Vegan tuna is perfect in sandwiches, wraps or with crackers and is ready in 10 minutes or less! Mashed chickpeas have a flaky texture that mimics tuna. It’s a plant based recipe that everyone will love.
Chopped nori sheets add a sea flavor to chickpea tuna that mimics real tuna. When chickpeas are mashed, they become delightfully flaky, becoming the perfect base for vegan tuna salad.
This mock tuna will be a hit with all types of eaters, and is sure to satisfy any tuna sandwich craving.
I love how it’s ready in about 10 minutes. Talk about a quick and easy weeknight meal! Serve with air fryer fries, chips, fruit or a simple salad.
Ingredients for vegan tuna (with substitutions)
- Chickpeas – No substitute here! I used canned, but you can use from-scratch chickpeas as well.
- Nori – Sheets of nori are added for a sea flavor, but leave them out if you don’t want that taste. I love it both ways!
- Pickle relish – I used dill pickle relish, but sweet pickle relish is good, too. Or simply chop a few pickles up very small.
- Celery – May omit if desired.
- Red onion – I like the flavor added with a little chopped red onion, but you can leave it out.
- Vegan mayo – Homemade vegan mayo or store bought, for that creamy taste.
- Soy sauce – May use tamari for gluten free.
- Black pepper
How to make it
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Drain and rinse your chickpeas and add them to a large bowl. Mash the chickpeas with a fork or a potato masher. You don’t want any whole beans left, or very few.
Chop the nori finely. You can also use a food processor or blender, but I found it easiest to simply chop it with a sharp knife. Add the nori and all other ingredients to the bowl.
Stir well. Taste, and add salt as needed.
That’s it! It really couldn’t be easier or faster to make.
My whole family loves this recipe! It’s great for packing in a lunch box, bringing to a picnic, or just as a quick and easy 10 minute meal on busy weeknights.
More chickpea recipes to love
Do you love chickpeas as much as I do? They are so delicious and versatile! Try any of these recipes:
- Chickpea Salad
- Chickpea Burger
- Biscuit Topped Chickpea Pot Pie
- Chickpea Tikka Masala
- 20 Minute Chickpea Curry
How to store leftovers
Store leftover chickpea tuna in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. It makes a great meal prep recipe for lunches! I do not recommend freezing it.
Vegan tuna melt
To make a tuna melt, spread vegan butter on two slices of bread. Add some vegan tuna and a slice of vegan cheese, then pan fry until warm and melty. Enjoy!
Want more classic sandwiches made vegan?
Vegan Tuna Sandwich
Ingredients
- (2) 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1-2 sheets nori, finely chopped or blended optional, for a fishy flavor
- 4 tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 1/4 cup celery, chopped small
- 1/4 cup diced red onion optional
- 1/2 cup Vegan Mayo
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, or tamari for gluten-free
- few shakes black pepper
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher (or fork) until they are mostly mashed.
- If using nori for a fishy flavor: Finely chop 1-2 sheets of nori, or use a blender/food processor to chop it up into very small pieces. I found it easiest to simply chop it up with a sharp knife on a cutting board.
- To the bowl with the chickpeas, add the nori, pickle relish, celery, onion, mayo, soy sauce and black pepper. Stir well to combine and add salt, to taste.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes if you can, to let it get cold and let the flavors come together. You can also enjoy it right away.
- Serve on sandwiches, with crackers, on salads on make a tuna melt with some vegan cheese. Enjoy!
- Leftovers: Keep chickpea tuna in a covered container in the refrigerator for 4 days.
Notes
- If you don’t want any fishy flavor, just leave out the nori. I like it both ways!
- For gluten free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Nutritional information is for the vegan tuna only, not including bread or whatever you serve it with.Â
- For vegan tuna melts, spread vegan butter on two slices of bread. Add some tuna and a slice of vegan cheese, then pan fry until warm.Â
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally published in May 2018, and has been republished with new photos and writing.
This opens up a whole new world in my new veganism menu! It is so good! I’ll be taking it for my lunches once school starts back up. I bet a California chickpea salad would be good?!
I bet it would! So glad you like it!
Wow – this is a great tuna substitute. The texture and taste are perfect. I made an amazing tuna salad that was a big hit. Definitely adding this to my rotation. Thanks Nora.
You’re so welcome!!
Can I skip soy sauce? Have a nice day!:)
Sure! Just add a little salt instead.
Great recipe! Thanks so much for sharing. Do you think this could be kept in the freezer?
Thanks! Unfortunately, I don’t think this will freeze very well. Though I’ve never tried it!
I ate this twice this week and am going to be adding it to my lunch routine weekly! Thanks for a easy and delicious recipe that i can make with things I already have in the pantry!
You’re welcome! I made it this week too!
The texture is spot on and so is the flavor! Even better than actual tuna fish. I was really pleased how this came out, and I will be making it often! Thank you for sharing all your recipes with the world, Nora. I have made so many of them already and they are all excellent. 🙂
Thanks so much for the great comment!
Wow, this was better than I expected! So delicious… My husband said they were very tuna-fishy. 🙂 We both loved it; thank you so much!
You’re welcome!
Adding a pinch or two of crushed Nori flakes & a sprinkle of Old Bay gives it a little reminiscence of tuna.
You recipes are QUEEN of Vegan!!! Just the BEST!!
Thanks so much!
I love chickpea salad, and have been making this for quite some time. I usually add chopped onion, chopped carrot, parsley, and a bit of Dijon mustard to the ingredients. My omnivore youngest son prefers this over tuna salad, to the point that I need to hide some for me! 🙂
I love your recipes Nora, keep up the great work!
Thanks so much!
Delicious!! I pickled cauliflower & cucumber last month. I added a bit of the juice & both vegetables. Ate the whole bowl in one sitting!
Sounds really good!
Nora, you’re a genius – I know its an adaptation, but OMG! This was so much like tuna for me – I just added some kelp powder and BAMMM. You are making my vegan journey sooo easy – thanks girl
Thanks for the great comment!
Holy Moly!!!! I am recently on a vegan kick and this was FANTASTIC!!!!! Added a little more celery and pickles because I love them, delicious!!
So glad you liked them!
Kelp granules add the fish flavor and soooo delicious.
OMG! Recently went vegan with my husband and I honestly didn’t have high expectations and WOW IM BLOWN AWAY! This is DELICIOUS! My husband & I said we could literally eat this everyday! Thank you for this recipe!
Thanks for the wonderful comment! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
I don’t even like chick peas but love this receipe! Was keeping an open mind and trying new recipes. I was craving a tuna fish sandwich today and thought I’d give it a try! I’m WFPBNO. Loved the vegan “mayo,” too! (You could prob list it as WFPB mayo…?)
My second serving I added sliced olives on my toasted bread which was also yummy.
Question: how big is a serving roughly? Thank you!
*green olives
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chickpea tuna! It’s one of my favorite things to make. I’m not sure exactly what a serving size is, but 1/6th of the entire recipe. Probably about 3/4 cup or so?
How long can this be stored for in the refrigerator please?
Thanks
T
It will keep for 4-5 days.
I came into 25 cans of chickpeas. Waste not want not. But this is the first recipe that I have liked and been able to prepare as I am easily a contender for America’s worst cook.
That’s a lot of chickpeas, but this recipe will help you out! So glad you found a recipe you like.
This is the first recipe I’ve tried from your site, and it’s a winner! This is filling and absolutely delicious and takes just a few minutes to make (even when making the mayo from scratch). I highly recommend it and can’t wait to jump into more of your recipes!
I’ve made this twice already and everyone (vegans and non vegans) has loved it. I use an entire stalk of celery and my wife really likes pickles so I’ve increased those too. It really is the perfect tuna substitute. Thanks! Great blog too!
Love this recipe. I’ve been eating it for two straight weeks. Since becoming vegetarian many years ago, I’ve missed tuna salad a lot and this is the first good substitute I’ve found. I’m not vegan so I generally top it with sliced tomato and melted cheese to make a “tuna” melt. It so satisfies my cravings!! Thank you so much for all this goodness!
I love this sandwich! I have made it several times and it always tastes so fresh and delicious. I love to add just a bit of chopped onion..Mmmmm. Thanks for this great idea and recipe Nora!
For people who are changing their diet to vegan, but really liked the “fish” taste of tuna, you can crumble up part of a sheet of Nori seaweed to get the ocean flavor in what I like to call “Chickpea of the Sea.” Use as much as you like to get the flavor you want.
I don’t know what took me song to finally make these, but I am SO glad I did! Transitioning to WFPB has been a challenge for me- mostly because of the time. This was super quick and easy to make, including the mayo, and I’m excited to be able to have it during the week for a quick sandwich for lunch.
I’m so glad Carrie! It’s one of our family favorites for sure, and I love how easy it is! Thank you.
This tastes incredible… Had it 2 days in a row. Added some more chopped onion and made me some work lunches. Works great in a wrap too. Thank you very much for your recipe.
Thank you! I’m so happy you are enjoying it.
One of my favorite sandwiches.