This vegan tuna is simply amazing. It’s so easy to make and tastes remarkably close to actual tuna, no really it does. It’s wonderful on sandwiches for a vegan tuna salad sandwich!
So what is this craziness? Vegan tuna? What’s next? Hahaa, I don’t know, I’m just getting started with the vegan meat substitutes.
And let’s just say this vegan tuna is not only completely delicious it also tastes like real tuna. The taste is spot on. But the texture? Well, the texture isn’t very tuna-like at all. But the taste is so good, you won’t mind.
The base of this recipe is mashed chickpeas and I think you can already guess that mashed chickpeas will not equal the texture of real tuna in any universe.
However, when you add all kinds of deliciousness to your mashed chickpeas, like vegan mayo (of course), finely chopped nori, lemon juice, chopped capers, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, tamari and white vinegar, well it tastes a LOT like tuna salad.
And spread thickly on an open sandwich this makes a really tasty and filling meal.
How To Make Vegan Tuna
- It’s super easy and fast! Drain a can of chickpeas and add them to a container or mixing bowl.
- Mash the chickpeas with a fork and then add in vegan mayonnaise, finely chopped nori, finely chopped red onion, lemon juice, finely chopped capers, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, tamari, dijon mustard, white vinegar and salt and pepper.
- Mix in and you’re ready to serve!
Vegan Tuna Ingredients:
- Canned Chickpeas: These form the base of our recipe and create the texture so we can then add all our flavorings.
- Nori Sheets: A chopped up sheet of nori adds some ‘fishy’ flavor (in a good way).
- Vegan Mayonnaise: What is a vegan tuna salad without mayonnaise? Use any vegan mayo that you like. Some good brands are Hellmans and Just Mayo. Or you can even make your own vegan mayo!
- Red Onion: Chopped red onion provides crunchy texture and plenty of flavor. A regular white or brown onion will also work fine, but I love the flavor of a red onion for this recipe.
- Lemon Juice: Provides the tang!
- Capers: Chopped capers also provide some wonderful ‘fishy’ flavor (again, in a good way!).
- Garlic Powder: Adds depth of flavor.
- Nutritional Yeast Flakes: This has so many uses, it can create cheesy flavor or it can create eggy flavor or, in this case, it can add to the fishy flavor. No really, it’s amazing stuff! Nutritional yeast flakes might as well be called magic flakes when it comes to vegan recipes.
- Tamari: We used tamari for this recipe but you could also use soy sauce if that is what you have on hand.
- Dijon Mustard: Like nutritional yeast, this can be quite a magic ingredient creating amazing flavor in vegan recipes.
- White Vinegar: This must be white vinegar, it can’t be subbed for apple cider vinegar (okay, it can, in a pinch). White vinegar adds the perfect tang to this and strikes just the right note.
- Salt and Pepper: Because, of course. Enough said.
How To Serve Vegan Tuna
This is really delicious served on slices of bread with lettuce and sliced tomato and a generous amount of vegan tuna on top! It’s also divine served on crackers.
Vegan Tuna Salad
If you want to add more ingredients to make it more of a ‘salad’ then chopped up celery and cucumber is the way forward!
Storing and Freezing
Leftovers keep very well in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Just give it a good stir again before serving in case any slight separation has occurred (it’s okay if this happens).
You can also freeze some if you like. Just freeze in a freezer safe container and when you want to use it again, thaw it in the fridge.
More Delicious Chickpea Recipes!
- Vegan Chickpea Burgers
- Vegan Chickpea Salad
- Vegan Chickpea Curry
- Vegan Omelette (made with Chickpea Flour)
- Vegan Meatloaf
- Vegan Meatballs
Vegan Tuna
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 4
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This vegan tuna is simply amazing. It’s so easy to make and tastes remarkably close to actual tuna, no really it does. It’s wonderful on sandwiches for a vegan tuna salad sandwich!
Ingredients
- 1 15oz (425g) Can Chickpeas (Drained)
- 1/4 cup (60g) Vegan Mayonnaise
- 1 Nori Sheet (Finely Chopped)
- 1/4 cup Red Onion (Finely Chopped)*
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 10 Capers (Finely Chopped)
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Tbsp Tamari*
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp White Vinegar
- Sprinkle Sea Salt
- Sprinkle Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Add the chickpeas to a mixing bowl and mash them with a fork.
- Add in vegan mayonnaise, finely chopped nori, finely chopped red onion, lemon juice, finely chopped capers, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, tamari, dijon mustard, white vinegar and salt and pepper.
- Taste test and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Mix in and you’re ready to serve!
Notes
*This is roughly half a small red onion.
*You can switch tamari for soy sauce if you prefer.
*Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
*This is divine served on open faced sandwiches with lettuce and sliced tomato and makes enough to top 4 slices of bread.
- Category: Savory, Side, Gluten-Free
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the Recipe
- Calories: 181
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 677mg
- Fat: 10.3g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7g
- Carbohydrates: 16.6g
- Fiber: 4.8g
- Protein: 5.8g
Keywords: vegan tuna, vegan tuna salad
You said it’s freezable but for how long?
Up to 3 months.
Honestly surprised by this because chickpeas can taste so dry sometimes but this was phenomenal! I sampled after adding each ingredient and the final product was perfect. Iβm gonna double it next time for sure so I have enough for lunch all week.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it Katie! Thanks for posting! π
Hi Alison,
I have all the ingredients except for the chickpeas. Are pinto; black or kidney beans either acceptable?
Can’t wait to try this. Mirta in Manhattan Beach
I think the chickpeas are essential to getting the flavor right. The other beans would contrast too much with the flavor you’re trying to create in this recipe. π
Whouaaaahhhhh! Thatβs a surprise! My husband couldnβt believe it was vegan.
Presented on a GF toasted bread topped with avocado! Delicious!
Thank you Alison for all these delicious suggestions for our vegan way of life.
Isabelle
★★★★★
Fantastic! So happy to hear that. Thanks Isabelle!
Wow!! This recipe is mighty tasty. So easy. I threw it together after working my 12 hour shift at the hospital for breakfast for my husband and me. Thank you so much! π
★★★★★
Awesome! So glad it was easy and good. Thanks so much Angela! π
I grow up eating tuna, but this is amazing with a lot of veggies combine. I love putting it in a sandwich with raw vegetables on top of it. Happy meal, super yummy!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks so much for the great review. π
Hi Alison, I really want to try this. It sounds amazing. I dont have dijon mustard can normal mustard be used? I know there is a big difference in taste. Or any tips on what to do if no dijon mustard? Many thanks!
Hi Lucinda, yes sure you can use a different mustard, it will not make a huge difference at all. π
I made it for supper tonight, it was so tasty. Great recipe!!
Awesome! Thanks Lucinda! π
A comfort food for me growing up was tuna melts (english muffin, tuna, and cheese broiled in the oven). I remade it with this recipe and it was amazing!
★★★★★
Sounds delish! Thanks for the great review Kate! π
Yummy this is delicious! Great taste with seaweed and capers. Canβt stop eating or thinking about eating. Perfect recipe! Thanks
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks Jan! π
This is a 5-star recipe. We are both tuna salad fans so I made it this morning and followed instructions to the letter, no substitutions. It turned out great and we enjoyed it for lunch.
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks so much Jan! π
Made it twice. I am not vegan, but love vegetarian and vegan food. I donβt have garlic powder where I live and nutritional yeast so used minced garlic. Turned out really well. This is a winner!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks Jina! π
Thank you, Alison, for another delicious recipe. I appreciate the time, thought and effort you put into recipe development, clear instructions and mouth-watering photography. This vegan tuna hits all the right notes for me.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Sunny! π
it looks great. do you boil the chickpeas??
Hi, it’s canned chickpeas so they are already cooked yes. If you want to cook your own chickpeas from dried then you would need 1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas for the recipe. π
Ξ€hank u very much. I tried it today and it was wonderful. It has the same taste as tuna. Well done.
Awesome! Thanks for posting George! π
It really works!! Not that I doubted you for a moment of course π
The mayo I made is a bit odd, probably because 1/2 coconut & 1/2 sunflower oils do not equal avocado oil(!), but once it’s mixed up with the chickpeas and everything else, it’s perfect. Even fussy OH said he’d eat this as a tuna sandwich substitute. That’s praise indeed!
Thank you π
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks so much Stephanie!
I havenβt tried it yet, but giving you five stars for clear easy instructions with LOTS of photos and well, it sounds terrific. Two things I occasionally miss from my animal eating days…eggs and tuna. So I will be giving it a go this weekend. Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Thank you! π
I can’t wait to try this one. I’m not even vegan yet but I hope to one day become all plant based.
★★★★★