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Make this Buffalo Chickpea Salad when you’re craving bold heat and delicious tangy flavors! It’s an easy, fun, and protein-packed salad you can stuff into sandwiches or pack for a satisfying lunch. Vegan and Gluten-Free.
This Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Salad gives my Vegan “Chicken” Salad a bold kick of flavor! Canned chickpeas are mashed and combined with creamy mayo, spicy buffalo sauce, and crunchy veggies to leave you with a filling salad to stuff into sandwiches or scoop up with crackers. With just the right amount of spice and amazing tangy flavors, it’s like eating vegan buffalo wings for lunch.
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Bold and Spicy Chickpea “Chicken” Salad!
I’m always looking for quick & easy lunch ideas, and chickpea salad has quickly become my favorite. It’s high in fiber and protein, easy to prep, and tastes delicious! When I’m tired of the “classic” flavor variations I like to make this buffalo version for a fun twist.
This Buffalo Chickpea Salad Recipe is a delicious “chicken” salad sandwich replacement, but it can also be served in wraps or as a high-protein dip!
To make it, mashed chickpeas and crunchy vegetables are combined with a creamy and spicy-ish vegan buffalo sauce. It’s fun, fuss-free, and loaded with a tangy buffalo kick, making it a no-brainer to slather in sandwiches, fold into veggie wraps, or scoop up with crackers. If you love my Classic Chickpea Salad Sandwiches and Vegan Buffalo Tofu Bites, I know you’ll love this spicy-tangy salad too 🙂
Ingredients for Chickpea Salad
This twist on the classic chickpea salad calls for less than 10 simple ingredients, most of which should already be in your kitchen! Here are the key items you need:
- Mayo: I’m partial to my Homemade Vegan Mayo but any store-bought vegan mayonnaise (oil, cashew, or tofu-based) will work just as well in the chickpea salad dressing. Plain and unsweetened vegan yogurt might work as a substitute as well, but I haven’t tried it.
- Buffalo Hot Sauce: you’ll probably find Frank’s Red Hot Sauce if you’re in the US but if buffalo sauce isn’t local to you, use a mild hot sauce as a substitute. The dressing might not be as creamy but will still have plenty of kick!
- Chickpeas: stick with canned chickpeas for convenience or cook dry chickpeas from scratch. They have a little more flavor but take longer to cook.
- Vegetables: celery, red onion, and carrots were my veggies of choice in this vegan buffalo salad. Feel free to mix and match them with your crunchy favorites.
- Fresh Herbs: the herby freshness of fresh dill and cilantro cut through the bold heat from the buffalo sauce.
How to Make Buffalo Chickpea Salad
- Whisk the mayo, hot sauce, and garlic powder in a large bowl until combined.
- Add the chickpeas to the bowl with the sauce and mash them with a potato masher.
- Add the celery, onion, carrot, dill, and cilantro to the bowl with the chickpeas. Mix until the dressing is well distributed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the salad on its own, in a salad, or as a dip. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Mash to your heart’s content: The more chickpeas you mash, the creamier and smoother the salad will be. If you leave a lot of chickpeas whole, the salad will feel more substantial and heartier. Personally, I prefer to mash around 75% of the chickpeas to achieve a texture that’s somewhere in between creamy hummus and whole chickpeas.
- Say no to watery chickpea salads: The better you drain, rinse, and dry your canned chickpeas, the better your dressing will stick. Best of all, you won’t end up with a watery salad!
Serving Suggestions
A buffalo chickpea salad sandwich brings me right back to the good ‘ol days of munching on a chik’un sandwich! Add a big scoop of the buffalo chickpea salad on a slice of toasted bread, add some tomato slices and lettuce, and top with a second bread slice. You could even swap the bread for a lettuce cup or eat the salad by itself with a fork. I know you’ll love it for a quick lunch or meal as much as I do!
Looking for a little extra fun? Make buffalo chickpea quesadillas instead. Assemble a scoop of the salad and shredded vegan cheese in a folded tortilla, lightly fry your quesadilla in a skillet, and serve it with this Vegan Ranch Dressing for dipping.
Don’t discount this salad when you need a quick, easy, and flavor-packed snack, too. Scoop it up with celery or carrot sticks as an ode to classic buffalo wings or use crackers or chips instead. It’s all you need for a simple lunch or an afternoon pick-me-up.
If you’re looking to try even more chickpea salad recipes, you’ll also love this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, this Curry Couscous Chickpea Salad, and this Spicy Peach and Chickpea Salad!
How to Store Leftover Chickpea Salad
The leftover buffalo chickpea salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to pre-portion it into individual containers for a quick grab-and-go meal to enjoy on its own or layer in a sandwich or lettuce cup.
Freezing is not recommended.
Substitutions and Variations
- Optional Veggie Add-Ins: Feel free to add up to 1 cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels, finely diced cucumber, or bell peppers into the salad.
- Garlic Powder Substitute: Finely grate 1 to 2 large garlic cloves into the mayo buffalo sauce to upgrade punchy garlic flavors.
Recipe FAQs
Buffalo sauce is sometimes made with butter to give it more body and to tone down the heat. However, some brands (including Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce) are vegan-friendly. Double-check the ingredients on the bottle of sauce you buy to make sure it doesn’t contain animal products.
Yes, buffalo sauce is pretty spicy! I find that the mayonnaise tones down the heat well but you can reduce the buffalo sauce to 2 to 3 tablespoons if you’re worried about it being too spicy.
Use it to make buffalo cauliflower wings, this Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip, this Vegan Buffalo Ranch Pasta, or this Buffalo Cauliflower & Chickpea Casserole.
I love cooking dry chickpeas from scratch because I find them to be slightly more fresh and flavorful. However, canned chickpeas are so much more convenient!
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Buffalo Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/4 cup buffalo hot sauce*
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 45 ounce canned chickpeas* (3 cans) drained and rinsed (about 4 cups)
- 2 sticks celery cut in half and thinly sliced
- 1/4 red onion fine dice
- 1 carrot shredded
- 2 tablespoons chipped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Add-ins optional: 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, 1 cup finely diced cucumber
- For serving optional: toasted bread, lettuce or lettuce cups, crackers, carrots and/or celery sticks
Instructions
- Buffalo Mayo: Place the mayo, hot sauce, and garlic powder in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
- Mash the Chickpeas: Add the chickpeas to the bowl and use a potato masher or a fork to mash them; I prefer to roughly mash around 75% of them to give a nice texture, but you can adjust according to your own personal preference.
- Mix It Up: Add in the celery, onion, carrot, dill and cilantro. Mix well, until the dressing is evenly distributed. Season with salt or black pepper to taste, if necessary.
- Serve: Serve as-is, in a sandwich, or as a hearty “dip” with crackers, veggie sticks, or lettuce cups. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- If you are using canned chickpeas, make sure to drain and rinse them well.
- Buffalo hot sauce is a common hot sauce in the US, usually with the brand “Franks.” If you don’t live in the US, you can use your favorite mild hot sauce instead for a fun twist!
Chickpeas and I do not get along, but I used white beans and this is so good the buffalo sauce is what was missing from so many other similar recipes I have tried. Easy, breezy Vegan, that’s you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Lyla!
Really love this recipe and saving for future use. Only thing I did different was used avo oil mayo and diced carrots instead of shredded. New lunch fav!
sounds delish!
I make your chickpea buffalo pasta salad ALL the time so I’m so excited to try this! I know it’s going to be just as delicious 🤤
Hope you love it, Tori!!
This is my go to lunch for work! Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Marla!
This buffalo chickpea salad is SO good! I don’t like celery so I subbed jalapeño for an extra little spicy kick and loved it!
Glad to hear you loved it, Miranda! Thank you for the feedback.
This was seriously delicious!!
Thank you so much, Anna! Glad you liked it!
This recipe is so good and so easy!! I’ve made it multiple times for a nice protein packed lunch that I can take to work and eat on the go. Got my mom and dad making it now too! It’s definitely my go to for a fast delicious lunch.
That’s awesome! Thank you Amber 🙂
We don’t have buffalo sauce where I live, so I just used regular Frank’s hot sauce instead (same amount). My salad came out much drier than the salad in the photos in the recipe, so I added two more tablespoons of mayo (so 6 tbsp in total). That was just perfect 👍 I really enjoyed the addition of some diced cucumber in the salad as well, as recommended in the recipe notes.
Thanks for a perfect lunch recipe.
Truly appreciate the feedback, Tobbe. Glad it turned out great! 🙂
This was yummy and easy to make. I forgot to buy dill but the mixture was very flavorful without it. We had lunches for a couple of days. This salad is very good in a wrap. We will definitely make again as most of these are ingredients that we keep on hand in our house. Thanks for sharing!!
You’re welcome, Shalleene!
I halved the recipe because it’s only me eating this. I used chickpeas, previously pressure cooked, veganaise, cucumber, green pepper, scallion, and dill and used Franks hot pepper sauce. One of my newer favorite chickpea salad recipes. Last time I made this recipe, I used homemade cashew mayonnaise which also was tasty. Great recipes, thanks!
I don’t see where to upload any pictures.
This was such a nice change from tuna salad and egg salad. The Buffalo dressing was a nice addition but not at all overpowering. I added a sprinkle of smoked paprika and that put it over the top. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for giving the recipe a try, Bonnie! Glad you liked it.
Used vegan yogurt instead of mayo (just a mayo hater over here) and wow wow wow this was unreal. Thanks for this! The PERFECT camping snack with pita chips 🙂
You’re welcome, Cassidy! 🙂
Delicious!! Didn’t have dill but super flavorful. Cannot wait to make wraps with this the next few days.
Wraps are a great idea!
Such a delicious recipe! It was so easy to make. Came together so quickly and now we have lunch for the next couple days.
Thank you for the feedback! I’m glad you like it! 🙂