Skip to content
Breakfast & brunch

Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad Recipe

This recipe is rated 5.0 out of 5.

Healthy choice

Mostly whole foods

Gluten-free option

Protein-packed

Soy-free option

Refined sugar free

Oil-free option

Nut-free option

Easy peasy

Super quick

One-pot recipe

Breakfast & brunch

Salads
Show more
A stacked sandwich with brown bread, lettuce, tomato, chickpea salad filling, and houmous sits on a plate with a wooden skewer.
A bowl of chopped vegetable salad with leafy greens and chickpea-based vegan tuna, surrounded by sliced tomatoes, a lemon, crackers, and a sandwich on a plate.

A little bit of nori goes a long way to lending this mixture a sea-inspired flavour. That, plus the crunch of celery, the pops of fresh dill, and the tang of diced pickles make it an absolute party between two slices of your favourite bread!

You will need

Makes 8

  • 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup hummus
  • 5 stalks celery, leaves removed, diced
  • 5 pickles, diced
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 2 lemons, juice only
  • 10-15g nori (dried seaweed), chopped into very fine strips/pieces
  • 1/2 cup (give or take) fresh dill, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons chia seeds
  • Cracked pepper, to taste
  • Onion flakes, to taste (optional)

To serve

  • Bread (rye is particularly nice with this!)
  • Lettuce of choice
  • Additional hummus (or vegan mayo)
  • Tomato (optional)

Share this recipe

Directions

20 mins to prep

  1. Step 1

    Place the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl and use a potato masher or a fork to roughly smash them. Leave some larger chunks in tact to retain a bit of texture, bearing in mind it will break down a little further as you mix in the remaining ingredients too.

  2. Step 2

    To the smashed chickpeas, add hummus, celery, pickles, onion, and lemon juice, and mix to combine. Then add the broken-down nori (start with 10g), dill, and chia seeds, mixing to combine each ingredient as you go. Adjust ratios, if needed, to your taste.*

  3. Step 3

    Season with cracked pepper and onion flakes to taste.

  4. Step 4

    Serve with crackers for an easy snack, or toast up some of your favourite bread and make a sandwich: Spread a layer of hummus or mayo on both pieces of toast, and layer with the chickpea mixture, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Hot tip!

*The consistency of hummus varies by brand. 1/2 cup is the minimum hummus you’ll need, but if it’s a drier hummus, you may like to add 1-3 tbsp more, or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to make the mixture a bit wetter, if that’s your preference. Need more briny flavour? Add more nori or pickles. Want more crunch? Extra celery.

Did this hit the spot? Thank you!

Rate it to help others find new favourites! Your rating helps give the best recipes a boost.

Select a star to rate the recipe

Recipe: Maggie

Photography: Rainbow Nourishments

More brunch dishes

View all recipes