This Chickpea + Avocado Salad will remind you of tuna salad, but is made without meat or dairy! It's creamy, flavorful, and versatile. Enjoy it with chips or crackers, spread on toast, added on top of a salad, or just on it's own!
Chickpeas are a great replacement for tuna since they are packed with protein and have a dense texture. In my Vegan Chickpea + Avocado Salad, you won't miss the tuna at all! The avocado creates a creamy dressing and is mixed with colorful, crunchy veggies for the perfect "tuna" sandwich or dip!
Ingredients Needed
My Chickpea + Avocado "Tuna" Salad is made with whole, healthy ingredients and is completely vegan! Here's what you'll need:
For the Dressing:
- Avocado: Avocado is essentially the replacement for mayonnaise in this recipe. It is creamy and full of healthy fats making it perfect for a healthy salad!
- Olive Oil: Olive oil is added for a bit of moisture and flavor.
- Water & Lemon Juice: I combined water and lemon juice to add the correct amount of moisture and acidity to the dressing.
- To season: Garlic Powder, Paprika, Cumin, Salt and Pepper season this dressing to perfection!
For the Salad:
- Canned Chickpeas: Rinse and drain the chickpeas for this recipe. The chickpeas add a wonderful texture and a lot of plant-based protein!
- Bell Peppers: You can use any color bell pepper and dice them up into small pieces!
- Celery: It wouldn't be "tuna" salad without celery! Dice it up nice a small for a little crunch in every bite!
- Green Onion & Red Onion: I used a combination of green onion and red onion here. They both add a nice flavor and color!
How to Make This Recipe
This Vegan Chickpea and Avocado Salad recipe couldn't be any easier to whip up! Here are the simple steps to making the perfect protein-packed salad:
Step 1: Begin by adding the avocado, olive oil, water, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper to a blender. Blend until creamy, adding more water if needed for a thinner texture.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, add the chickpeas, bell peppers, celery, green and red onion. Drizzle the avocado cream dressing over the salad. Toss until mixed well and serve on toast, with chips or crackers, on top of salads, or on it's own!
Expert Tips
- Make this salad your own! You can add some dill relish for a flavor that is more reminiscent of tuna salad! Or, toss in some more veggies like cucumber and diced cherry tomatoes!
- Eat it with anything. You can eat this as a sandwich, on toast, in a tortilla wrap, with crackers, or as a dip with chips! Or, just eat this salad on it's own because it is seriously that good!
- You can mash the chickpeas for a creamier salad! If you prefer to not have whole chickpeas in the salad, you can mash them up with a fork before mixing them in with the rest of the ingredients!
- Use fresh lemon or lime juice! Fresh lemon or lime juice tastes so much better than the bottled stuff! After you mix everything together, add a bit more if it needs more tang!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This tuna salad dupe is actually very healthy. The avocado instead of mayonnaise reduces the calories and increases the fiber and healthy fats. The veggies and chickpeas are all very healthy for you as well!
If you don't want to use avocado but still want a vegan salad, some other good options are hummus or tahini. If you are not worried about it being vegan, try greek yogurt!
Since there is avocado in this salad, it is best to eat it the same day that you make it. You can still store it in the fridge in an airtight container and eat it the next day if needed!
More Salad Recipes to Try
- Easy Chickpea Salad
- Vegan Caesar Salad
- Healthy Ranch Dip
- Sweet Potato & Chickpea Salad with Honey Mustard
Chickpea + Avocado Salad
Ingredients
Avocado Cream Dressing
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup cool water
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Avocado and Chickpea Salad Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup diced bell peppers
- 1 cup diced celery
- ¼ cup freshly chopped green onion
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
Instructions
Recipe for Chickpea and Avocado Salad
- Begin by adding the avocado, olive oil, water, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to a blender. Blend until creamy, adding more water if needed.
- In a mixing bowl, add the chickpeas, bell peppers, celery, green and red onion. Drizzle the avocado cream dressing over the salad. Toss until mixed well and serve on toast, with chips/crackers, on top of salads, or on it's own!
Notes
Nutrition
The recipes on Peanut Butter and Jilly can easily be adapted to fit a vegan lifestyle, a gluten-free lifestyle, or both depending on the ingredients you use. Please review the ingredients lists carefully and refer to our recommendations in the Notes of the recipe card to make this recipe compatible with your needs. Nutrition information provided is an estimate, and will vary based on specific brands of ingredients used and cooking methods.
Leave a Reply