Chickpea Avocado Salad
How epic does this chickpea avocado salad sandwich look. Not trying to toot my own horn here but damn, that looks good. And instead of making you jelly cakes, I’d rather share this recipe with all of you so that you too can enjoy some deliciousness: Chickpea Avocado Salad.
What’s funny is I have been hearing about a ‘veganized’ tuna salad for ages now. The idea is to use chickpeas instead of canned tuna and then the same ingredients you would normally use. Think fresh dill, mayo, mustard, maybe some pickles? There are loads and loads of variations out there.
What happened on my end, though, is the salad took a very ‘foodie’ direction. Sure I could have stopped at just the basics, but my mind doesn’t do that most of the time. Instead, I couldn’t help but think ‘How can I push the recipe to its maximum potential?’.
For instance- buttery Castelvetrano olives. Yes. Ridiculously crunchy, roasted Marcona almonds? Please. And maybe a little bit more diced celery than others would use? OK. For the fresh herbs, just using dill would work just fine but wouldn’t the combination of both fresh dill, fresh parsley, AND freshly sliced green onions, be amazing? 100%. What really takes this salad over the top is chunks of ripe avocado. Drops mic.
CREATING THE BEST GARLIC FLAVOR
When it comes to garlic you can get two major flavor profiles: once cooked, garlic becomes toasty, earthy, rich and sweet while also being beautifully mild and pleasant. Raw garlic on the other hand can be super intense with a spicy kick. So what’s a girl to do when you want that intense hit without it being jarring? Smash it.
That’s right, you heard me, smash it! By using the side of your knife (and a sprinkle of sea salt) you can mash, chop, mash, chop until you are left with a garlic paste. This potent mixture is pure gold as it will easily meld into the recipe. And because the recipe only calls for a little bit, we get that amazing intensity garlic has to offer, without it taking over the whole party. Yay, no meltdowns!
CHICKPEA AVOCADO SALAD IS A ONE BOWL GIG
Did I say this recipe only requires one bowl? It’s true. Basically, once you mash the chickpeas with your fork, you throw everything else in (except the avocado) and mix away. Once everything is coated with the dressing, gently fold in the avocado. I always reserve some fresh herbs for sprinkling on top because that’s what I do. You should, too. :*
HORS D’OUEVRES OR APPETIZER OPTIONS
Although this Chickpea Avocado Salad is amazing in a sandwich or wrap, you can also serve it as a bite-sized appetizer or as an hors d’oeuvres or appetizer for a party. Simply slice a good baguette into thin rounds (think 1 or 2 bites). Toast them just enough so that they are crisp but still chewy. Add on a small mound of the salad, a piece of sliced avocado, a few paper thin slices of tomatoes (Roma tomatoes work perfectly here!) and top with sea salt, pepper and fresh dill! Pretty fab, eh?
SOME FINAL NOTES
Before draining the can of chickpeas, try using the water in an aquafaba recipe. I’ve actually never done this before, but I have seen some beautiful creations made using leftover chickpea water.
If making a sandwich or wrap, I like to add fresh cucumber and tomato. The cucumbers add a delightful crunch while the tomatoes add a juiciness. In my opinion, all sandwiches should be juicy, so there you go.
For the beans, you can certainly make them from scratch! Whenever I do, I always place a little bit of kombu, a sea vegetable, in the water when boiling. This helps to season the beans ever so slightly while also helping to aid in digestion. If you look close enough, you’ll see that some of the organic canned beans have this listed in the ingredients which is great! Get those, for sure!
If you do like this Chickpea Avocado Salad recipe, you would LOVE my ‘Picnic Pasta Salad’ or my ‘Creole Potato Salad’ in my cookbook, Mississippi Vegan, available here. There’s over 125 recipes and loads of pretty photos.
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT THESE:
And there you have my Chickpea Avocado Salad! I cannot wait to hear what y’all think. If you do make this, please leave a comment and a rating below as this greatly helps my recipes to be seen on the interwebs. Lastly, if you share it on social media, please tag me. I love to see it. Happy cooking, y’all!
-Timothy
Chickpea Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 clove large garlic, smashed and chopped into a paste
- ½ cup diced celery
- 1 stalk green onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoon dill pickles, diced
- 3 tablespoons Castelvetrano olives, diced
- ¼ cup roasted salted Marcona almonds, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- ¼ cup roughly chopped parsley, fresh not dried
- ¼ cup roughly chopped dill, fresh not dried
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- ¼ cup vegan mayo
- 1 medium avocado, ripe and cut into chunks
Instructions
- Open, drain and rinse canned chickpeas. Add to a medium-size mixing bowl. Then add salt, black pepper, nutritional yeast and cayenne. Using a fork, mash half of the chickpeas, leaving the other half whole.
- Smash the garlic with the side of your kitchen knife. Sprinkle on some salt and continue to smash and chop until you are left with a paste. Transfer to bowl of chickpeas.
- To the same bowl, add celery, green onions, pickles, olives, almonds, shallot, parsley, dill, red wine vinegar, mustard and vegan mayo. Combine and mix well.
- Lastly, gently fold in the diced avocado. Give it a taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve in lettuce cups for a refreshing salad, as a sandwich filling or in a wrap, or as a crostini for a party.
This is the most amazing recipe.I literally make this every other week!
Aww, Erin. Thank you for these kind words! Happy and thankful to have you here.
Oh Man, this is Da Bomb! Highly recommended! Innovative, delicious, and totally satisfying. I love taking things into “foodie” zone, but even more so when it’s this easy to put together. Thank you Sir Timothy!
So, so happy to hear this! It’s one of my fave recipes and I am very thrilled to know that you enjoy it, as well. Thanks for being here!
This is SO GOOD. I’ve tried various versions of this recipe, but this is by far the best!
Ayyy, thank you, Kari! So happy to hear this. I appreciate you being here.