VEGAN CHICKEN SALAD OIL-FREE
You will love this healthy vegan plant-based oil-free vegan chicken salad! It is lower calorie than a traditional chicken salad and much healthier. No mayo! So easy to make and ready in less than 30 minutes!
Look at how beautiful the colors are and that amazing, hearty texture. I seriously cannot get enough of it. It really serves as the perfect plant-based lunch and can be enjoyed all week!
It can be served as a sandwich, too. I love healthy vegan sandwiches, like my super popular Caesar smashed chickpea sandwich.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CHICKEN SALAD
First, mash your white beans so that they are rough, but not completely smooth. I chose to use white beans here, no chickpeas, which is the normal choice, because they are higher protein and fat-free.
Add all of the chopped veggies to a large bowl.
Prepare all of the dressing ingredients and blend until 100% smooth and no more bits of nuts remain.
Mix the veggies, beans and dressing until completely mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Since the veggies do not have salt, you will need to salt it before serving.
You can serve this right away of course, but it tastes even better after it has chilled and sat in the fridge for a few hours for all the flavors to absorb. Add the chopped parsley right before serving.
I served this on these quinoa rice cakes I found at my local HEB to keep them low calorie, but this is also good on protein bagels or as a sandwich!
MORE HEALTHY VEGAN LUNCHES
Vegan "Chicken" Salad (Oil-free)
Ingredients
DRESSING
- 1/2 cup (75g) raw cashews (or sunflower seeds for nut-free)
- 1/2 cup (120g) water
- 2 tablespoons (30g) white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
SALAD
- One 15 ounce can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup (50g) shredded/matchstick carrots
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 2 sticks celery, sliced
- 2 fresh large jalapenos, finely diced
- 2/3 cup fresh dill pickles, finely diced (not the juice)
- Small handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients listed under "dressing" to a high-powered blender like a vitamix. Otherwise you will need to soak the cashews for several hours or boil them to soften them first. Drain them and proceed. You will need to blend the ingredients until the dressing is completely smooth and no bits of nuts remain. You will have to scrape down the sides a couple of times during this process. Set aside to thicken while proceeding with the next steps.
- Add the drained white beans to a large bowl and roughly mash them so they are no longer whole but not hummus.
- Add the carrots, bell pepper, celery, jalapenos, and pickles.
- Pour the dressing over the ingredients and stir for several minutes until well mixed and thick. Season with salt and pepper, as the veggies of course have no seasoning so I found that the salad needed some salt and pepper after mixing. Season to taste.
- Place in the fridge for about an hour to marinade and absorb the flavors. Overnight works too if you want to make this ahead!
- Garnish with fresh parsley right before serving. I loved to serve this with quinoa rice cakes for a lower calorie meal, but you could also spread this on sandwiches, toast or protein bagels.
This was love at first bite! So fresh-tasting, and I love the creamy texture of the white beans and the crunch of the veggies. Great recipe!
Yay Coby, thank you so much for making it!!
This recipe was not only a hit with the family but also quite addictive lol. We already made it a few times. While it is good right after you prepare it, it’s amazing if you let it sit in the fridge for a bit. The next day the flavor popped more!!!!
Yayyy thank you so much Michele for making this and sharing on facebook! So happy it was a hit!
I’ve made this twice in the past week and can’t stop eating it! It’s so refreshing and nourishing. I’m loving it now and am planing on bringing this to every summer party for the rest of time
Haha I love that Scott, so thrilled it is such a hit with you!
Thankyou for sharing , but as we have all nuts and some seed allergies including sunflower and pumpkin, is there something else that I can sub the nuts with please ?
Hemp seeds ? Or maybe just some oil of some kind ?
You could try more white beans? But keep in mind, the texture will change and it won’t have the same mouthfeel.
Hi. Just a question before I try making this. Could you substitute vegan mayo for the cashew dressing? If so, what would you recommend adding to the mayo? Thanks.
Hi Jim! I have never used vegan mayo and don’t use it for my recipes so I can’t really say. My recipe is based heavily off of my homemade dressing used here, so subbing mayo is really changing things. If you just want to use store-bought mayo, then there are vegan chicken salads that use that shortcut online that I’ve seen that should help you.
This is so good! I did leave out the jalapenos because I’m not someone that likes spicy things. But it is so full of flavor and the crunch oh my gosh I’m going to love having this for the week for my lunch. You are a fantabulous recipe Creator thank you!
Hi Amy, I am so very happy you loved this so much, thank you for the amazing review!!