This delicious creamy chickpea salad is a great vegetarian option when you are craving tuna or chicken salad!!! It's perfect with whole grain bread or wrap and also as a salad topping on a bed of your favorite greens. Try one of the flavor variations to spice it up a bit!!!
Place the chickpeas in a bowl and gently mash with a fork. Add the onion, celery, carrot and parsley. Toss together.
In a small bowl, mash the avocado. Add the lime juice, mustard, mayo and greek yogurt. Mix well. Taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Add the avocado mayo to the chickpeas and mix well.
Notes
Expert Tips for Creamy Mashed Chickpea Salad:Use canned chickpeas or well cooked dried chickpeas when making this mashed chickpea salad so they will mash up well in the salad.Don't over mash the chickpeas. It's one of the reasons I don't recommend doing the mashing part in a food processor or blender. You want the chickpeas to maintain some texture.If storing in the refrigerator for longer than 2 days, keep the veggies and dressing separate and mix together close to the serving time.Variations for Creamy Mashed Chickpea Salad:Here are five very different and delicious variations you can use when making mashed chickpea salad. Below, you will find ingredient amounts for making a full batch of each flavor along with how to flavor up a single serving.Green Apple and Cranberry Dice up one granny smith apple into small pieces. Add apple and 2 tablespoon dried cranberries to the salad. For one serving, use ¼ of an apple and 1½ teaspoon dried cranberries.Mango Chili Lime Replace lemon juice in recipe with lime juice. Dice up ½ cup mango. Add mango, ½ teaspoon chili powder and an additional 1 tablespoon of lime juice to the salad. For one serving: use 2 tablespoon mango, dash of chili powder and 1 teaspoon lime juice. Southwest Replace lemon juice in recipe with lime juice. Add ½ cup cooked corn, ¼ cup diced bell pepper, 2 tablespoons minced cilantro, ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder. If you don’t have chipotle chili powder, you can substitute with smoked paprika and a dash of cayenne. For one serving: 2 tablespoons cooked corn, 1 tablespoon diced bell pepper, 1 ½ teaspoon cilantro and dash of chipotle chili powder.Spicy Buffalo Mix in 1 tablespoon buffalo sauce. Sprinkle blue cheese crumbles on top. For one serving: 1 teaspoon buffalo sauce (or more if desired) and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles.Caesar Mix in 2 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce into classic chickpea salad and sprinkle top with parmesan cheese. For one serving: ½ cup romaine lettuce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.