This Buffalo Chickpea Salad Sandwich is the ultimate vegan lunch sandwich filled with a spicy chickpea salad that has all the flavors of buffalo wings and a crunchy quick slaw! 100% plant-based & perfect for a summer picnic or as an office lunch!
This Buffalo Chickpea Salad Sandwich is savory, satisfying, creamy, crunchy, and slightly spicy – the perfect kind of thing to whip up as a healthy weekday lunch. Simple yet fun and it all comes together in 20 minutes.
I’d imagine the buffalo chickpea salad and slaw combo would also work wonderfully as fillings for vegan tacos or wraps or lettuce wraps. My mind is filled with possibilities.
Buffalo flavor is one of my favorites and I have many other Buffalo-inspired recipes on the blog. Have you tried my Buffalo Chickpea Pizza, my Buffalo Tempeh, and my Buffalo Tofu Wraps? You’ll love them!
MORE VEGAN LUNCH SANDWICHES TO TRY
- Pulled Jackfruit BBQ Sandwiches
- Chickpea Avocado Salad Sandwich
- Tofu Egg Salad Sandwich
- General Tsos Tofu Sandwich
- jalapeno popper chickpea salad sandwich
Recipe Card
Buffalo Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 15 oz (425 g) can chickpeas or 1.5 cups cooked
- 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce such as Frank’s
- 1-2 teaspoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons oil or melted vegan butter
For the slaw:
- 2 cups of finely chopped cabbage or you can also use lettuce
- 2-3 tablespoons vegan ranch (see notes)
- dash of salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
Assemble
- bread slices as needed or you can also assemble this in tacos burritos, or wraps.
- baby greens as needed
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the chickpeas and mash until most of the chickpeas are mashed but there's still some texture.
- Add in the bell pepper, celery, and onion and mix well.
- In a bowl, mix the sauce ingredients until well combined.
- Then add sauce to the chickpea mixture along with salt and garlic powder and toss well. Taste and adjust salt and heat. If you like more heat, you can add more hot sauce or you can add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.
- To make the slaw, add the slaw ingredients to a bowl and toss well. Taste and adjust by adding more ranch if needed.
- Assemble by placing some greens like baby spinach or some peppery greens on one bread slice.
- Then add a good helping of the chickpea mash then top it with the slaw and add another bread slice.
Video
Notes
- To make vegan ranch: blend 1/4 cup raw cashews,1/4 cup water, dash of salt pepper parsley thyme, 1/4 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder,dill, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar,2 tsp nutritional yeast
- Add some sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts or pecans to the chickpea filling for some extra crunch
- Not huge on chickpeas? You can use other cooked beans such as navy beans, white northern or cannellini.
- Choose gluten-free bread or serve the chickpea salad in lettuce cups to make this gluten-free.
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- mashed chickpeas form the base of the chickpea salad
- finely chopped bell pepper, celery, and onion are added for texture and crunch
- the buffalo sauce is a simple mix of hot sauce, vinegar, and melted vegan butter or oil
- the slaw is made by tossing thinly sliced cabbage with Vegan Ranch, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice
- bread: you favorite sandwich bread
Tips & Substitutions:
- You could add some sunflower seeds or chopped toasted walnuts or pecans to the chickpea filling for some extra crunch
- Not huge on chickpeas? You can use other cooked beans such as navy beans, white northern or cannellini.
- Choose gluten-free bread or serve the chickpea salad in lettuce cups to make this gluten-free.
How to Make Buffalo Chickpea Sandwiches
In a bowl, add the chickpeas and mash until most of the chickpeas are mashed but there’s still some texture. Add in the bell pepper, celery, and onion.
In a bowl, mix the sauce ingredients until well combined. Then add to the chickpea mixture along with salt and garlic powder and toss well. Taste and adjust salt and heat level. If you like more heat, you can add more hot sauce or you can add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.
To make the slaw, add the slaw ingredients to a bowl and toss well. Taste and adjust, adding more ranch if needed.
Assemble by placing some greens like baby spinach or some peppery greens on one bread slice. Then add a good helping of the chickpea mash, then top it with the slaw and add another bread slice.
What about Buffalo Chickpea Tacos?
Want to make a vegan chickpea taco instead? You can put both of the fillings into tacos and call it a fiesta! For tacos, I recommend adding some crunchy greens, then the buffalo chickpea mash, then some slaw. Serve immediately.
Meal Prep tips:
The mashed chickpeas can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for 3 days. I recommend making the slaw the same day. However, you can chop the cabbage and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Megan M
Delicious!!! So light and refreshing on a hot summer day.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you!
Coby
This was really delicious, and I loved the addition of a crunchy coleslaw! The only thing I changed was that I didn’t add the ranch to the slaw (I’ve never liked ranch)- I just squeezed a lime over it and seasoned it with a bit of salt and pepper. This made for a very easy and tasty dinner. Great recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
yay, awesome!
Lynda
This recipe is easy and delicious and made with common pantry ingredients. I love Buffalo sauce so I added a little extra but otherwise it is perfect. The ranch sauce is going to come in handy in fact I made a kale salad with that dressing tonight
Vegan Richa Support
2 in 1 !
Maneesha
So delicious! I made this for a beach picnic, and it was absolutely delicious and packed really well for picnics! Thanks Richa!
Richa
Yay!
Cindy
Super easy yummy recipe
Vegan Richa Support
excellent, thanks cindy
Christina
Wow, I can’t get over how incredible this is. My son was just talking about a spicy chicken salad we’d tried and liked before we stopped eating animal products six months ago, and I remembered I had your recipe saved. I used pickles instead of bell pepper. It really hit the spot. Thanks, Richa!
Richa
Yay
Noor
I like spicier sandwiches so I upped the hot sauce by half a tbsp! Put some micro greens I harvested from my window this morning to the sandwich. Used onion salt instead of onions( I don’t like raw onions).
Delicious! Thank you!
Richa
Yay
Sally
I made this and it was delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
thanks! feel free to leave a rating too if you wish
Nerraka
So easy and so delicious!
Richa
❤️❤️❤️
Beth
Easy, flavorful, delish!
Sue
Both parts (chickpeas and slaw) are very good; together in a sandwich it was phenomenal! Thanks Richa.
Richa
Yay!!
Halina Quattrocchi
This sounds delicious but is there any way to omit the oil or vegan butter.
Richa
Just omit it
Melissa
This looks fantastic. I can’t wait to make it. I have one question. When looking at the nutritional facts I noticed 5mg of cholesterol. What contains cholesterol in this vegan recipe? I love your recipes.
Richa
The widget must’ve picked up regular ranch or regular butter for calculation. I updated it Now
Sue
Thanks Richa. Just made the slaw and the dressing is delicious!! Happy 4th.
Richa
❤️❤️❤️
Emily
This looks fabulous!!! Made it already and packed for picnic. So good
Richa
Awesome!