This Vegan Tuna Salad Sandwich makes a vegan twist on a popular, yet fishy kind of sandwich. Just another example of how you can be vegan and enjoy a variety of tasty dishes! 
I never was a fan of tuna salad. In fact, I never liked fish much at all. It was just too…fishy. Comedian Jim Gaffigan makes a hilarious point about eating fish. Here’s an excerpt from his show, Beyond the Pale:
How can you tell when fish goes bad? It smells like fish either way! ‘Well, this smells like a dumpster…let’s eat it!’ No one really likes fish, they just won’t admit it. It’s like, “I like fish just as long as it doesn’t taste like fish.” I’ve got news for you. I don’t think you like fish. I’m almost positive that fish…is supposed to taste like fish. Actually, do you know what’s really good on fish? Anything that kills the taste of fish. How about relish and a gallon of mayo…that’ll do the job. What if we squeeze a little lemon, wrap it in seaweed and cover it in soy sauce! — Jim Gaffigan
Thanks, Jim, I’m glad to finally realize I’m not the only one who doesn’t like fish. 
So sure, this means fish was easy for me to give up, but not only because I don’t like the taste of it. Commercial fishing is such an environmentally destructive activity. Some scientists estimate over 1,000 sea mammals are killed every day as a result of commercial fishing. Now I’ve got a way to have “Tuna” salad…and eat it too. No more gross, fishy taste and no heavy ecological toll on the ocean too! What’s the secret? The unpretentious chickpea.
Also, check out my video on making Chickpea Salad!
I first saw the recipe for Tunaless Salad on the VegNews site posted by my friend, Allison Rivers Samson. I was a bit skeptical at first, but was soon enjoying my first of many tasty Vegan Tuna Salad sandwiches. 
Vegan Tuna Salad is so easy to put together and so incredibly satisfying. It’s my summer staple dish, especially for lunch. Interestingly enough, it has the same color, the same, look, and even a similar texture to a tuna salad sandwich, but (thank goodness) the vegan version comes sans the fishy taste!
I like it so much I even created a Vegan Tuna Melt too!
Spread the Vegan Tuna Salad on a healthy bun (toasted or not) and top with kale, and maybe even a sliced tomato. Save a fish, save the ocean, and enjoy great flavor all the same time!
Vegan Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 15 oz can chickpeas garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 2 tablespoons sweet white miso paste Westbrae Mello Miso is my favorite and is sold at our local grocer
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- ¼ cup green onion finely chopped
- ½ cup red (or green bell pepper) finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder, minced
- ¼ cup sweet pickle relish works here too, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- fresh tomato slices optional
Instructions
- In a medium storage-ready bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork. You don't need them all completely mashed, but mostly.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the mustard, mayo and miso paste and stir together until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients to the mayo mix and stir well.
- Combine the mayo mix to the mashed chickpeas and stir until everything is all meshed together nicely. You can place the lid on your container and refrigerate to let the ingredients settle, or feel free to dive right in.
Enjoy!
I used to buy these sandwiches all the time from the health food store and adored them. I never knew how they were made though, thank you!
I know first hand this is good! I think I will make it tomorrow. I just need Sterzings!!!
Oh my, this looks scrumptious Marly!
I am a fish lover but I’m not Necessarily a lover of mayo – or at least too much of it; all that to say I’m always looking for ways to make meat substitutions so am willing to give Sammie a shot since I am a fan of chickpeas – LOL on the comedian schtick!!
Oh, Debra, you should watch his whole show! He had us in tears he’s so funny!
Here’s my predicament. I absolutely love fish. The smell, the texture, that fantastic taste of the ocean. But I don’t eat it because I’m not evil. I guess what I’m trying to ask is… how can I make it fishy without the fish?
I think the miso paste helps give it that umami taste. However, you might want to check out Allison’s recipe that calls for seaweed flakes. I have a feeling that might just hit the spot for you! Here’s the link again: http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=398&catId=10
Wow, I never knew vegan tuna was possible. Amazing!
I’ve seen chickpeas used in vegan “tuna” sandwiches before but never had a recipe and now I can’t wait to try it. Love all the flavors in your sandwich from all the veggies 😀
Well I know what we are having for lunch. This looks and sounds so good! I hate the fishy smell that comes along with tuna sandwiches, so I’m excited to give this a try! Thank you for sharing this with me today. I hope you have a blessed week with good food, laughter and love. Hugs from Austin!
i love the simplicity of this recipe! i’ve been experimenting with vegan tuna recipes for a bit now and am excited to try this one!bookmarked it with my cookmarked.com account to experiment( http://cookmarked.com ). 🙂
I will give this a try when I get hold of some sweet miso. I make a vegan tuna sandwich from tinned braised tofu mixed with toasted crumbled nori, which is pretty nice.
I love fish but not tuna sandwiches! But I love chickpeas! You found a great way to overcome the fishy smell 🙂
Hope you are doing great, Marly!
Marly,
What a tasty vegan tuna salad recipe, without the fishy smell!
Hi,
These were amazing. I made them for my wife and son and they loved them. I put it on toasted squaw bread and topped it with some finely sliced peperoncinis.
Have you ever put capers in there or used dill pickles instead?
Thank you so much.
I have not tried using capers or dill pickles. My family doesn’t like either, but I do! In fact, the original recipe called for dill pickles, I just happen to like the sweet a little bit more. Maybe because my mom used sweet pickles in potato salads and things like that. You know what? I’m going to give the dill pickle version a try the next time. Great idea!
What kind of mustard? The spice or the condiment?
Just regular condiment mustard. Of course, if you prefer you could use a dijon…
Hands down, the best “untuna salad” recipe I’ve tried! Thank you!! I think the miso is key, and the celery seeds add so much too! I made it with dill pickles and also the Veganaise-like recipe (but lower fat, and cheaper!) from melomeals! It was so delicious that the omnis cleaned it out before I got seconds! Thanks for sharing!
instead of white miso I use seaweed flakes, it makes it taste like fish, if you like the ‘tuna’ taste, its amazing and tastes really good
Lana – love these substitutions for a “fishier” Vegan Tuna Salad!
This sounds looks amazing. Spicy recipe. Vegan Tuna Salad dish is my favorite dish.I made many from these recipes. last night I made Chapli Kabab recipe from one of the best cooking website sharing a link with you: ( https://www.sooperchef.pk/chapli-kabab-recipe/ ).
I love it! Now i dont know if i made this wrong, but i get more of an egg salad sandwich vibe from this recipe (which was a super nice suprise). I put it on sliced bread and mash a half an avocado on each sanwich. Makes for a delicious sandwich when i am at work. Going vegan has been delicious thanks to you!
I should note that i left out the relish, onion, and pepper.
Ahh, I see! I think leaving out the relish and onion would definitely add more of a tuna salad experience. Also, I have tried this and it works, but if you want to add a few pieces of nori (the sheet you use for sushi…you can buy them in the Asian aisles of most grocery stores), it will definitely add more of a tunafish flavor! I would start with just tearing off a few little bits and stirring that throughout, because it can add a strong flavor. Then add more if you like it!