Vegan Chicken Salad Recipe

This vegan chicken salad swaps chicken for mashed chickpeas mixed with cranberries, walnuts, celery and green onion in a tangy vegan mayo or tahini dressing. It has a similar chunky texture to classic chicken salad, comes together in about ten minutes with eight ingredients, and works piled on bread, stuffed in a wrap or spooned over greens.

Chickpeas are one of the most versatile beans around, pairing well with sweet, sour and savoury flavours alike, which is part of why they work so well here in place of chicken.

This salad is full of fibre and protein and uses just 8 ingredients (plus salt and pepper), making it a quick, easy dish that rivals its chicken namesake.

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Vegan ‘Chicken’ Salad

Who will love this vegan chicken salad?

Those who are looking for an alternative to the chicken salad you might see at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

It has a similar mouthfeel and is just as filling, with a texture close enough to the actual chicken salad that it is easy to mistake for it.

This chickpea vegan ‘chicken’ salad with cranberries and walnuts delivers a chunky, sweet, peppery, crunchy style filling that works well in a sandwich.

Full of texture and flavour, this has become a favourite and is hearty enough to be a satisfying lunch on its own.

What can I substitute for walnuts or green onions?

Walnuts can be swapped for pecans if you prefer, and green onions can be replaced with a quarter cup of finely diced red onion. Cranberries can be swapped for fresh chopped cranberries or chopped dried cherries, and apple cider vinegar can be replaced with white wine vinegar.

How long does vegan chicken salad keep?

Kept in a covered container in the fridge, this salad keeps for 5 to 6 days.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Vegan ‘Chicken’ Salad

With only a few ingredients, this healthy salad comes together quick and easy.

Here is everything you will need, plus suggestions for substituting when possible. You can find the full measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Chickpeas – use canned or fresh cooked garbanzo beans
• Cranberries – When buying cranberries, use organic whenever possible (I like the ones from Trader Joe’s, they’re so brightly coloured too!). You can also use fresh chopped cranberries or chopped dried cherries!
• Celery– cool and crunchy, but can be omitted
• Walnuts – feel free to change it up with pecans
• Green onions– sub with ¼ cup finely diced red onions
• Vegan mayo or tahini
• Apple cider vinegar– can also use white wine vinegar or TJ’s Orange Muscat Vinegar
• Pure maple syrup– coconut nectar or date syrup works too
• Salt + pepper

Instructions

Dressing: Start by mixing your dressing. In a small bowl combine tahini/mayo, vinegar, water and maple syrup. Set aside so the flavours come together. This can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Add a tad more water, or vinegar if you’re a vinegar lover, to thin out dressing as desired. If using vegan mayo, you may like to add 2 more tablespoons.

Mash chickpeas: In a medium to large bowl, add your garbanzo beans and roughly mash with a strong fork or potato masher. Mash at least ¾ of the chickpeas so it binds well.

Assemble: Add in celery, cranberries, nuts, scallions, salt, pepper and dressing, mix well. Serve at room temp or let chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.

Serve: Serve on your favourite bread as a closed or open faced sandwich, or on a bed of leafy greens. You may even opt to simply enjoy the salad as is.

Serves 6

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days, in a covered container.

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