Chickpea Avocado Salad with Lemon and Dill – Vegan Protein-Packed Egg Salad Alternative by Tori Avey. For sandwiches, salads and more. Healthy, gluten free.
I typically refer to chickpeas as… well, chickpeas, but many people call them garbanzo beans. The word chickpea has roots in the latin word “cicer.” Cicero, the famous Roman philosopher and orator, came from a family of chickpea growers and was thus named after the legume. “Cicer” eventually became the French “pois chiche” and then “chich-pease” after reaching England. At the time, the word “pease” was both singular and plural. During the 17th century, folks began to recognize the word as plural and changed the singular word to “pea,” finally ending up with the word “chickpea” that we use today. Garbanzo is a Spanish word that comes from an ancient Basque word, “garbantzu,” derived from “garau,” meaning “seed” and “antzu,” meaning “dry.”
Whether you call them chickpeas or garbanzo beans, these tasty legumes are one of my favorite healthy protein sources. Their mild, slightly nutty flavor is super versatile. I use them in a variety of preparations, but I’d never thought about smashing them together and putting them in a sandwich until I saw this post on the terrific food blog Two Peas and Their Pod. Just the thought of combining two of my favorite foods– chickpeas and avocados– into a sandwich filling made my stomach growl. I also loved the idea of a vegan, mayo-free alternative to egg salad. I whipped up a batch for lunch that very day; since then it has become a regular part of my weekly lunch menu.
This is my own take on the Two Peas version, incorporating some of my favorite springtime flavors. Whenever the warmer weather arrives I find myself cooking a lot with fresh dill and lemon juice. Something about the flavor combination is bright and sunny, and it proved to be a perfect accompaniment to the creamy, toothsome chickpea-avocado mixture. It’s so nourishing, full of fiber, protein and healthy fat. My family can’t get enough of it. The best part? This whole thing can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes. I like to serve it open-faced on whole grain toast or in a pita; it’s also great scooped on top of a green salad. Enjoy!
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Chickpea Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 3/4 cups chickpeas, cooked or canned and drained 1 can
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or more to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
- Salt and pepper to taste
NOTES
Instructions
- Add the chickpeas to a small mixing bowl and cut the avocado into chunks.Add the avocado and the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl and mash together using a potato masher. I like to leave a little texture, but you can make the mixture as chunky or smooth as you like. Add salt and pepper to taste, and more lemon juice if desired.
- Serve the salad on toasted bread, with crackers, scooped on top of salad, or however you might use egg salad. If vegan, make sure any accompaniments are vegan; if gluten free make sure that any accompaniments are gluten free.
Nutrition
Great for a quick lunch! This will become a staple for me. Thank you!
OMG! I never used to eat avocados. I hated the colour, I hated the squishy texture and I was just plain turned off. I am just about to hit my “officially a senior citizen” birthday, and with the pandemic situation, I knew we needed to eat a little healthier so I broke down and made this as a side for dinner tonight for two people with grilled steak and bruschetta. So delicious,I could have eaten it all myself! I am embarrassed to say I grew up tonight. Thank you Tori, this is superb, incredibly easy and delicious and I will be making it again and again!
Thank goodness you’ve seen the light! Haha so happy!
This looks delicious and I will surely try it. Tori, I love that you often provide historical backgrounds for the ingredients that you use – I always learn alot! I never knew the interesting origin of “chickpea.” This would have also been the perfect place to describe the Arabic word for chickpeas – hummus – because many people think that only the paste that we all love is called hummus and call such pastes made from other things also hummus, which drives me nuts! Keep up the good work, I enjoy your site.
I loved this recipe, really tasty and filling. I didn’t use it for breakfast, or a sandwich. I’m always looking for a filling, vegetable-only side salad. This is going to be one of my go-to salads in the future. I made two changes: I used more dill (2 teaspoons rather than 1.5) and added 1 chopped roma tomato. The combo of avocado, lemon juice and dill is just lovely and the chickpeas gives it great texture and makes it very filling.
Just reading this makes my mouth water! Can’t wait to try it this weekend!
I made this for breakfast today & it was fantastic. I prepared the chickpeas last night (they were dried) but agree it’s a quick & easy snack/meal if you use non-dried peas! I smeared it on toasted baguette pieces & topped with a medium-boiled egg. Perfect!
It was delicious! We tossed in a little Trader Joe’s corn salsa too!
Sound like lunch
Shared!
Would other beans be an alternative? I get sick with Chickpeas.
Alaska Grandparents try white cannellini beans as a sub. 🙂
a must try!