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    Home » Entrees » Vegan Tuna

    Vegan Tuna

    Published: Jan 9, 2020 Modified: Feb 3, 2020 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

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    15.0Kshares
    Vegan Tuna

    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!

    Vegan tuna on open faced sandwiches.

    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. 

    Vegan tuna spread on top of a slice of bread with tomato and lettuce.

    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!

    Step by step process photo collage of making vegan tuna.

    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. 

    Vegan tuna in a black bowl.

    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. 

    Vegan tuna with lettuce and tomato on bread.

    More Delicious Chickpea Recipes!

    1. Vegan Chickpea Burgers
    2. Vegan Chickpea Salad
    3. Vegan Chickpea Curry
    4. Vegan Omelette (made with Chickpea Flour)
    5. Vegan Meatloaf
    6. Vegan Meatballs

    Vegan tuna on bread with lettuce and tomato. Vegan tuna on bread with tomato and lettuce.

     

    Print
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    Vegan tuna

    Vegan Tuna


    ★★★★★

    5 from 55 reviews

    • Author: Alison Andrews
    • Prep Time: 10 mins
    • Total Time: 10 minutes
    • Yield: 4
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    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

    1. Add the chickpeas to a mixing bowl and mash them with a fork.
    2. 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.
    3. Taste test and add more salt and pepper if needed.
    4. 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

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    Tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #lovingitvegan

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    15.0Kshares
    Alison Andrews

    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.
    Previous Post: « Vegan Ranch Dressing
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. AvatarCeri says

      April 02, 2021 at 12:33 pm

      I was dubious this would work as ingredients seemed very different from other ‘chuna’ recipes. However, I was blown away by the results!!! Good taste, texture and consistency making it extremely adaptable. The hardest part was mashing the chickpeas in the first place – might try a blender/chopper next time. Well worth it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        April 05, 2021 at 12:17 pm

        Awesome, thanks so much Ceri!

        Reply
    2. AvatarJulie says

      March 29, 2021 at 9:24 pm

      I think I went to heaven when I tasted this! I made the recipe exactly using organic unsalted chickpeas to adjust the salt to my liking. I put it in the fridge to let the flavors “mingle” for a few hours. I can’t believe this is not tuna! The texture is identical to tuna. I can’t wait to get home to have the rest. I highly recommend this.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        March 30, 2021 at 10:06 am

        Thanks so much for the awesome review Julie!

        Reply
    3. AvatarRani says

      March 24, 2021 at 7:08 pm

      Made this for dinner tonight to have on a baked potato! It was divine! I’ve never eaten fish so had no idea on how it should taste. My husband has and he said this was just like the real stuff. I was so impressed with the flavour. I’ve only recently started eating nori and am enjoying the taste of the sea. I’m also slowly working my way through the recipes on this site. Definitely my go to website for food inspiration. Thank you Alison 😀

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        March 25, 2021 at 10:29 am

        That’s wonderful Rani! Thanks so much for the awesome review!

        Reply
    4. AvatarKay says

      March 02, 2021 at 4:09 pm

      I always come back to this recipe its THE BEST 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        March 03, 2021 at 9:21 am

        Thanks so much Kay!

        Reply
    5. AvatarTori says

      February 03, 2021 at 10:14 pm

      I was amazed at how much it tastes like tuna salad!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. AvatarTiziana says

      January 31, 2021 at 10:45 am

      Made this for breakfast, we ate the whole bowl in no time. Delicious ☺️ Thank you!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. AvatarLucy says

      January 29, 2021 at 5:03 am

      I’ve been feeling like tuna on toast lately and so tried this recipe and it was delicious! Shared my photo of it on IG, my (non-vegan) friend saw it and wanted me to make some for her lunch, so I did yesterday and it was a hit with her and other work colleagues who tried it and asked me to share the recipe with them. Thanks so much for sharing. I loved everything about this recipe. It tastes even better the next day!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        February 01, 2021 at 11:13 am

        Thanks so much Lucy!

        Reply
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    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

    More about me →

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