Vegan Chicken Wrap [Smashed Chickpea Salad Wrap]

Smashed chickpeas, celery, pecans, crisp apple, and dried cranberries are smothered in a rich and creamy dressing for an unforgettable vegan chicken wrap that’s grilled to perfection. Serve this mouth-watering dish for lunch, appetizers, potlucks, and party platters.

This recipe was originally published in October 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.

These chickpea salad wraps are incredibly delicious and make a great all-year-round kind of dish.

Serve them in the summer for pool parties and picnics or bring them to work potlucks. The bright red cranberries make them festive enough for holiday appetizers too. Cut them into pinwheels for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Or try these peanutty Thai-inspired Asian slaw wraps.

Jump to:

• Reader Feedback:
• Why you’ll love these
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions + Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Expert Tips
• More delicious wraps + sandwiches
• 📖 Recipe

Reader Feedback:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I'm so happy I found this recipe! This is my lunch all week! I make it Monday and have a wrap everyday. So simple and delicious!!!!! - Cori

Why you’ll love these

• There’s no cooking required. So that makes this vegan chicken wrap perfect for a hot day or any lazy day. 😉
• Easy to make, with simple methods and mostly pantry ingredients. Plus, they’re ready in just 30 minutes.
• Versatile! Switch up any fruit or vegetable with whatever you have on hand. Serve as whole wraps, halved pockets, or cute little pinwheels.
• Delicious!! I’d never share anything with you that I didn’t find absolutely YUMMY!

Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this vegan chicken wrap recipe.

For the smashed chickpea salad

• Chickpeas: Use cooked or canned chickpeas, whatever you have on hand. (Cooked chickpeas from dried taste better though, in my opinion.)
• Pecans: Roughly chopped pecans add a little crunch and extra protein. You may omit the pecans to reduce the calories and fat if needed.
• Celery: Diced celery adds a crisp and fresh flavour.
• Apple: I like granny smith for its juicy, tart flavour and crisp texture. But any variety of apples will work fine here.
• Dried cranberries: I prefer unsweetened cranberries but they are a little harder to find. If you’re avoiding sugar and oil and can’t find unsweetened oil-free cranberries, you may sub with raisins or pomegranate seeds. I find oil-free unsweetened raisins more easily.

For the wraps

• Tortilla wraps: I prefer whole grain or ancient grain wraps, but if you need gluten-free wraps, you may use your favourite gluten-free brand.
• Baby spinach: Adds greens and extra nutrients to your vegan chicken wraps.

For the dressing

• Cashews: Use raw unsalted and unroasted cashews. The cashews make the dressing very creamy and rich. You may sub with sunflower seeds or pepitas if you prefer.
• Apple cider vinegar: Adds a touch of acid and tang to the dressing.
• Spices: I selected what I feel is the perfect blend of seasoning for this dressing. The poultry spice enhances the “chicken” flavour in the dish.
  • If you don’t have poultry spice, use ¼ teaspoon each of sage, crushed thyme, crushed rosemary, and black pepper with similar results.

Instructions

(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)

For the salad

First, blend up your dressing ingredients in a small blender and set it aside.

Optional grilling

While it is optional to grill or press the wraps, I do recommend it if you can. It not only adds a nice crunch to the wrap, but it seals them and makes them less messy to eat, preventing them from opening.

You may serve each vegan chicken wrap whole or slice them in half for extra portions.

For pinwheels

If you want pinwheels instead of large wraps, follow this method instead.

Once grilled, slice each vegan chicken wrap at approx. 2-inch intervals to make bite-sized pinwheels. Cute right?? 😍

You may even serve these wraps with a variety of sauces for dipping. Try any of these!

• Vegan ranch or cashew cream.
• Sriracha mayo, buffalo sauce, or hot sauce.
• Dijon mustard or “honey” mustard.

Substitutions + Variations

Here are some substitution ideas to help make this vegan chicken wrap suit your dietary needs.

• For gluten-free: Choose your favourite gluten-free tortilla wraps.
• For oil-free: Check the ingredients of the wraps as most contain oil. However, most corn tortilla wraps are oil-free, so choose accordingly.
• For nut-free: The pecans in the salad can be omitted or you may use sunflower seeds in its place. For the cashews, you may substitute with raw sunflower seeds or pepitas with similar results.
• For low-fat: Omit the pecans in the salad and swap the cashews in the dressing with white cannellini beans. However, make sure to reduce the water since the beans already contain more moisture. Start with ⅓ cup of water and add more as needed to reach your preferred consistency.
• For low calories: Enjoy this recipe as a vegan chicken salad and skip the wrap entirely. OR use large romaine lettuce or swiss chard as your wrap. You may also use the salad to stuff grilled zucchini boats or portobello mushrooms.
• Make it a sandwich: If you prefer a sandwich, use your favourite bread with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a spread of vegan mayo or ranch dressing.

Or check out our Asian slaw wraps for another wrap option. It features cauliflower rice and peanutty coleslaw to deliver big flavour.

For more vegan “chicken” inspiration, try this soy curl orange “chicken“, jackfruit “chicken” salad, chickpea potato “chicken” patties, or these delicious chickpea nuggets.

Equipment

I use this Cusinart Griddler (affiliate link) to grill these wraps. It’s nonstick and works perfectly well without oil.

I like this particular model because it's an all-in-one appliance that I can use as a panini press, to make pancakes, grill veggies, AND make waffles.

Storage

Leftover wraps can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, but note that these taste best when freshly made.

If you don’t plan to consume all the wraps in one sitting, you may store the chickpea salad separately in the fridge for 3 days in a sealed container. Then assemble and grill the wraps just before enjoying.

I don’t recommend freezing these.

More delicious wraps + sandwiches

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Buon appetito,
Rosa

📖 Recipe