Creamy, crunchy with a hint of sweet, Smashed Chickpea Salad with Pecans and Grapes comes together quick and is versatile enough to enjoy on a bed of greens, as a sandwich, cute little tea sandwiches or in a wrap. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Table of Contents
Recipe Inspiration
I first started thinking about this recipe when my Ma mentioned she wanted to attend high tea at the Fairmont in Seattle while she visits this fall. She usually comes to Whidbey all the way from Texas at least once a year.
We love seeking out new experiences surrounding food.
I’ve only been to high tea once, and it wasn’t really even high… Just a corner tea room in a tiny town with fancy finger foods like petit fours and little tea sandwiches with the most delicate teacups and saucers.
It totally felt fancy though.
A Spin on a Classic
The thought of going to the Fairmont got me excited about putting on a pretty dress, maybe even a hat, and drinking tea in their fancy-schmancy tea room.
Then, I thought about tea sandwiches. Of course my mind drifted to food.
Since we’re all still talking about this Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich I wrote about a few years ago, I thought I’d put another spin on smashed chickpeas.
A very old favorite recipe came to mind. So I created Smashed Chickpea Salad with Pecans and Grapes based on that old favorite.
Classic ingredients in a not so classic mash-up.
But I love this reinvented version even better.
How to Make Chickpea Salad
- Start with cooked chickpeas. Add a bit of mayo, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper then mash it up! But not too much. Just enough until it’s still a bit chunky.
- Then throw in the onions, celery, toasted pecans, grapes, chives and parsley. Give it a good mix and taste for seasoning adjustment.
Now, you may be thinking, why not just throw it all in a food processor.
Well, I’ve tried it and the texture was off for me. The chickpeas had little sharp edges from the slicing action of the blades. Mashing the chickpeas gives the little peas a much softer mouthfeel, almost creamy yet still with good texture.
How to Share Chickpea Salad
Serve this delectable salad on a bed of fresh greens, in a lettuce wrap, pita or dip.
As for tea sandwiches…
Cut Multigrain Bread thin, remove the crust because tea sandwiches must be fussy, and slather a few tablespoons of Chickpea Salad on one side. Sandwich the two pieces together then cut in half.
Can you imagine these cute little sandwiches at a shower, party, appetizer, or, or…. your very own high tea?
Feelin’ Fancy?
But all cuteness aside, this salad is practical. It comes together in about 15 minutes! Hello to week day lunches, picnics or impromptu guests like your mother-in-law.
But above all, make this for yourself with crustless bread, put on a fancy hat, like your ball cap, and break out the most delectable tea you have on the shelf. Feeling like we’re at a five star hotel in our own home can be as simple as a fancy (and not too fussy) sandwich or salad.
More Vegetarian Sandwiches to Love
- Mushroom Goat Cheese Panini Sandwich
- Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Italian Pressed Sandwich
- Smashed Pimento Chickpea Sandwich
- Pulled Portobello BBQ Sandwich
the recipe
Smashed Chickpea Salad with Pecans and Grapes
Ingredients
- 1/4 C (35g) Raw Pecans
- 1 1/2 C (230g) Cooked Chickpeas one can, drained and rinsed
- 4 Tbs Mayonnaise I use Just Mayo
- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1/2 Lemon zested and juiced
- 2 Tbs Red Onion chopped fine
- 1/4 C (18g) Celery chopped fine
- 1/3 C (60g) Red Grapes quartered
- 1 tsp Chives chopped fine
- 1 1/2 Tbs Fresh Curly Parsley chopped fine
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F (162C).* Place the pecans in a small pan and toast for 15 minutes. They will be fragrant and slightly darker in color when done. Set aside to cool, then chop into small pieces. (*Or you can dry toast the pecans in a pan on low heat on the stove top for a few minutes. Just keep an eye on them because they can burn quick!).
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the chickpeas, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, lemon zest and juice. Smash with a potato masher just until creamy with some whole peas left. Fold in the red onion, celery, grapes, chives and parsley. Generously add fresh ground pepper then taste for seasoning adjustment.
- Rest salad in the refrigerator for at least an hour if you can, then assemble as a dip, on a sandwich, tea sandwiches, or simply on a bed of lettuce.
- Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
SO DELICIOUS! Thank you for this recipe!
Hey Christine! Hooray! Thank you for your note and giving the smash up a go. So happy to hear!
Best ever chickpea salad! I’ve tried a lot, too. I didn’t use the lemons just according to my family’s taste, and I don’t use black pepper due to reflux issues, but it still tasted fantastic. Thinking about adding a little dill next time. If using canned chickpeas, get the Goya brand. They are noticeably different than other chickpeas – much more tender and creamy. I’ll never go back to any other canned chickpea. Next best thing to cooking them from scratch.
Hi Beth! Thank you for your note, tips and giving the recipe a go! SO happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
I’m confused about the chickpeas. One can drained and rinsed came out to 138g and roughly 1.5 cups but your recipe says 2 cups o 439g. What should i go by?
Hi Delyssa! Thank you for your note. I’m sorry for the confusion. Use one can of chickpeas – 2C / 439g. Rinsed and drained they’ll yield 1 1/2 C / 230g. I hope this helps.
Oh Ok thank you. I look forward to trying this recipe!
Oh that’s great! LMK if you give it a go!
vegetarian or not, everyone loves this salad (which I serve as sandwiches) and I’m always asked for the recipe! I added curry powder this time…delish!!
Hi Barbara! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note. Indeed, I find this recipe is versatile for so many diets – vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, carnivores too! I looove your addition of curry… I do that too! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipe and thank you for sharing!
Absolutely love the food styling!
Thaaaank you so much Michael!
Do you have a nutrition breakdown of this salad?
Hi, Traci! I made this recipe and it was a successful hit with everyone. Such a great alternative to tuna or chicken. I was in Denver in July visiting my son and his family. My daughter-in-law, my granddaughter and I went to High Tea at the Brown Palace, my first time ever. It was a lovely experience and hope to do it again. The tea sandwiches and scones were delicious, not to mention the truffles for dessert.
So happy to hear the news, Claudia! Oh my… those truffles would hook me. I might even skip the sandwiches. LOL! Thank you for sharing!
I’m ready to head to the kitchen and make this salad immediately! I love this on a bed of lettuce, and I have a feeling it would be incredible on a lightly toasted croissant! :)
Ooooh.. a lightly toasted croissant? I’m in! :D
I loved your chickpea sandwich and these high tea sandwiches look super delicious with the sweet and crunch added into it! I have never been to a high tea before! But it does look fancy and fun! Your high tea sandwiches would be a great addition to any party! :) bravo!
That crunch, Amisha! I love it too. You must go to a high tea and take your daughter… I think you two would really enjoy it! xo
I’ve never been to any kind of tea party… high or low. ;) They always sounded so fancy though and I fear if I ever was invited and attended I’d probably end up spilling something on myself. I’m super talented like that. ;) Anyways, I am a HUGE fan of smashed chickpea salads and sammies! In fact I just ate one yesterday and I have a recipe coming up on the blog in a few weeks. Obviously mine doesn’t look as good as yours though!! This is just gorgeous and I absolutely love the grapes and pecans in here!! Yum Yum! Definitely making this soon! Pinned! Cheers! XO
LOL – high or low!! LOL! So funny Chey. I definitely think you’d love high tea! It’s such a delicious way to enjoy tea with a little fussiness. I’m looking forward to your smash up! Yum yum… Yaaas! Thank you for your pin! xo
I’ve never been to high tea anywhere but if they served me this chickpea salad on little sandwiches I would become a regular for sure! :)
I love the sounds of the juicy grapes with the crunchy pecans and creamy mayo. Mmm mmm!! I definitely need to try this one soon!
Oh my Sarah… at least once is a must! I hope you enjoy the salad!
Chickpea salad is so delicious and a sandwich staple in my household. The addition of grapes and pecans in this recipe sounds simply amazing!
Love it too, Luci! I hope you enjoy this variation!
Now I’m embarrassed. You put the pecans in the oven, not the stove top :-)
Hehe.. you know Lynn, the nuts could totally be toasted on the stove top (what was I thinking?!). I’ll totally add a note to do this since there’s really no reason to have the oven on right now if we don’t need. I hope you enjoyed the recipe! :D
Recipe looks and sounds delicious. I’m getting things together to whip it up but why preheat the oven?
This reminds me of a old favorite chicken salad recipe, but so much better because chickpeas. :) So summery, light, and fresh with the crispy celery, grapes, and onions! I love those fancy hotel teas and lingering over all of those cute little sandwiches and pastries. Bet it’s out of this world at the Fairmont!
Hooray for chickpeas, right, Emily!? I love the bit of crunch the celery provides and that pop of sweet grape.. Time to linger longer this summer over fancy sandwiches!
How elegant does that little stack look Traci?! What fun for you and your mom to attend High Tea at the Fairmont! Fancy, fancy! I love each and every ingredient in this chickpea salad. I’ll definitely be trying it soon. Happy Friday!
Thank you Mary Ann! I can’t wait for that high tea! I hope you enjoy the recipe (perfect for a beach day too!)! :D
I’ve never been to a high tea but I love the idea of it. Especially if these sandwiches were on the menu. I love a good chickpea sandwich. One of your other ones is a favorite on my Pinterest site – I see it repinned all the time! Looking forward to trying this – always looking for a good lunch idea – I like that you can eat it as a salad or sandwich. Have a great weekend, Traci!
At least once, Geraldine… an experience not to be missed! So happy to hear that chickpea sandwich is well loved… it is a favorite on the blog as well. Easy peasy lunch – why yaas please! :D
I love this combination of flavors and textures, from the savory smashed chickpeas and the crunchy pecans with the sweet grapes, sounds delicious. Reminds me of a chicken salad with halved grapes I had on a rafting trip down the Colorado River 20+ years ago, it was a fantastic trip with amazing food and even though I no longer eat chicken I still think about that salad.
And…I love your beautiful photos.
Well, maybe this will be one of those salads you can’t soon forget. What a fabulous sandwich for, dare I say, another trip down the Colorado! Thank you for your kind words, Jen.
Besides looking scrumptious, 15 minutes and all that goodness makes for a fantastic lunch! Gorgeous. :)
Easy peasy, right? Thank you for stopping by Kevin! :D
You have set the scene beautifully! I’ve always wanted to don a fancy hat for a good cause, and this is it! The further along in years I go, the more I crave a good cup of tea. Your smashed chickpea salad sounds wonderful!! Have a lovely weekend, my friend! xo
DO it, Annie! What fun, right?
What a sweet salad to segue into the summer. Loving your photography in this post, Traci!
Thank you so much Jean. :D
Such an intriguing mix of flavours! My mum and I have a tradition of going to high tea Everytime she comes to Brisbane and we are running out of new places to go so maybe we need to prepare our own high tea including these sandwiches of course!
Oh what fun Rachael! This may become a new tradition for us too. I hope you’ll give these a go for your own fancy high tea! :D
I love this twist by smashing the chickpeas, makes a great alternative to tuna or chicken salad. Great idea Tracy!
Hey Heidi! Exactly! Thank you for stopping by! :D