dill pickle chickpea salad sliders
Pool season equals slider season.
Happy Tuesday, folks, and Happy National Chickpea Day! In two weeks we’ve got the Kentucky Derby, and in about a month I’ve scheduled in my first (and probably only) pool party of the year. My social battery is mostly nonexistent nowadays, but I’ve wanted to host a little deck soiree since last year and we’re finally making it happen at the end of May.
Which means, I need some good old finger foods to dish out for the attendees. Preferably ones that involve little to no oven use, because it’s getting hot and steaming up the house ain’t the name of the game in those months.
Cue these cute, affordably, vegan-friendly Dill Pickle Chickpea Salad Sliders. I candidly mixed up a version of this a couple weeks ago to bring as bento lunches for my afternoon work shifts, and I figured hey, might as well codify the formula and share it with ya’ll to enjoy.
These sliders are fabulous, people. 15 to 20 minutes to make, and they vanish off the platter in minutes. Even J, who doesn’t really like creamy chicken salad-esque creations, gobbled these up when I brought them downstairs to him. You can choose to toast the buns or not, the finished product will be no less pretty or tasty.
Willy Nilly Dilly
The most laborious part of this recipe is smashing the chickpeas. Depending on the brand you buy, some chickpeas are pretty solid and take a little more elbow grease to smoosh. Good and Gather brand sits in that category, so be mindful.
Use a fork or a potato masher for the easiest smashing process. The chickpeas should be mealy and “shredded” looking once you’re done – a few whole chickpeas or larger chunks are fine, but the salad mixes much better with a finer texture.
The rest of the process is a breeze. Stir the chickpeas with mayonnaise (vegan or regular), pickle brine, dijon mustard, chopped celery, red onions, and dill pickles, dried dill, dried parsley, garlic powder, and a hit of salt and pepper. The salad will be creamy and luscious but not too mayo-heavy. Taste for flavor and seasoning and adjust as needed.
Note: the size and cut of the dill pickles don’t really matter. I bought baby dills because I wanted to garnish each slider with one of appropriate size (a spear or a giant pickle might look a little wild). Spears or wedges are also perfectly great if you don’t plain on the toothpick adornment.
As I said previously, you can choose to toast your buns or not, all up to you. If you do, I prefer the broiler. Brush the cut sides of each little slider bun with melted butter, then set onto the baking sheet with the butter side facing up. Toast about 1 minute until lightly golden.
Now, assembly! I used green leaf lettuce but any type works. Place a leaf or two on the bottom bun, then plop on a good helping of salad. If you’re following my aesthetic lead, poke a baby dill with a toothpick and slide through the top bun.
Serve with chips, crackers, and/or various vegetables! You can also switch out the slider buns for mini croissants. I actually wanted to style this dish with the latter, but they were weirdly expensive at Publix and my grocery bill was already screeching at me from the receipts I collected.
Leftovers? Salad keeps great in the fridge for up to a week. If I run out of or am just not in the mood for buns (rare), I like to use crackers, cut carrots, and celery as a dipping vessel.
Freezable? No, do not freeze this shit.
Vegan-friendly? Use vegan mayo and make sure your choice bread is vegan!
Enjoy, pals!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
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dill pickle chickpea salad sliders
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained
- 1/2 cup vegan or regular mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp dill pickle brine
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup dill pickles, diced
- 1 head green leaf, romaine, or butter lettuce
- 12 mini slider buns
- potato chips and mini dill pickles, to serve
Instructions
- Add the drained chickpeas to a large bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, smoosh the chickpeas into a meal. Some larger chunks or whole chickpeas are fine, just try to mash them as best as you can. See the photos for reference!
- Stir in the mayonnaise, dijon, pickle brine, dried dill, parsley, garlic powder, celery, red onion, dill pickles, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined and creamy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- If desired, brush the cut sides of each slider bun with a bit of butter and set cut-side up onto a baking sheet. Broil on high for 1 minute or until desired toastiness is achieved.
- Place a leaf of lettuce on the bottom bun, then spoon a generous helping (about 1/3 cup) of the chickpea salad atop. Poke a mini pickle onto a toothpick and insert into the top bun, then place the top bun over the salad. Serve immediately.
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