Easy Chickpea Tuna Salad

This easy chickpea tuna salad recipe has become my go-to lunch because it not only tastes amazing, it’s also super versatile. 

Enjoy this no tuna chickpea salad in a sandwich with some butter lettuce, pair it with a crispy hunk of sourdough bread or enjoy it on its own with some crackers on the side.

Additionally, unlike most tuna salad recipes, this version is crunchy, crispy and not mushy at all. In fact, I should have called it ‘chickpea tuna crunch salad’. 

Did I mention that this chickpea tuna salad has no mayo?!

Chickpea Tuna Salad Ingredients 

Here’s your grocery list for this vegan chickpea tuna salad. As always, the full recipe with detailed instructions and measurements is in the recipe card below. 

• Chickpeas: I just use canned chickpeas as it’s so much easier (and convenient). Make sure you rinse the chickpeas thoroughly with cold water to get off the liquid from the can. 
• Vegan yogurt: Love using Kite Hill’s unsweetened plain almond milk yogurt for this. It mimics the texture of mayo perfectly, without all the added oils and emulsifiers that most vegan mayo’s have. Additionally, you can use greek yogurt in this chickpea tuna salad instead, for a little protein bump. 
• Celery
• Purple onion 
• Lemon juice 
• Parsley 
• Seaweed: This will add a umami and fishy flavor to this chickpea mock tuna salad that will mimic the flavors of actual tuna salad. 
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper
• Kosher salt 

Cheat Sheet to this Recipe

Listing out a few pointers to making this healthy chickpea tuna salad perfectly. 

• Don’t mash the chickpeas too much. The key is to roughly mash the chickpeas so there is still some whole beans to add variety and texture. Plus, it visually looks better! 
• Start with a small amount of yogurt. In the recipe, I recommend starting with 4 tbsp of yogurt, building your way up to 6 or 7 tbsp of yogurt if needed. I personally like my ‘tuna’ salad a bit on the dry side, so I use 4 tbsp. But depending on your creaminess preference, you can use more yogurt. 
• Chop the onion and celery into super tiny cubes. My rule of thumb with a salad like this is that the main components (chickpeas, celery, and onion) should all be of similar size to make the salad taste cohesive.  Trust me, it may seem like a lot of work to chop the celery and onion super tiny, but it makes such a difference in the flavor and texture of the salad. 
• Instead of seaweed, you can opt to use dulse flakes. Dulse flakes actually have a lot more nutrients (and iodine) and will add in a wonderful fishy and umami-rich flavor to this salad. 
• Add in some capers for added flavor. Totally optional, but the capers do take this salad up a notch. 

How to Serve this Chickpea Salad

Listing three of my favorite ways to serve this simple chickpea tuna salad.

• Make a tuna crunch salad sandwich. Start with a crispy piece of bread, layer on some butter lettuce, a generous amount of the chickpea tuna salad and top with some crushed kettle chips. The chips are definitely not healthy haha, but they do make this sandwich taste extra yummy! 
• My personal favorite way to enjoy this salad is to make an open-faced chickpea tuna salad toast. Simply toast a thick slice of sourdough, spread a generous amount of vegan butter or drizzle with olive oil, top with the chickpea salad and a sprinkle of parsley. A super simple lunch that happens to be packed with protein and other nutrients! 
• Treat this chickpea tuna salad as a dip. Simple Mills  almond flour crackers, multigrain crackers or rice crackers are my favorites to dip into this tuna salad. Such an underrated combo! 

Even More Salad Recipes

• Shirazi Salad 
• Cucumber Edamame Salad 

If you make this recipe, please leave a review and rating below. And don’t forget to snap a picture and tag me on either Instagram or TikTok (if you’re not already following me, make sure to for new recipes and wellness tips)!

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