This Chickpea Salad Sandwich is one kind thing you can do for yourself this week. It takes mere minutes to make, is filled with wholesome ingredients, and the leftover mashed chickpea salad filling saves several days so you’ll have a fast, healthy meal on hand when you need it.
I don’t know about you, but once summer arrives, my weekend eating habits tend to become a little…lax.
Now instead of wasting my energy on regret, I’ve found it a much more positive, productive, and healthy use of my time to prepare a few nourishing meals to enjoy throughout the week.
I have more energy, feel better about myself, and by Friday? I’m ready to greet the weekend with gusto.
This curried chickpea salad sandwich is my latest “be good to yourself” weekday recipe.
It’s a tangle of satisfying flavors and textures that tastes fabulous.
Eating healthy meals should never mean feeling deprived.
Its healthy ingredient line-up means it will leave you feeling fabulous too.
I found myself looking forward to lunch every day that it was in our refrigerator.
My main inspiration for this chickpea salad sandwich is curry.
I adore Curry Chicken Salad, and I suspected that a similar flavor profile would work well with chickpeas, which are a staple in Indian cuisine. BINGO!
Chickpeas are also a fantastic meatless protein option for salads like this one, Chickpea Tuna Salad, Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, and Moroccan Chickpea Salad.
5 Star Review
“Amazing recipe! I love the curry, cashew, and chickpea combination. It’s on my regular recipe rotation.”
— Emily —
How to Make Chickpea Salad Sandwich
In order to keep this salad light and healthy, I made a few simple swaps.
They help make the salad more nutritious without diminishing the flavor.
- One of these swaps is using nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo, making this a chickpea salad sandwich NO MAYO!!!
- It’s cool, creamy, tangy, and a perfect swap for mayo.
The Ingredients
- Chickpeas. In addition to pairing well with curry, chickpeas are also super affordable, high in protein and fiber, and they are an ideal choice for meal prep lunches.
- Greek Yogurt. High in protein, ultra creamy, and perfect for making a healthy, super creamy curry chickpea salad. Using Greek yogurt instead of mayo helps keep the chickpea salad sandwich calories low.
- Lemon Juice. For brightness and acidity.
- Maple Syrup. Adds delicious sweetness to the salad and balances the curry.
- Curry Powder. A blend of spices, it’s warm and aromatic. Every brand is a little different, so pick your favorite (or try a new one).
- Garlic Powder. For a touch of garlicky flavor without the fuss of mincing.
- Celery. To give the mashed chickpea salad layers of interesting texture, I added some crunchy, refreshing celery.
- Cashews. Another delicious, crunchy element that serves as a nice contrast to the creaminess of the chickpeas and dressing.
- Raisins. The golden raisins provide the right amount of sweetness to balance the curry’s spice.
The Directions
- Mash the chickpeas.
- Stir the yogurt, lemon, maple syrup, and spices into the chickpeas.
- Add the celery, green onion, cashews, and raisins. Serve as desired and ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Chickpea salad will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze. Freeze the chickpea mixture in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Meal Prep Tip
Up to 1 day in advance, prepare the chickpea mixture as directed. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
What to Serve with Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Here are a few ideas of what goes with chickpeas in a salad:
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Mixing Bowls. Perfect for making this chickpea salad.
- Citrus Juicer. Makes juicing lemons and limes a breeze.
- Masher. The easiest way to mash the chickpeas.
The Best Mixing Bowls
A high-quality, versatile set of mixing bowls is essential in every kitchen. I use these for mixing, storing, and serving.
I hope I’ve successfully sold you on this nutritious salad and you’re thinking, “Okay, Erin. What’s the recipe for chickpea salad?” I know you’re going to love it!
Frequently Asked Questions
We enjoyed this tasty chickpea salad filling stuffed inside a whole wheat pita with tomatoes and lettuce, but you could also serve it over greens, dipped with crackers, tucked into a piece of Homemade Naan, or served open-faced on toasted bread.
While this recipe isn’t spicy as written, you can turn up the heat if you want a spicy chickpea sandwich. Add a dash of cayenne pepper.
I think this would be delicious as a chickpea salad sandwich with tahini (add 1 tablespoon tahini), chickpea salad sandwich with peanut butter (add 1 tablespoon peanut butter), or a dill chickpea salad sandwich (add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill).
More Delicious Chickpea Recipes
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) can reduced sodium chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 3 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or honey
- 2 teaspoons curry powder plus additional to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- 1 green onion finely chopped, plus additional to taste or for garnish
- 1/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews chopped (or swap almonds or sunflower seeds)
- 3 tablespoons raisins or golden raisins
- For serving: pita Homemade Naan, toasted bread, crackers, and/or a big bed of greens
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl and roughly mash with a fork. Leave a few bigger pieces for texture.
- Add the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, maple syrup (or honey), curry powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well with a spoon. Taste and add additional salt, pepper, or curry powder to taste.
- Mix in the celery, green onion, cashews, and raisins. Enjoy cold or at room temperature inside a pita, on toasted bread, dipped with crackers, or over a bed of greens.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze the chickpea mixture in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition
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Read this before lunch and happened to have all ingredients on hand! Made it with sunflower seeds, ate it with snackbread and rice crackers and was really delicious! Always desperate for healthy and tasty lunch ideas so thank you! Have shared link with our daughters!
Karen, thank you so much for your positive feedback! I’m always looking for quick, easy, and healthy recipes for lunch, too and I’m thrilled you loved it. A new favorite in our house, too!
I love incorporating more beans into my meals, especially at lunch! Can’t wait to make this :)
I do, too! A little added protein punch plus lots of texture! Hope you enjoy, Brittany!
I love the idea of using it as a healthy “dip”. May have to do this one for a weekend of boating!
A weekend of boating sounds heavenly! I hope you enjoy this recipe – let me know if you end up trying it!
Mmmm, love me a jam-packed pita!
Thanks so much, Gaby!
This was fantastic! I had it for dinner over salad greens, and it was so good I seriously contemplated eating the remainder for breakfast the next morning. (I didn’t – saved it for dinner :) I left out the raisins because I don’t like them and it was amazing. Will make this again and again – easy, FAST, healthy, and delicious!
Danielle, YAY! I am so glad to hear it. Thanks so much for taking time to leave this lovely review too!
This recipe is a keeper!! I loved the golden raisins, celery and cashews…added lots of interesting texture and flavor. Thanks for the easy and delish vegetarian recipe :)
Melissa, I am so so happy to hear how much you loved this! Thanks for taking time to leave this fabulous review too. It means a lot!
Made this for lunch today and YUM! Subbed toasted sunflower seeds for the cashews and a little diced red onion for the green and it was perfect. Loaded a pita with arugula, tomato and the chickpea salad and went to town! Five stars from even my meat loving hubby!
Diana, I am so so sooo happy to hear this, thank you so much!
Loved it! Super easy and delicious. Thank you!
Leanne, I am so so happy you enjoyed it, thank you for letting me nkow!
Made this but didn’t have celery, green onions or raisins and couldn’t make it to the store. It was fantastic on pitas despite the omissions. My kids threw fits about it when they saw/smelled it but I made them try one bite and the night ended with everyone eating it happily. So much so that we were scooping up the leftovers with carrots. Once it was really gone, our four-year-old pleaded with me to let him lick the bowl. He emerged looking like Winnie- the-Pooh with chickpeas in his hair and asked me to make it for his birthday. This is a wonderful lunch/picnic option that will be high on our list from now on.
Rebekah, this makes me so so happy (and I’m cracking up at the Winnie-the-Pooh reference!). Thank you for letting me know what a hit this was. It means a lot!
This recipe is delicious, I made it over Summer and the whole family loved.
Thanks so much for reporting back, Cosette! I’m glad everyone loved it.
I was looking for a tuna salad sandwich recipe & found your site. It is as good as you describe & better.I used a mix of almonds & sunflower seeds, currants & raisins & for an added crunch, I put in dry chow mein noodles &put tomato slices on top. All that was missing were the chopped onions. Thank you so much for a nice healthy lunch/supper idea. I gave you a 5 star rating but sorry it may not show. they are not staying.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Nancy! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Amazing recipe! I love the curry, cashew, and chickpea combination. It’s on my regular recipe rotation. I omitted the raisins and ate it on fresh sour dough bread (curtesy of my husband’s pandemic sour dough obsession.)
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Emily! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Made this today, with just a few minor substitutions based on what I had in the house. Had it on a bed of arugula with cherry tomatoes, delicious! I’ve done a similar recipe before that was good–the curry in this one really took it up a notch. Thank you!
Sounds great Rae, thank you so much for your kind review!