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In this vegan version of a tuna salad sandwich, the savory chickpea filling gets extra tang from pickles, red onion, and capers. Mayonnaise is replaced by a creamy mixture of tahini and Dijon mustard to deliver crave-worthy flavor in every bite. Serve between two slices of your favorite hearty bread for a simple yet satisfying meal. The mixture will keep well covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, which makes it great for quick, weekday lunches!
From Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking
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By Dana Shultz,
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This recipe was originally published on May. 14, 2013, and has been updated.
Dana Shultz is the recipe developer and writer for the Minimalist Baker, a website devoted to simple cooking, which she founded with her husband, John. All recipes require 10 ingredients or less or 30 minutes or less to prepare. She is the author of Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking and the 31 Meals Cookbook. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.
Photo: © Dana Shultz
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Comments (316)
I love this recipe!
I use 1 tablespoon tahini and two tablespoons plant based yogurt. Makes it very creamy. I also break up the tahini with the pickle water.
Greetings from Germany!
Excellent sandwich. I omitted the tahini and maple syrup and added vegenaise which is low in saturated fat.
This is amazing!! Thank you for creating and sharing the recipe.
This is an old standby now. Delicious. Doesn’t need any sweetener. Great with mini baked potatoes.
I have made this several times. I have tweaked it several different ways. My favourite is omit the celery and add chopped apple. and added a whole small red onion and raw sunflower seeds
Excellent in lettuce leaves or a sandwich – top notch…
Just made this for lunch and it was excellent. I skipped the syrup to avoid added sugars. I added extra capers and also added red peppers. Topped my sandwich with shredded carrots and arugula. I am a hearty eater so this will only make 4 sandwiches.
This is good, but I think it would be a bit better with less tahini and omitting the syrup.
Kathy, do you replace the tahini with anything? I want to start making it without tahini
I’ve been skipping the tahini and haven’t ever added the syrup. It’s so good!!!!
Just made this! It was so easy and SO delicious!!!
Too bitter – needs max 1tbs of tahini, too dry – add vegan mayo
This recipe is incredible…the only problem is that I don’t want to make anything but this for lunch now!
This recipe is wonderful!
I love that is makes a fantastic sandwich filler, without the mayo.
I’ve made it several times and toys l it’s always . Thank you very much!!!
This is a fabulous recipe. Sometimes I add colored peppers and extra spices. If I want a creamier version, I add greek yogurt. I omit the sweetener.
I had my doubts about what this recipe would taste like. However, I made it for lunch and it was yummy. I will definitely make it again !
Reading your comments I have many ideas for this faboulous combination.
I dindt use the syrup though.
I made this last night and left in the refrigerator for lunch today. I put some veggies (lettuce, tomato and cuke) in a bag, some “No Tuna ” salad in a container, and 2 slices of Ezekial bread and brought it to work. Toasted the bread and assembled the sandwich, it was fabulous!! I’ve been missing sandwiches in my Plant Based diet and this hit the mark. I will note that I added more dijon and tahini and eliminated the maple syrup when I initially made it.
This recipe was amazing. i just made it for the first time. I’m not vegan but have been trying to fuel my body with more nutrient rich foods over the past few months. Just curious, does anyone know how many approx. calories there would be in a 1/2 cup serving of this recipe?
The simplicity and taste are top notch.
I have a problem tho, can you advise? My tahini is very stubborn about breaking up and being able to be incorporated into the rest of the mixture.
My fave hack for this is to add a splash of pickle juice to help break it up. Adds a little more flavor to the mix and helps thin it (if you like the pickles enough, that is )
Some tahini brands are much thicker than others. Try this- Measure out your tahini and whisk in a bit of water before adding to your chickpeas. The tahini may clump up as you add the water….just keep mixing and it will smooth out so you can then easily blend it with the other ingredients.
I just love this salad recipe. I make all the time, and my non vegan friends love it also. Thanks for sharing it.
This is SO good and really simple. I’ve made it twice already and only discovered it this week. Non vegan hubby loves it too.
Of all the recipes on here this is the 1 recipe on repeat. I use less than 1 teaspoon of maple syrup instead of the 1 tablespoon. Otherwise I make the recipe as is. Served with either roasted potatoes or arugula dressed with only lemon juice, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado. So many things to pair this with.
I have often seen this recipe over the last year on the FOK app and thought it sounded good. Well I finally tried it and it is delicious. I used the recipe as listed and it was so satisfying as a sandwich. Then with the leftovers the next day I had it over fresh spinach with tomatoes and avocado on top. I am a fan and will make this a regular meal. I’m just sorry I didn’t try it sooner.
With all the rave reviews I had to try this sandwich. It really is delicious! I added more Dijon mustard than what was called for and also some fresh dill. I’ve been plant based for a little over a year now and continue to be pleasantly surprised by the variety and flavor of all these recipes. I’ll never go back to the SAD.
I’m three weeks eating just plant based foods and I’m finally getting my taste buds to adjust. I loved this no tuna salad. Delicious!!! I made it at night for lunch at work tomorrow. Staying plant strong!! I’m so tickled!!
This is jolly nice – I used sliced caper berries & added lime juice & parsley – really really good – oooh, I also blitzed the chickpeas a bit b4 I added the chopped stuff
Too sweet with the maple syrup in my opinion, even when I added extra mustard. Next time I will omit it or use less. Quick, easy and satisfying!
20 yrs a vegetarian n 2 years a vegan. Looking forward to more great recipes!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! It’s quick, cheap, and easy to modify if you choose to. I’m 11 weeks pregnant, the food aversions are insane right now, but this chickpea sandwich is the one of the few things I have been consistently able to enjoy!
Very good. I used pickle relish because that’s what I had on hand. I’ve added a Tbsp of sauerkraut, a couple of artichoke hearts and 1/4 cup diced apple. Yum. My husband reluctantly tried this in a wrap last week (because it was all mixed up and ready, so convenient) and now he readily eats it.
Overall good and super healthy but a little on the bland side for me and my family. Next time, I will leave out the syrup, add more mustard, black pepper and a little salt more. And a bit more tahini. I used cucumbers instead of celery for the crunch. And I recommend soaking the red onions for 10-15 minutes while you prep the rest to soften the flavor of the onion. But I will make it again!
I used chunky kosher dolls in my tuna. Bet it would help blandness!
I’ve been making this recipe for quite a while now. I add some jarred pickled banana peppers to pep it up a bit. I don’t use tahini, maple syrup or capers. Extra celery finely diced, green onions instead of red. Some finely chopped red or yellow peppers. Just play with it and add what you like. I really like the addition of the banana peppers the most.
This recipe is absolutely delicious and so satisfying! Easy to make, keeps well and utterly yummy! I make it weekly!
This is our go-to sandwich! I have never made it with the capers though, and it is still so delicious!
My SIL made this and it was scrumptious, we all love it and company has enjoyed it too… he’s even tweaked it & it’s delish!!
This recipe is so delicious. Me and my husband were pleasantly surprised. I don’t miss regular tuna at all now!
This is fabulous! Taking an extra 5 minutes to remove the skins from the beans puts it over the top.
My only tweak: I once accidently added a 1/4 cup of red pepper and I liked it so much I add it every time now.
How long do you think this last in the refrigerator?
I love this recipe and i literally crave it.
I put it all in the food processor. I use lots of Bubbies breads and butter pickle chips and some juice.
NICE
I have been making this for years & I love it!! So yummy & delicious!
Fantastic! I didn’t know what I was going to think of this but I can’t believe how good it is. Definitely be making it again!
Love this recipe! I typically use vegan mayo instead of tahini and leave out maple syrup. Tastes great!
My favorite FOK recipe! I make this regularly with extra celery and capers to replace the pickle.
Love it! It is a staple in our house.
As well as ours.
Left out the maple syrup, added a tbsp of diced jalapeño and about 1/2tsp black salt. Tastes like egg salad. Love it on whole grain rice cakes.
This is an amazing recipe. I’m planning on making it with sprouted chickpeas next time to amp up the nutrition. I’m a sprouting demon… I also use sweet onion instead of red.
sorry forgot to rate the recipe.
first time i made this i followed the recipe,but found the raw red onion upset my stomach.the next time i made it i used spring onion (also known as salad onion) and it was much better.thanks very much for the recipe.
Ah, a trick my grandma showed me is if you soak red onions in water for 15 minutes, it mellows them out, in case you don’t have spring onions on hand.
My first FOK tried recipe. It was yum! Followed instruction to the tee. Will definitely be one of my favorites. Thank you.
Wow! This recipe is better than I thought it would be! This is delicious!
Awesome salad ❤️
This is really tasty even as a non-vegan. Had it with almond crackers. I added a splash of white wine vinegar because I do that with chicken salad. I might skip the sweetener. It reminds me of putting relish in tuna and that’s not my thing. If you’re experimenting and looking for a vegan dish to try, no cooking required and delicious!