Vegan Chickpea Salad for Lunch!
Our Vegan Low FODMAP Chickpea Salad is easy, keeps well and works for lunch and snacks. Sometimes it feels like finding a LOFO lunch is the most difficult meal of all.
We are often home for breakfast and dinner, but we need lunch on-the-go. It has to be easy enough to whip up quickly and keep in the fridge. And pack well. This Low FODMAP Chickpea Salad checks of all off the boxes – and works on a plate, scooped up with LOFO crackers, layered in a sandwich or stuffed into a hollowed-out tomato.
10-Minute Vegan Low FODMAP Chickpea Salad
This recipes for Vegan Low FODMAP Chickpea Salad starts with a can of chickpeas. Perhaps you thought chickpeas were high FODMAP? Monash has lab tested canned, drained chickpeas and we can incorporate them into our low FODMAP diet, even during Elimination in specific amounts.
Canned, Drained Chickpeas & FODMAPs
A typical can of chickpeas weighs 15.5-ounces or 439 grams, but that is not what we are eating. Once drained, rinsed and drained again that can, which is now a scant 2 cups volume-wise, weighs 11-ounces and 320 grams. It is from this drained amount that we will measure and weigh what we eat.
Based on the fact that this recipe is made with 320 g of chickpeas and Monash has told us that a low FODMAP serving of chickpeas is 42 g, we know that if we divide this salad into 8 servings, that it will be low FODMAP.
You might be interested in reading our Low FODMAP & Vegan Series!
No FODMAP Vegetables
Hopefully you are aware that there are fruits and vegetables that contain NO FODMAPs. Cucumbers and carrots are two of them and they all color and crunch – and no additional FODMAPs – to our chickpea salad.
You can use any kind of cucumber, but I like the small Persian style cucumbers as they have very small seeds and are very firm and not as watery as larger cukes.
Vegan Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, and condiments in general, can be confusing when you first start the low FODMAP diet. This is because so many of them contain garlic and/or onion and very often those elusive “flavors” as well.
Please review our article, How To Decipher Natural Flavors & Spices On Food Labels, for an in-depth discussion. Suffice it to say that even when a condiment (or any product) contains very small amounts of onion and or garlic, there are very often low FODMAP serving sizes of that item. Conventional ketchup, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce come to mind.
Vegan mayonnaise keeps this recipe vegan. You can use conventional mayonnaise, if you like, and if it is necessary for you to keep it vegan. If you are shopping for a vegan mayonnaise, please make sure it does NOT include high FODMAP aquafaba (chickpea water), like Sir Kensington’s Classic Vegan Mayo, and is based upon oil, such as Hellman’s Vegan Dressing & Spread.
You might also enjoy our article, The Ultimate Guide To Low FODMAP Condiments.
Vegan Low FODMAP Chickpea Salad
Our Vegan Low FODMAP Chickpea Salad is easy, keeps well and works for lunch and snacks. Sometimes it feels like finding a LOFO lunch is the most difficult meal of all. We are often home for breakfast and dinner, but we need lunch on-the-go. It has to be easy enough to whip up quickly and keep in the fridge. And pack well. This Low FODMAP Chickpea Salad checks of all off the boxes – and works on a plate, scooped up with LOFO crackers, layered in a sandwich or stuffed into a hollowed-out tomato.
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes 8 servings; scant 3 cups (480 g)
Ingredients:
- 1, 15.5- ounce (439 g) chickpeas, drained, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium carrot, trimmed and chopped into small dice
- 1 Persian cucumber, trimmed and chopped into small dice
- ¼ cup (16 g) finely chopped scallions, green parts only
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; optional
- ¼ cup (56 g) vegan mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
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Dump your drained chickpeas into a mixing bowl and partially mash with a fork, or a pastry blender if you have one. Stir in the carrot, cucumber and scallions, and parsley if being used. Fold in the mayo, mustard, lemon juice and dill. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
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Chickpea salad is ready to eat! Or, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Serve on a plate, in a sandwich, with LOFO cracker, pretzels – or eat with a spoon!
Notes:
Tips
- Low FODMAP Chickpea Salad Stuffed Tomato: Simply take a firm beefsteak tomato for each serving. Cut off about ¼-inch of the stem end. Use a spoon to scoop out the middle to create a hollow tomato bowl. Simply stuff your chickpea salad inside. You can make the little jagged edges if you like with a sharp paring knife, one cut at a time.
FODMAP Information
Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.
- Carrots: Carrots have been lab tested and deemed low FODMAP by both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly. According to Monash carrots contain no FODMAPs.
- Chickpeas: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested chickpeas. Monash says that drained, canned chickpeas are low FODMAP at ¼ cup or 42 g; this is what we base our recipes upon. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Fail” at ½ cup (75 g), but the problem here is that we do not know whether they were cooked from dry or are canned, or canned drained.
- Cucumbers: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested cucumbers. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at ½ cup (64 g).Monash states that no FODMAPs were detected upon lab testing and set a serving size at ½ cup (75 g).
- Scallions: The green parts of scallions are low FODMAP as determined by Monash University lab testing and can be used to add onion flavor to your low FODMAP cooking.
- Tomato: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested common, beefsteak tomatoes. Monash University lab tests have shown no FODMAPs. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at ½ cup (75 g) portions.
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
