This mashed Chickpea Avocado Sandwich is one of my favorite vegan cold sandwiches with minimal effort required and no cooking necessary! There’s so much space for customization when it comes to the toppings. It’s a great way to dig through your refrigerator or pantry and use any condiments or vegetables you have sitting around. No joke, when I was traveling to Raleigh as a technology consultant on Mondays - Thursdays, I’d stop by Harris Teeter every Monday after work and prep this sandwich for lunch everyday. It was quick, affordable, nutritious, and filling! I genuinely never got tired of it. My secret is adding a few spices like cumin and chili powder to make the mashed chickpea avocado salad especially delicious. You can also add a bit of kala namak (black salt), which has a umami flavor profile and is commonly used to give vegan eggs that “eggy” flavor. Then you’ll have a vegan egg salad sandwich situation onhand. Honestly, you don’t need to sandwich it between bread. I love it with couscous or quinoa, too! But if you love a quick Indian-inspired sandwich, be sure to give these Chutney Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Indian-Style Tea Sandwiches a try.
Why You’ll love this Recipe
This cold sandwich is amazing for lunch. Here’s why you’ll love it:
It honestly takes under 10 minutes to prep the healthy chickpea avocado salad and have sandwiches packed for lunch at the office. The chickpeas just need 1 minute stovetop or in a microwave to soften. This high-protein vegan sandwich is packed with whole foods, nutrients, and is easily customizable to add more veggies. Leftover mashed chickpea and avocado salad? Take a break from bread and try it with couscous instead.
The Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
Bread - I recommend multi-grain bread that’s thick cut but any of your favorite loaves will truly work for this Chickpeas - Used canned chickpeas with no added sodium. You can drain and save the aquafaba for another purpose! You can also use dried chickpeas, soak them, and boil them until they’re soft. Avocado - I use 1.5 small avocados, or one whole avocado for 3-4 servings. Avocados are a healthy fat so they add on a lot of fat calories but it’s ultimately going to keep you full. Spices - My secret is a little ground cumin in addition to garlic powder and chili powder to add a little extra flavor and warmth to an otherwise cold sandwich. Persian cucumber - I prefer these over English cucumbers. They add a better crunch in contrast to the smashed chickpea and avocado, are less watery, and just a touch sweet. Microgreens - Preferably baby arugula or a zesty mix.
How to make the Smashed Chickpea Avocado Salad
I can’t stress how easy it is to make this sandwich! It doesn’t require a stove or oven, just a microwave if anything!! I highly recommend using canned chickpeas with no added sodium! You can also use dried chickpeas, soak them, and boil them until soft but that’s an hours long process. Pro Tip: Drain the canned chickpeas. Save the aquafaba! This is thick goopy liquid you get from canned chickpeas which is used for a lot of vegan baking as an egg replacement. Rinse the chickpeas and put them in the microwave for a minute to “cook” them. Pat the chickpeas dry. In a bowl, smash the chickpeas first with a potato masher or fork. I recommend smashing the chickpeas first to see if they’re soft enough in case you need another 30 seconds in the microwave. Then, smash the avocado in the same bowl. Add the oil and lemon juice into the same bowl. It makes it easier to mix the chickpeas and avocado before adding the spices because it’s quite thick. The oil and lemon juice loosen up the mixture. Mix in all the seasonings and taste the salad. It should not be bland. We don’t do bland food over here. I find that adding more salt and lemon juice brings out the flavors.
Building the Sandwich
Whether you toast the bread or not is ultimately up to you, but I prefer not to. Scoop about half of the chickpea and avocado salad into a mound on the first slice and spread it out to the edges. It should be around 1"-1.5" thick. If I’m feeling it, this is where I’ll add some hot sauce before adding the cucumbers. Then add the slices of cucumber - about 5 to 6 thin cut slices. And lastly, a pile of zesty microgreens.
Additional Toppings and Storage Instructions
Other toppings I’d recommend are - pickles, pickled red onions, radishes, lettuce, tomato, garlic and herb couscous, chipotle mayo, chives, dill, cilantro, hot sauce, or mango chutney. This sandwich is super easy to make fresh if you have a work from home situation or even take to work for in-person days. I prefer storing the smashed chickpea and avocado separately from the bread and then combining when I’m ready to eat! Slice the sandwich in half and enjoy it with soup or chips! This sandwich is a big boy and deceivingly very filling.
More Lunch Recipes to try
If you love chickpeas, try out this Chole (chickpeas curry) recipe!
Recipe
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