans in the stores say garbanzo beans but don’t let them fool you.
  • Some evidence shows that chickpeas have been around about 9000 years!
  • There are many different types of chickpeas around the world and in different colors too.
  • India is #1 in chickpea production and Australia comes in second.
Two halves of a lunch meal are stacked on top of each other to show the veggies inside.

Chef’s tips

Use both of the beans if you can for this vegan chickpea salad sandwich recipe. Pinto beans and chickpeas mixed together are a great combo.

Buy organic cans of beans. They are so easy to find and at very affordable prices.

You can make your own vegan almond mayonnaise because it is so very good but you can also buy some creamy vegan mayonnaise at the grocery store.

Smoked paprika would be fantastic in this too. It actually does give a smoky flavor or you can stick with good old-fashioned paprika.

Dijon mustard blends so well with all of these ingredients but, again, if you’d like to get even more tangy sharpness then you can switch to the bright yellow prepared mustard.

Two sandwich halves stacked on top of each other and tilted back to show the veggies inside.

Helpful tools

  • Large bowl
  • Can Opener
  • Large Spoon
  • Fork for mashing or a potato masher
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Too easy 🙂

Ingredients

  • Chickpeas are protein-packed and a very good match with pinto beans. 
  • Pinto beans are traditional in Mexican fare and the perfect additional ingredient for this flavorful mix.
  • Vegan mayonnaise makes everything creamy.
  • Dijon mustard adds a little bit of a mild zing flavor.
  • Lemon juice has a tangy flavor.
  • Garlic powder goes a long way in the flavor department with just a little bit.
  • Paprika has a mild flavor but does add some flavoring that goes just right with beans.
  • Salt is a necessary seasoning to balance the flavors.
  • Black pepper adds a bit of contrasting spicy spice.
Two halves of a lunch meal are stacked on top of each other to show the veggies inside. A couple of bites are taken out of the top half.

Instructions

  • Drain all of the cans of beans and then rinse them. Pour onto a couple of paper towels and blot to get up the excess liquid.
  • In a large bowl add the beans and mash. I like to leave mine a bit chunky and I hardly mashed them. They aren’t crunchy just chunky.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Try a taste to see if you’d like more salt or mustard.
  • You can make your sandwiches now with any of your favorite toppings.
  • You may store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it too.
  • It is already really flavorful so I only added some fresh baby spinach and avocado slices to my sandwich.

Can you freeze chickpea salad

Yes, and you can also refrigerate the mixture for up to 4 days. This makes 6 big sandwiches like the ones in the photo so you might want to freeze some of the mixture.

IF FREEZING:

You may freeze the mixture in a rigid sided container for up to 4 months. When you would like to use your chickpea salad mixture just put it in the fridge to defrost overnight.

You can also heat it in the microwave until defrosted on the defrost mode.

The sandwich is really good warm too!

Two chickpea salad sandwich halves stacked on top of each other to show the veggies inside. Text above for pinning.
Two chickpea salad sandwich halves stacked on top of each other to show the veggies inside.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Ginny McMeans
Chickpea Salad Sandwich is a complete meal with even more veggies and spices added.
4.85 from 13 votes
Print Save
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Lunch
Cuisine Sandwich
Servings 6 Sandwiches
Calories 340 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 30 ounces chickpeas – 2 cans 15 ounces each
  • 30 ounces pinto beans – 2 cans 15 ounces each
  • 1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise – add another tablespoon if you like it better that way
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard – you can also add another tablespoon of dijon mustard if you'd like
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice – optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Drain all of the cans of beans.
  • Rinse the beans.
  • In a large bowl add the beans and mash. Leave them as chunky as you like.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
  • You can make your sandwiches now with any of your favorite toppings. It is already really flavorful so I only added some fresh baby spinach and avocado slices.

Nutrition

Serving: 1SandwichCalories: 340kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 19gFat: 4gSodium: 185mgPotassium: 772mgFiber: 17gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 60IUVitamin C: 3.7mgCalcium: 101mgIron: 5.3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This post has been updated from Sept. 16, 2014 with clearer instructions and photos. It has continued to be one of the most popular recipes on the blog.

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Comments

    4.85 from 13 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  5. I am not a fan of pinto or black beans….would it be okay to just double up on the chickpeas in this salad? Or maybe add some sliced almonds or chopped pecans??? lol…

  6. No problem at all Jan! All chickpeas would be great. I was just adding another flavor. I actually think a few diced pecans sounds good too. They would be a milder sweeter crunch instead of using almonds. Love the nut idea. šŸ™‚

  8. thanks Ginny!! I have to pick up one more can of peas but will make it & let you know how it turns out!! šŸ˜‰

  15. Oh, wow! I am so dreadfully behind on reading my fave blogs … and today is my first day of really, really getting caught up! Whew – what a crazy couple of months! Anyway, as I was scrolling through all that I’ve missed on Vegan in the Freezer, I literally couldn’t decide which recipe to start with first – there were so many I wanted to peek at! Really! Well, this one was the winner (I think it might have been the avocado that tipped the scales in its favor šŸ˜€ ). Imagine my surprise when I started reading and saw how easy it was to put together! Score! Guess I chose the right recipe to start reading first! šŸ˜€

  16. I am so glad you have found some time to go through blogs again Shelley. I know what you mean about not having enough time sometimes. Thanks so much for your support and enjoy your sandwich! Avocados rule!

  18. Sorry to hear that Cheryl! For this quantity (it makes a lot) I would use 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, dash of cayenne powder. Keep it simple.

  25. This is totally my kinda sandwich and my kinda lunch. Love the chickpeas in it!

  26. 5 stars
    I love everything about this sandwich, I’m drooling at the thought of it. Definitely something I’ll be making this weekend!

  32. Hi Jules! I buy multi grain bread but I’m not sure which one this one was in the photo. If you have a Cosco near you Dave’s Killer Bread is fantastic!

  36. 5 stars
    I love hummus on pita bread but never thought about chickpeas on sandwich! What a clever idea. We will definitely making these this summer ! .

  38. I got a chickpea sandwich off FB, but it is mixed with an avocado, I love it. I wonder if it would freeze too.

  40. I recently made a chickpea sandwich mix and it was kind of flat. This sounds more interesting so I will give it a try. Thanks.