Chickpea Tuna Salad Avocados (Printable)

Creamy avocados filled with a zesty chickpea and vegetable mixture, perfect for a light lunch or dinner.

# Components:

→ Chickpea Tuna Salad

01 - 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
03 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
04 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
05 - 1 small celery stalk, finely diced
06 - 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
07 - 2 tablespoons dill pickles, finely chopped
08 - 2 teaspoons capers, drained and roughly chopped
09 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
10 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
11 - 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
12 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ For Serving

13 - 2 large ripe avocados, halved and pitted
14 - Mixed salad greens, optional
15 - Lemon wedges, optional

# Directions:

01 - In a medium bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher until mostly broken down, leaving some texture intact.
02 - Add the vegan mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, celery, red onion, dill pickles, capers, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
03 - Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning as needed to achieve desired flavor balance.
04 - Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop out a small amount of flesh from the center to create a larger cavity if desired.
05 - Generously fill each avocado half with the chickpea tuna salad mixture.
06 - Arrange filled avocado halves on a bed of mixed greens and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes indulgent and restaurant-quality, but comes together in 15 minutes with zero cooking involved.
  • The chickpeas genuinely replace that savory, briny tuna flavor in a way that surprises people who try it.
  • One recipe feeds four people or gives you two generous lunches, making it perfect for meal prep without the stress.
02 -
  • If your avocados aren't perfectly ripe, you'll know it the moment you cut into them—hard as a rock or brown and mushy are both disasters, so choose them the day you plan to eat this.
  • The secret that changed everything for me was realizing that one tablespoon of lemon juice in the filling itself prevents the avocado from browning, so you don't need to brush the cut surfaces if you're serving immediately.
03 -
  • Buy your avocados three or four days before you plan to use them, and they'll be perfectly ripe by the time you need them—trying to rush this with rock-hard fruit is how you end up disappointed.
  • If you find yourself without fresh parsley, a small handful of fresh dill or even cilantro works beautifully, and it changes the whole personality of the dish in the best way.
Return