Quick & Easy Chickpea Salad Sandwich (No Mayo)

This quick and easy chickpea salad sandwich makes for a perfect vegan lunch for work or school. It’s packed with protein, fiber and healthy fats from chickpeas, sunflower seeds and tahini. Plus, this chickpea salad sandwich doesn’t contain any mayo!

(This post is sponsored by Silver Hills Bakery)

Today is all about easy lunches for school or work. More specifically, I’m sharing with you one of my favorite sandwiches: This quick and easy chickpea salad sandwich. Along with my other favorite lunchbox friendly recipes from the blog.

I first started making this sandwich approximately 3 years ago. I used a few recipes as inspiration, but most of the time, I just mixed whichever ingredients I had on hand without measuring. I just wanted something quick and filling for my lunches at work or university. I have no time for complicated lunches in the morning and I’m sure I’m not alone! For that reason, this sandwich has been my go-to lunch over the last few years, especially when I’m short on time.

My Go-To Easy Lunches:

• Leftovers from whichever recipe I was testing that weekend
• Soups (I like making big batches using the veggies I have on hand and freeze them for quick lunches)
• Sandwiches made with hummus, avocado, cheese, mustard and tomatoes
• Snack-style lunches: hummus, veggies, crackers, fruits and a nutritious dessert (mostly energy bites)
• Quinoa salads (I make a big batch on the weekend for easy lunches all week)
• This chickpea salad sandwich

With that, I usually have a couple of snacks. It could be fresh fruits, vegetables (cucumbers, peppers, carrots, cherry tomatoes), dried fruits with nuts or seeds, homemade granola bars or a nutritious dessert. It all depends on which recipe I’m testing that week.

If you’re looking for healthy lunchbox recipes, here are some of my favorites:

• Quick Lunch Box Southwestern Quinoa Salad
• Lemon Sweet Pea Hummus
• Marinated Tofu Sandwich
• Greek Quinoa & Chickpea Salad
• Seriously Addictive No-Bake Seedy Granola Bars
• Fruit-Sweetened Cardamom Blueberry Muffins
• Nut-Free Caramel Rice Crispy Squares

You can also find a complete list of my lunchbox recipes here.

As I was saying, if I don’t have any leftovers in the fridge or freezer, that’s usually when I turn to this easy sandwich. Here’s how it’s made:

First, I place the chickpeas, mustard, tahini, oil and lemon juice in a small container. I like to use a glass Tupperware dish so that I can close it and store the chickpea mixture directly in the fridge. No need to use an extra bowl for mixing!

Next, mash the chickpeas using a potato masher or a fork. The mixture should be well mashed, while still having some texture from some chickpeas. Then, you can add your diced red onions, sunflower seeds and dill. Feel free to add other vegetables or herbs to the mixture, keeping in mind that too much may make the sandwich filling crumble more easily. I think celery, peppers and parsley would be great!

At this point, you can either store the chickpea filling in the fridge for up to 5 days or assemble your sandwiches. I like to make a batch on the weekend, keep it in the fridge, then assemble the sandwiches in the mornings before going to work.

For added fillings, I like adding sliced avocado, tomatoes, leafy greens, more mustard, cucumbers and sprouts.

For a fiber boost, I always use whole wheat or sprouted wheat bread, such as Silver Hills bakery. Sprouted grains have gained a lot of popularity over the past few years. It offers more benefits including having more vitamins and minerals.

Just for fun (yes, I do find this fun), I compared the nutrition facts from a slice of this sprouted bread with my other go-to whole wheat bread and I did find a few differences. First, this one has an extra 2 grams of fiber and protein per slice. Second, it has more vitamins and minerals. Not to mention that it’s vegan, nut-free and from a Canadian brand. I highly recommend going for whole grains as often as possible to benefit from the extra fiber and nutrients.

On that note, I hope you enjoy this nutritious sandwich as much as I do!

If you make this chickpea salad sandwich, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!