This Vegan Curry Chicken Salad is a flavorful twist on the deli classic. Made with chickpeas, creamy vegan mayo, and curry powder. It's perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or meal prep lunches.
I LOVE chicken salad (vegan chicken salad, these days). I ate chicken salad from our local deli almost every day during grade school and high school.
In school, I was eating store-bought chicken salad, so I always kept it classic, but not anymore!
This curry chicken salad is to die for! The curry powder adds such a depth of flavor.
And I mixed in grapes, raisins, celery, and cashews for sweet, salty, crunchy vibes. Everything you want in chicken salad!
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Why You'll Love This Vegan Curry Chicken Salad
- Dietary needs - this chickpea salad is vegan, dairy-free, and sugar free. It can also easily be made gluten-free and oil-free
- Tastes just like chicken salad - seriously! This chickpea salad sandwich has all the flavors of chicken salad, the only thing it's missing is meat!
- Great for meal prep - make a batch of chickpea salad on the weekend and grab a serving each day for lunch
- Sweet & savory - Curry powder, grapes, and raisins strike the perfect balance
- Meal prep friendly - Keeps well in the fridge all week
- Great for sandwiches - Use in wraps, lettuce cups, or on toast
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Chickpeas: choose canned chickpeas without added salt, or for a bit more flavor soak and cook dry chickpeas. You can also make this chicken salad with other vegan meats - try it with my seitan chicken.
- Vegan Mayonnaise: you can use my homemade plant-based mayo to avoid added sugars and oils. If you'd like to use store bought, look for a brand that has minimal ingredients and uses an oil like avocado oil or olive oil
- Grapes: I love the sweetness that grapes add, but you can omit them if you don't want any sweet. You can also use a diced apple
- Raisins or Golden Raisins: I love golden raisins. Again, feel free to omit if you don't want the sweet flavor.
- Cashews: for a slightly sweet crunch. You can also use sunflower seeds or even peanuts.
- Celery
- Green Onion
- Dijon Mustard: or regular yellow mustard
- Curry Powder
- Salt & Pepper
- Sandwich Bread: use your favorite bread, choose gluten-free if necessary
- Lettuce or other toppings of choice
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. In a large bowl, partially mash the chickpeas using a potato masher or a fork. Leave some chickpeas semi-intact.
Step 2. Add the mayo, grapes, celery, green onion, mustard, salt & pepper. Stir until the chickpeas are fully coated. Serve sandwich style between two slices of bread. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: If you have extra time, let the salad sit for 15-30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to enjoy this curry chickpea salad is on sandwich bread. I love Dave's seed bread because it's got whole grains and a bit of extra protein.
You can also serve on toast, stuffed in pita, in lettuce wraps, or on a salad.
Pro Tip: Pair with crackers or cucumber slices for an easy snack or appetizer.
FAQ & Expert Tips
Yes! White beans like cannellini or navy beans work well too.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Honestly, yes. Chicken doesn't have much flavor, so chicken salad is mostly about the other ingredients. Subbing chickpeas really doesn't change the flavor.
To keep this recipe completely oil-free, use my homemade vegan mayo recipe.
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for this sandwich. Thank you for giving us foods that taste good and fuel our bodies. We are grateful for this meal. Amen.
More meatless lunches
Looking for other meatless lunch ideas? Here's what you should try next:
Tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Curry Chicken Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 15 Ounce Can Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ⅓ Cup Mayonnaise vegan or regular or homemade
- ½ Cup Red Grapes quartered (optional)
- ¼ cup Raisins or Golden Raisins (optional)
- ¼ cup Raw or Roasted Cashews (optional)
- 3 Stalks Celery chopped
- 2 Stalks Green Onion diced
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 2 Teaspoons Curry Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Pepper
- 6-8 Slices Sandwich Bread of choice
- Lettuce or other toppings of choice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, partially mash the chickpeas using a potato masher or a fork. Leave some chickpeas semi-intact.
- Add the mayo, grapes, celery, green onion, mustard, salt & pepper. Stir until the chickpeas are fully coated. Serve sandwich style between two slices of bread. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Ciri
This recipe is just delicious! We loved it and look forward to serving it to guests and to take on picnics for yummy sandwiches! I do have a question: in the ingredients list there is no mention of dill but it is mentioned in the instructions. We love dill so I’m inclined to add it. How much should I add and would it be dried or fresh?
Elizabeth
Hi Ciri - so sorry about that! I use dill in my regular version of chickpea salad so I must've forgotten to remove it from the instructions here. In that recipe I use 1 teaspoon of dried dill. I think it would be delicious in this recipe too. Let me know how it goes if you try!