As much as I love a falafel wrap, I do sometimes miss the flavour of “classic sandwiches”, so I created this vegan chickpea tuna sandwich recipe. I know you’re probably confused- “how can you make tuna vegan??” I hear you cry. Well, crushed chickpeas is the nearest I could get to creating an appearance and texture of tuna, and whilst it doesn’t taste fishy, this sandwich does still have a similar tanginess from the lemon and creaminess from the avocado that you would get in a tuna mayo sandwich.
I personally don’t like capers but I reckon adding some of those would create a salty taste similar to that of tuna if that’s what you’re after.
I like to keep my vegan chickpea “tuna” sandwich recipe as plant-based as possible but you could add vegan mayonnaise (Hellman’s recently brought out a vegan range!) instead of/as well as crushed avocado for extra creaminess. I also love hummus in mine for some added protein. You can make you’re own hummus (which is usually healthier than shop bought) use my super simple recipe here.
The crushed chickpea “tuna” mixture can also be used in a pasta sauce with some vegan cheese for a veganised version of tuna pasta bake. I’ve not yet tried to make this but I reckon it’ll work!
Vegan Chickpea "Tuna" Sandwich
A tasty lunch option for when you're on the go at uni or at work. This chickpea "tuna" filling goes well with wholemeal bread, a seeded wrap or wholemeal pita.
Ingredients
For the chickpea "tuna" filling (enough for 4 sandwiches)
- 1 tin chickpeas, drained
- 1 avocado, crushed
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1/4 courgette, finely grated
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
For the sandwich
- 2-3 tbsp chickpea "tuna" filling
- 1 tbsp hummus (or vegan mayo)
- 1 handful mixed leaves
- 2 slices wholemeal bread
- 1 tsp sweet chili sauce (optional)
Instructions
For the chickpea tuna filling
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Roughly mash up the chickpeas in a bowl using a fork.
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Add the avocado and continue mash with the fork until you get a creamy yet chunky consistency.
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Stir through the lemon, grated carrrot, grated courgette, spring onion, olive oil and seasoning
For the sandwich
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Spread the hummus (or vegan mayo) across 1 slice of bread.
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Spread the sweet chili sauce on the other slice of bread (optional) and add 3 tbsp of the chickpea mixture and mixed leaves to the other slice of bread
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Assemble the sandwich by putting the hummus slice on top of the other slice. Cut in half diagonally.
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Eat it straight away or wrap in up in clingfilm and place in a tupperware to take to uni/work.
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Enjoy!