If you're craving egg salad, particularly a curried egg salad, our smashed chickpea and avocado salad with curry is a great replacement. The texture is similar and the flavor is fabulous! Make it in less than 15 minutes.
This recipe from February, 2014 has been updated to make it even better.
Unless you’ve been a vegan since birth, there will be moments when you’ll crave conventional dishes that contain animal products. Who knows what triggers them, but a craving can be like kryptonite to those of us without the willpower of Superman.
Many years ago, when I went vegan for life, one of the things I missed like crazy was curried egg salad sandwiches.
The craving was intense, and while I had enough self control and didn't jump in the car and drive to the sandwich shop that sold my favorite sammy, I did pull out a bunch of ingredients in my pantry and reinvented my favorite salad.
INTRODUCING AN EGG-FREE EGG SALAD
Chickpeas and avocado make a great egg salad substitute.
You can mash them together in a food processor or with a potato masher, either way will work.
I used a food processor because I added pepitas for a little crunch. If you don't want to add them, it's totally fine to omit them.
The texture is similar to egg salad and the flavors are almost identical to the salad I ate for years before going vegan.
Bonus: It's healthy!!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN EGG SALAD
FIRST
It couldn't be any easier. I used my food processor to mash the chickpeas, avocado, lemon juice, and pepitas (you can use hulled sunflower seeds, too). You could use a potato masher if you don't care about the pepita seeds being crushed.
You could also chop the seeds with a knife if you want them broken down.
SECOND
Mix in the chopped celery, chives, and spices.
I like a strong curry flavor, if you don't, add it by the teaspoon until you get the desired flavor.
That's it!
HOW TO SERVE CURRIED CHICKPEA SALAD
Notice how I called this a chickpea salad? That's because it is a smashed chickpea salad, but it's also a great alternative to egg salad, so feel free to call it whatever you want to call it. 😉
You can serve it in a bowl and put a dollop over a bed of lettuce or greens of choice.
My favorite way to eat this delicious savory vegan chickpea egg salad is in sandwich form.
Spread a bunch on whole grain bread and then top with greens and tomato. We even sprinkled chives on top for added flavor.
HOW TO STORE VEGAN EGG SALAD
You can store this covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. After that it dries out and isn't as good.
Wrap it up in parchment and take it with you for a delicious and healthy lunch.
Make our curried vegan egg salad and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
Let’s connect! Hop on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and follow us and share this and other Veganosity recipes on Pinterest. We'd be so grateful if you did. If you like this recipe and can't wait to see what we're going to share next, subscribe to Veganosity. Just fill in the subscription box above our picture in the top right corner of the page. And, Alex and I love hearing from you, please leave a comment and let us know what you think of our recipes.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
Curry Egg(less) Salad
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 15 ounce cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado
- 1 stalk of celery finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup roasted/salted pepita or sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoon chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon curry or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
FOR A SANDWICH
- bread
- greens
- tomato slices
Instructions
- Grind the chickpeas, avocado, lemon juice, pepita or sunflower seeds in a food processor and transfer to a bowl. If you don't have a food processor you can mash them with a potato masher and chop the seeds with a knife.
- Add the curry, cumin, coriander, and salt & pepper to the mixture and stir until well blended.
- Spread on bread and top with greens and tomato for a sandwich.
Notes
- A food processor works best to grind the chickpeas into an egg salad like texture. If you don't have a processor, use a potato masher and mash them separately before mixing them with the remaining ingredients.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This doesn't freeze well.
Nutrition
Kate Anderson says
EXCELLENT recipe thank you! I have been missing curried egg for so long and this hit the spot!
I used cannellini beans instead of chickpeas as they are more mild and I also added some vegan mayonnaise to make it extra creamy.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Kate! Thank you so much, we're so happy you liked it. Cannellini beans are an excellent choice. 🙂
Suzie says
Hi, thank you for this delicious recipe, I shared it on my blog as well! 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Our pleasure. Thank you so much, Suzie!
Eminence Home Care Services Vijayawada says
So amazing.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much! We truly appreciate it. 🙂
Molly McGaughey says
This is delicious! Made it today and am happy to have it for my next few lunches!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Molly! That's so good to hear! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.:)
Kelly Rose says
You give nutrition per serving but how much is a serving? One half cup? I assume that doesn't include the bread? Thank you very much!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Kelly, So sorry, our nutrition plug in only allows us to tell how many servings. One serving is approximately 1/3 of a cup, which makes me realize that I usually put two servings on a sandwich! LOL!
Kelly Rose says
Hi Linda, I appreciate your replying. I count calories, so this is really helpful. Can't wait to try this recipe.
Linda Meyer says
Of course, my pleasure. 🙂