Perk up your lunches with these glorious plant-based Caesar smashed chickpea sandwiches with the most fabulous oil-free creamy dressing.
It's always a good time for a new sandwich filling and this one is a real doozy!
A delicious smashed chickpea sandwich where the protein-packed chickpea filling is mixed in a gloriously creamy but fat-free Caesar's dressing and teamed with salad on soft seeded bread.
You're going to love it!
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At a glance - Caesar smashed chickpea sandwiches
⏲️ Ready in: 20 minutes
👪 Serves: 4
🍽 Calories: 315
🧾 Main ingredients: bread, lettuce, tomatoes, chickpeas, red onion & dressing (brine, lemon juice, mustard, cashews & garlic)
👩🏻🍳 Suitable for: vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian
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📋 What you need to make Caesar's smashed chickpea sandwiches
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this chickpea smash, Caesar's dressing and your final protein-rich sandwiches.
Ingredients
Caesar's dressing
- Artichoke brine - the brine (not oil) from a jar of artichokes (you will find them beside other antipasti like sundried tomatoes and olives, in the supermarket)
- Lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- Water
- Mustard - dijon mustard
- Cashew nuts - unsalted
- Garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper - to season
Chickpea smash
- Chickpeas - canned, jarred or dried chickpeas soaked and cooked
- Caesar's dressing - see above
- Red onion - you could use white onion
- Salt - to season
Sandwiches
- Soft bread - wholemeal bread, seeded bread or white bread
- Salad leaves - iceberg lettuce (or romaine lettuce) is nice for crunch, but you can use a mixture of soft salad leaves if you prefer them
- Slices of tomato - seasoned with black pepper
- Cucumber slices - for more crunch
- Sesame seeds - for extra nutrition (optional)
See the printable (or save as a PDF) recipe card below for quantities, method, notes and nutritional information. There is a jump to recipe button above.
For more easy vegan sandwich and wrap ideas, check out my sandwich index or say hello to the 150 Easy Vegan Sandwiches ebook (with 6 ingredients or less) You'll never be stuck for lunch ideas again!
All for the price of a coffee. Keep it on your phone when shopping or in the kitchen or print it out to keep handy to glance through.
Grab your copy now!
⭐ Vegan Wholesome
This rather magnificent sandwich comes from a gorgeous new plant-based cookbook called Vegan Wholesome by Brandi Doming.
Brandi (the food blogger behind Vegan 8) has concentrated on high-protein, fat-free vegan recipes in this beautiful new book.
The book is packed with 100 delicious recipes that you'll be eager to try.
You'd never look at them and think they are fat-free and healthy, they look like the kind of tasty recipes and comfort food you and I like to make and eat every day.
So the fact that the recipes are so good for you is just an added bonus.
Cookbook chapters
Here's a little look at what's in the book.
- Chapter 1 - First power meals of the day
- Chapter 2 - Impressive sides and appetisers
- Chapter 3 - Fast and furious lunches
- Chapter 4 - Casseroles you'll crave
- Chapter 5 - Soul-satisfying soups
- Chapter 6 - Wholesome and hearty mains
- Chapter 7 - Sweet and savoury snacks
- Chapter 8 - Feel-good desserts
- Chapter 9 - Go-to sauces, spices and staples
Recipes that really caught my eye
- Baked pumpkin sage risotto
- Jackfruit and pinto bean chilli
- Cajun spinach artichoke pasta
- Pizza chickpea balls
- Swedish 'meatballs'
- Tim's greek salad with homemade 'feta'
- Almond cream strawberry shortcakes
- Peach cream cheese
Book Details
- Book: Vegan Wholesome
- Author: Brandi Doming
- Publisher : Rodale Books (15 April 2025)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 288 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-0593797433
Also, check out Brandi's first cookbook The Vegan 8.
🥙 Other ways to serve chickpea smash
Once you've made this delicious dairy-free chickpea smash, you'll be instantly thinking about making it again.
Why not change things up and serve it on:
- Baked potato - pile it high on a baked potato
- Wrap - add it to a lunch wrap with roast peppers and pesto
- Pitta bread - fill a wholemeal pitta with smashed chickpeas and crunchy salad with an extra drizzle of Caesar's dressing
- Salad - serve it as a side salad
🥣 Make extra vegan Caesar's dressing
The salad dressing is super tasty too, so why not make extra and drizzle it on:
- Roast veg - for extra flavour
- Crunchy vegetables - as a dip
- Potato salad - instead of a mayo-based dressing
- Pasta salad - as a dressing (try it on this Greek pasta salad)
- Salad - to dress a traditional Caesar's salad with vegan parmesan (Violife do a good one called Prosociano)
- Caesar's wraps - crunchy lettuce, cucumber (not traditional, but good in a wrap) and vegan parmesan
For more easy vegan salad dressing recipes check out my dressings, dips and sauce page.
🌡️ Storing chickpea smash
This tasty chickpea mixture and vegan caesar dressing can be made ahead so sandwiches are quick to make in the morning.
Adding it to your meal plan and making it ahead also allows all the wonderful flavours to develop.
Once you've done your meal prep, you can store the mashed chickpeas in an airtight container in the fridge and any extra salad dressing in a jam jar for 3-4 days.
Your whole family will love these chickpeas caesar salad sandwiches.
They really do make a high protein, hassle-free meal, just add some salad and a few crisps (chips on the side) or for an easy dinner serve them with a corn cob and some spicy potato wedges.
👩🏻🍳 Related recipes - more vegan chickpea recipes
Looking for more chickpea inspiration? Try these recipes next:
- Spicy Chickpea Sausage Rolls with Puff Pastry
- Crispy Italian Chickpeas Roasted in the Air Fryer
- Easy Buffalo Chickpea Tacos - Baked Vegan Taco Recipe
- Vegan Gochujang Chickpea Smash for Sandwiches & Tacos
- Easy Gochujang Shredded Tofu & Chickpea Lunch Wraps
- Quick Homemade Caramelised Onion Hummus Recipe
- Easy Butternut Squash and Chickpea Filo Parcels
- Vegan Chocolate Chickpea Truffles (Protein Snack)
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📖 Recipe
BEST Vegan Caesar Smashed Chickpea Sandwiches Recipe
Ingredients
Salad Dressing
- 4 tablespoons artichoke brine (water from artichokes in a jar)
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 140 g cashews (unsalted)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (more if you like)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Smashed chickpeas
- 400 g canned chickpeas (drained)
- 6 tablespoons caesar's dressing
- 1 small red onion (finely diced)
- 1 pinch salt
Sandwich ingredients
- 8 slices wholemeal brown bread (seeded brown bread or soft white bread)
- 1 romaine lettuce (sectioned into leaves and rinsed)
- 2 medium tomatoes (sliced)
- black pepper (to season the tomatoes)
Instructions
- First make the Caesar's dressing. Add dressing ingredients to a blender or food procressor and blend until completely smooth. It is a thick dressing, so scrape down the sides as you go. Keep going until the dressing is smooth (If you don't have a powerful blender or food processor you need soak your cashews in water overnight to soften.)
- In a large bowl, add the chickpeas and 6 tablespoons of the dressing and ¼ teaspoon salt (keep the rest of the dressing for salads, you can thin it with a little water if required).
- Mash the chickpeas and dressing together, leaving some texture. Add the red onion and mix until well combined. Taste to check the seasoing and add more salt if required.
- Spread each slice of bread with some dressing.
- To assemble the sandwiches top bread with lettuce, then top with a layer of chickpea mash, then finish with slices of tomato.
- Season the tomato slices with black pepper, then add the other slice of bread, cut in half and serve. Do this with the rest of the mixture.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Add the leftover artichokes to salads, wraps or pasta salad.
- You can store the mashed chickpeas in an airtight container in the fridge and any extra salad dressing in a jam jar for 3-4 days.
Trina says
This sandwich is delicious, especially if you let the flavors mingle for a while.
Thank you for sharing it with us. I will be making again and again.
Trina
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Trina and yes you are so right, things like this always benefit from a bit of time for the flavours to develop. Always even better the next day.
Tim says
Oh yes please. Need to make me some of that!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
You should, it's very tasty Tim and makes a good sandwich.
Jill says
These look so good Jacqs and I tried the chilli you shared on your other blog. I made it a bit hot but it was really good. My daughter is going to treat me to the book. Jill x
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the chilli Jill. I know you will like the book too.