Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad
Updated Aug 09, 2025
This easy chickpea 'tuna' salad recipe is made with canned chickpeas, Greek yogurt, fresh vegetables, and fresh herbs. It's ready in just 10 minutes!
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Make easy chickpea ‘tuna’ salad!
This Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad is a great alternative to the traditional; the tuna is replaced with mashed chickpeas for a vegetarian recipe that is rich in protein, full of fiber, and easy to make. It takes me just 10 minutes to make, and I serve it just like tuna or chicken salad on bib lettuce, sliced bread, or in a wrap.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad Ingredients
- Chickpeas: I like to use low-sodium canned chickpeas and incorporate some of the liquid (aquafaba) into the salad. If you have the time, cook the chickpeas from dry, and reserve some soaking liquid before draining.
- Yogurt: I use Greek yogurt instead of mayo. To make a vegan chickpea tuna salad recipe, use a non-dairy alternative like coconut yogurt or almond yogurt.
- Shallot: Shallots are my favorite onion for this recipe because they have a mild flavor, but any onion works.
- Celery: Finely dice.
- Tahini: Make sure to stir it well before adding to the dressing.
- Lemon: This recipe uses both lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Dijon mustard: I like the sharpness and tanginess of Dijon mustard here, but any variety works depending on your tastes. Or, skip the mustard altogether and substitute a dill relish.
- Herbs and spices: Fresh dill, salt, and pepper. You can use any herbs you like.
How to Make Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad
Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad Recipe
This easy chickpea 'tuna' salad recipe is made with canned chickpeas, Greek yogurt, fresh vegetables, and fresh herbs. It's ready in just 10 minutes!
Video
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce can chickpeas
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 shallot diced
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- Zest and juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas, reserving about 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the can. In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas and reserved liquid. Use a potato masher or a fork to mash the chickpeas to your desired consistency. Add celery and shallots, folding them together until incorporated.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. When the dressing is smooth, pour it over the chickpeas. Add the dill and mix everything together until combined. Serve immediately.
Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It may separate a little while it sits, so give it a quick stir before serving to redistribute the ingredients.
Nutrition
Calories: 408kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 211mg, Potassium: 706mg, Fiber: 17g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 91IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 135mg, Iron: 7mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Tips
- Save the aquafaba! Aquafaba, or the liquid in a can of chickpeas, has many uses. I like to use it in this recipe to give the chickpeas a creamy consistency and make them easier to mash. You can also add a little to your blender when making hummus for a super smooth finish.
- Don’t over-mash the chickpeas. You want them to have a mashed but chunky consistency. Don’t let them get as smooth as hummus.
- Let the salad rest first. You can dive right in, but if you allow the chickpea salad to chill in the fridge for a few hours, the flavors will develop more over time.
Serving Ideas
- Turn into a sandwich. Serve it on pita bread, flatbread, or dinner rolls, or enjoy it in a lettuce wrap.
- Soup: Chicken Lemon Rice Soup, Carrot Ginger Soup, Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
- Salad: Pear Kale Salad, Kale Farro and Feta Salad, Caesar Salad with Brussels Sprouts
- Veggie chips: Baked Sweet Potato Chips, Crispy Zucchini Chips, Kale Chips
Comments
Made this for lunch this week and enjoyed it stuffed inside pita pockets. So good! The only thing I changed is I added some dill pickle relish because that’s a must for me in tuna salad. Otherwise I followed the recipe as written and will definitely be making again!
Love the addition of relish, thanks for sharing!
Made this for lunch today, and it was delicious! Didnโt have a shallot or fresh dill so I swapped in 1/3 of a finely diced red onion and some fresh parsley. Threw in some capers and a bit of their juice, YUM. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Oo, capers sound amazing in this! Great idea!
Would this work with regular plain yogurt?
Hi Reem! It will! It might be a little less creamy than if you had used Greek yogurt, but it will still be yummy! Hope you enjoy!
This recipe is mind blowing! I have replaced Tuna with sprouted moong as I am vegetarian. The taste is amazing.
Wow!! Thank you so much, Niki. I am so glad you liked it!
I love toasts (avocado, salmon, tuna etc) and this was just another yummy toast that I made with Trader Joeโs sourdough bread. Easy to make and very yummy. I sprinkled with parsley instead of dill.
Yum! You can not go wrong with sourdough, that’s for sure!
So quick and easy to whip up! This turned out delicious, Iโll first enjoy with crackers and then maybe on toast for tomorrows lunch. I feel like this is a hit to keep me out of a lunch slump!
Woohoo! So glad to hear that you like it!
Made this last night! Quick and easy and loved. A little left over that Iโm sure will taste even better tonight! Soooo Good ๐
Glad you liked it, Lee! The flavors do enhance overnight! Enjoy!
Made this dish, loved it.ย Enjoyed eating it as a spread on a slice of bread.ย It seems to smell like tuna each time I opened up the container I stored it in.ย Guess why it was called Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad.ย I left out the celery as my husband is allergic to it, added a spicy seasoning and some hot sauce to it.ย I didn’t have fresh dill so used dried dill.ย I will make this again.
Ooo, I bet the heat was a lovely addition! Love that idea!
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