Chickpea Tuna Salad

A plate of chickpea salad with visible ingredients including chickpeas, herbs, and dressing, garnished with fresh dill. The plate is accompanied by three round crackers and a fork, placed on a wooden board.

5 from 6 votes

🐟🌿👏🏻 A quick and EASY protein-packed recipe thanks to both chickpeas and canned tuna! Along with celery, red onions, capers, garlic, dill, and more this is a winning tuna salad recipe that’s great for quick lunches or serve it as a side salad for dinner. With just 10 minutes, a can of tuna, and a few basic ingredients you’re set!

Prep Time10

Cook Time0

Chill Time, optional30

Total Time40

Course: 30-Minute Meals, Salad, Sides, Salads & Vegetables

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chickpea tuna salad

Servings:

Calories: 243cal

Equipment

1 ground meat masher optional

Ingredients

15 ounces canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
5.5 ounces canned tuna packed in water and drained (can sizes ranging from 5.2 to 6 ounces are fine)
1 stalk celery diced small
2 small dill pickles diced small
¼ cup red onion finely diced
1 or 2 cloves garlic finely minced
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lemon juice the juice from half of a lemon, approximately
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar apple cider, balsamic, or champagne vinegar may be substituted
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh dill or to taste (fresh basil or mint may be substituted)
1 tablespoon capers omit if you don't have or don't like
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional but highly recommended to balances the flavor

Instructions

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add about half the can to a large mixing bowl.
Use a ground meat mashing tool (or a fork) to lightly mash these chickpeas. Tip - I prefer the overall texture of the salad when I lightly mash half the chickpeas like this, although it's technically optional.
Add the drained tuna and all remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir very well to incorporate and coat everything.
Taste and check for flavor balance. If desired, add more salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, etc. Flavor Tips - If it tastes at all boring or bland, it likely needs more salt, so add it, as desired to taste. The same can be said for a bit more sugar. Many people are scared to add sugar to a savory dish but it tends to balance the flavor, rather than making the dish read sweet. If it's a little bit too dry, add more mayo for creaminess. Adding more lemon juice or vinegar will also make it less dry, but it will make it more sour and potent tasting. A dash of cayenne pepper will add a touch of heat.
Serve immediately as-is, on crackers or bread, or dollop it inside Romaine lettuce leaves or butter lettuce leaves, or serve it inside a sandwich. You can optionally cover and chill it for about 30 minutes prior to serving.

Notes

I calculated 4 servings total for this recipe provided you're serving it with other things, on crackers or bread, or as wraps. If you're serving this with nothing else, you will probably yield 2 servings.

Storage: Extra salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. It's a good recipe for meal prepping.

Nutrition