This Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad Recipe is a close vegan replacement to actual tuna salad. It's tangy, thick and tastes almost identical to the traditional tuna mixture. {WW 1 Purple, 1 Blue, 4 Green, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free}
Drain chickpeas but reserve 1/4 cup liquid from can. Add chickpeas and reserved liquid to a large bowl.
Mash with a potato masher, pressing firmly and using a rocking motion to mash chickpeas. Then use a fork to mash chickpeas more finely.Tip: This step can take about 8 minutes to get a good mash. It's worth taking the extra time to make sure the chickpeas are mashed thoroughly. The skins separating from the mashed chickpeas is what gives it a "tuna fish" type of texture.
Once mashed, add all other ingredients and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Optional: Lightly toast bread. Place enough lettuce to cover a slice of bread. Smear a portion of chickpea tuna salad over lettuce. Top with bread.
Notes
Note: You can skip the bell pepper and celery if you're out of these ingredients, they were mainly added for crunch so won't affect the flavor of the recipe too much. Do not skip the red onion since it plays a big part in the flavor.Add a little extra vegan mayo when you are meal prepping. It's handy to hand mash the chickpeas so you get the best results for texture and flavor. Refrigerate the leftovers in an air tight container. It will last 3-4 days in the fridge.