Vegan Egg Salad – Best Recipe with Magic Ingredient

This is the best and easiest Vegan Egg Salad! With only four basic ingredients and some spices you get egg salad that is as close to the original recipe as possible.

Chickpeas texture combined with black salt flavor make it impossible to distinguish this plant based egg salad from the one with eggs.

Why chickpeas? They pack more proteins than eggs, being naturally cholesterol-free and their texture is very similar. Perfect substitute!

Why you need to try this Vegan Egg Salad?

  • high in protein and fiber thanks to chickpeas
  • real egg-like taste
  • great texture
  • only 4 basic ingredients
  • it’s: egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free
  • cholesterol free!
  • perfect addition to hearty sandwiches
  • allergy friendly

What Is Vegan Egg Salad Made Of?

CHICKPEAS

Chickpeas are the basis of this Vegan Egg Salad recipe and they provide perfect egg-like texture. They are also perfect substitute to eggs when it comes to nutrition. Great source of protein and good fat chickpeas are also full of fiber and naturally cholesterol-free.

If you’re fan of chickpeas check this Homemade Sun Dried Tomato Hummus.

KALA NAMAK – BLACK SALT

This is our magical ingredient responsible for an egg-like flavor. Black salt is a little salty and has strong egg smell (sometimes compared to Sulphur). We add it with moderation as it tends to get stronger with time.

You can also add kala namak to vegan omelets, Spanish tortillas, quiches and other savory dishes that call for eggs. Remember it only adds the flavor, not the texture of the egg.

VEGAN MAYO

Just like with regular egg salad we need something to bind the ingredients in our plant based version. You can use store bought mayonnaise, but since you are using chickpeas, try making this Best Vegan Mayo with aquafaba. It is easy, delicious and soooo cheap!

ADDITIONS

Classic additions include spring onions or chives, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Some people add also chopped celery stalks or pickled cucumbers, but I am a fan of simpler recipe.

Recipe

Vegan Egg Salad

Recipe by VegnFitCourse: SaladsCuisine: veganDifficulty: Easy
Prep time

5

minutes
Cook time

20

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

This is the best and easiest Vegan Egg Salad! With only four basic ingredients and some spices you get egg salad that is as close to the original recipe as possible.

Ingredients

  • 1 jar of chickpeas

  • 1.5-2 tsp black salt (kala namak)*

  • 3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise (best vegan mayo)

  • bunch of spring onions

  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

  • 1 /3 tsp turmeric (optional – just for color)

Directions

  • Drain chickpeas leaving aquafaba (chickpea brine) aside. Do not throw it away.
  • Place chickpeas in a small pot and pour enough water to cover them. Add 1 tsp of black salt and cook for 20-25 minutes. Check if the chickpeas are ready. They need to be very soft. It should be easy to squash them between fingers.
  • If you don’t have vegan mayonnaise make it now using aquafaba. Here is the recipe!
  • Drain the chickpeas well. While they are still warm add 1tbsp of mayonnaise and 1/2 tsp kala namak salt, mash them using fork until you get mostly smooth texture with some pieces of chickpeas.
  • Add the rest of mayonnaise as well as chopped spring onion with chives. Adjust seasoning according to your liking.

Notes

  • * Kala Namak (black salt) is actually pink 🙂 This magic powder itself smells like Sulphur – bleh, but when added to food in moderation it gives the egg-like flavor. If you never heard about it before, look for it in your local vegan store (or maybe even well equipped supermarket in spices/exotic product section). I will soon add more recipes including black salt powder.
  • Don’t be tempted to take a shortcut and blend the chickpeas. The texture is so great thanks to mashing only part of them, and that can only be done with fork.

Serving Suggestions

This salad is a perfect spread for sandwiches. I like to serve it on a homemade bread with a leaf of salad and bell pepper.

It will also work well as a filling for tortilla accompanied by chopped cucumber and cherry tomatoes.

If you like this recipe you may also like:

No-Chicken Vegan Salad

Best Vegan Cream Cheese

Vegan Egg Salad with chives in a bowl.

Some recipes are easier to veganize than the others. While substituting egg in a cake or cookies is.. piece of cake, in case of vegan egg salad the task was a bit more complicated. Luckily there are some very useful ingredients like chickpeas that magically transform depending on how you prepare them. In case of this salad we obtained egg texture thanks to chickpeas and flavor thanks to black salt. Isn’t vegan cooking an Alchemy?

Vegan Egg Salad with chives in a decorative bowl.

How to prepare Vegan Egg Salad

COOK CHICKPEAS WITH KALA NAMAK SALT

Chickpeas from the jar or can should already be soft enough to eat, bot for the purpose of this salad we need them to be super soft and creamy. With this step we want to accomplish two things.

  1. Make chickpeas creamy and easy to mash
  2. Give them this deep egg-like flavor, by adding kala namak to cooking water.

MASH CHICKPEAS

When your chickpeas are soft and smell like eggs it’s time to drain and mash them. Don’t leave this task for later, as it’s way easier to do when they are still warm (you can add a bit of mayo now – it also helps).

We mash chickpeas with fork (or potato masher). Don’t be tempted to use blender. We don’t want a mushy texture and we do want small pieces of egg-chickpeas.

Vegan Egg Salad on a bun.

ADD REST OF INGREDIENTS AND SEASON

After we are happy with texture of chickpeas we can add rest of ingredients and spices. Feel free to experiment with amount of mayonnaise – add more if you want more spreadable paste-like consistency.

Add a bit more kala namak salt to bring out the egg flavor, but be careful not to overdo it. Remember that after your vegan egg salad rests in the fridge the flavors will come together and enhance.

Questions and Answers

How to store Vegan Egg Salad

You can store this salad in the air tight container in the fridge for five days. Remember to close the lid tightly if you don’t want your whole fridge smell like eggs 🙂

I first learned about this recipe from this amazing polish vegan Blogger – Jadlonomia. My constant source of inspiration.

Let me know what you think about Vegan Egg Salad recipe! Did you like the addition of Kala Namak salt?

Pin showing Vegan Egg Salad in a bowl and on a roll.

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14 thoughts on “Vegan Egg Salad – Best Recipe with Magic Ingredient”

  1. This vegan egg salad tastes absolutely amazing! Kala namak really makes this healthy dish special with its authentic eggy flavor. Thanks for the recipe!

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