Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich

These Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwiches are the perfect lunch meal prep for the week. With smashed chickpeas in a creamy dressing and crunchy veggies all on soft whole grain bread—this sandwich is packed with plant-based protein and fiber to keep you full all afternoon!

The chickpea salad is made by simply mashing chickpeas with some mayonnaise and seasonings that are all pantry staples. You could even make the chickpea salad on its own to eat with tortilla chips, in a pita, or in lettuce cups. It keeps super well in the fridge for days.

Make it gluten free by simply using a fresh gluten free sandwich bread, or lettuce cups. Add this vegetarian and easily gluten free sandwich to your lunch rotation!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• An easy, flavourful sandwich made with simple ingredients.
• Chickpeas are an inexpensive plant-based protein.
• Prepare the chickpea salad in advance for quick prep.
• The sandwich has delicious crunch from sliced cucumber and radishes. It's a great combo!
• Enjoy the chickpea salad on its own, in a pita pocket or wrap, with chips, in lettuce wraps—so many ways!
• It's a hearty sandwich to pack for lunch.
• This sandwich is vegetarian and nut-free, plus easily vegan or gluten free.

If you like this, you'll also like my Mediterranean Meal Prep Bowls, Greek Chicken Meatballs, Quinoa Vegetable Soup, Minestrone Soup, High Protein Pasta Salad, and Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here is everything you'll need to make these chickpea salad sandwiches:

For the Chickpea Salad

• 1 can of chickpeas: You could also use dried chickpeas, but be sure to soak them overnight and prepare accordingly. Also called garbanzo beans.
• Mayonnaise: Use vegan mayo to make this vegan.
• Dijon mustard: Or any mustard you have will work. It adds delicious flavour to the chickpea salad.
• Lemon juice: Fresh is best but bottled works. In a pinch, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar would be a good sub.
• Red onion: Green onions would be my next pick, but any onion will work.
• Fresh parsley: Fresh brightens the chickpea salad so much, but dried works, or omit the parsley.
• Hot sauce: Adds a little spice to the salad! I use Frank's Red Hot.
• Seasoning: Salt, pepper, celery seed—an underrated seasoning but I love it in all my chicken salads and this chickpea salad. Try it!

For the Sandwiches

• Whole grain bread or gluten free bread. Pick a bread that is soft, as a hard loaf like a baguette will cause the filling to ooze out when you bite.
• Sliced cucumber and radishes: The crunch from these make the sandwich so delicious! Use a mandolin to carefully create super thin slices.
• Baby spinach: Or your lettuce of choice.
• Other delicious fillings could be tomato slices, creamy avocado, roasted red pepper, crunchy celery, fresh dill, or more fresh veggies.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.

Drain, rinse, and dry the chickpeas. Transfer them to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher so they are mostly flattened. If you want a smoother texture, use a food processor.

(1) Add the rest of the chickpea salad ingredients and stir together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The longer, the better. You can prepare this in advance.

(2) Assemble each sandwich with 2 slices of fresh bread, a handful of spinach, thinly sliced cucumber and radish, then a healthy scoop of the chickpea salad.

Slice in half and enjoy!

Sandwich Sides

A sandwich is the quintessential perfect lunch! This sandwich is super filling from the protein and fiber of the chickpeas. If you're looking for more, here are some delicious sides to accompany it:

• Crunchy kettle chips
• Popcorn
• Kosher dill pickle spears
• Kale crunch salad
• Mango pineapple quinoa salad
• Gluten free dairy free broccoli salad
• Air fried potato wedges
• Gluten free minestrone soup
• Cauliflower potato leek soup

Make Ahead

You can mix the chickpea salad up to 24 hours in advance. It will taste better with time.

Storage

Store the chickpea salad in an airtight container separately from the sandwich fixings. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Prepared sandwiches may become soggy from the chickpea salad, so I recommend refrigerating for only a few hours before eating.

Expert Tips

Here are some of my top tips and tricks for successful sandwiches:

• Use canned chickpeas for quick prep, as opposed to dried chickpeas which need to soak for hours.
• Chickpeas can be mashed with a potato masher for a chunky texture. If you prefer it smoother, pulse them with the chickpea salad ingredients in a food processor.
• Refrigerate the chickpea salad for at least half an hour before eating if you can. It gets even better when all the flavors can mingle.
• Use a mandolin to thinly slice the radishes and cucumber. Be careful and use the guard.
• Ideally, assemble the sandwiches just before eating. They will hold up for a few hours in the fridge as a packed lunch, though the chickpea salad may make the bread a bit soft.

Frequently Asked Questions

This simple smashed chickpea salad sandwich is a delicious and healthy lunch, made with pantry staples! It's creamy, crunchy, and packed with flavor.

More Healthy Recipes

Have you made this smashed chickpea salad sandwich? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and review below, and tag me on instagram @fromoliviaskitchen!