These easy chickpea sliders are the perfect vegetarian option for your Memorial Day menu. Go more classic with the warm BBQ sliders or go lighter and brighter with the avocado and herb chickpea salad. Or do both!
Ingredient highlight
Chickpeas! Like many other legumes are rich in protein, fiber, folate, zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron. They also contain vitamin K which, along with calcium, is a key nutrient for strong bones. Chickpeas are uniquely rich in certain flavonoids (mostly in the outer part of the chickpea) and antioxidants that will help fight off inflammation and free radicals.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 7 minutes 
Total Time 17 minutes Ingredients
For avocado herb sliders:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 bunch scallions green parts thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh herbs cilantro, dill, or parsley, finely chopped
- 1 dill pickle finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 avocado mashed
- 4 whole wheat buns (or bread), toasted
For BBQ sliders:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions white parts thinly sliced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrot about 1-2 carrots
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 whole wheat buns or bread, toasted
For the slaw:
- 2-3 cups shredded cabbage or use thinly sliced radish
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
For the avocado herb:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas and mash about half of them up with a fork. Add the scallions, herbs, pickles, and mashed avocado and mix to combine. Taste and add more salt or vinegar, if needed.
For the BBQ:
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the white parts of the scallions, mushrooms, carrot, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are cooked and everything has softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas and use a fork to mash them up as best you can. Add the BBQ sauce and vinegar and stir it up for about 30 seconds.
For the slaw:
- Add cabbage, vinegar, and salt to a medium bowl and mix to combine.
- Add the chickpea mixture to the bottom bun and top with slaw. Place top bun on top and devour!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
For the avocado herb sliders:
- Prep scallions, herbs, and pickle
- Make avocado herb chickpea filling, but don’t add the mashed avocado until ready to eat.
- Prep scallions, mushrooms, and carrot
- Make BBQ chickpea slider filling
Substitutions:
For the avocado herb sliders:- Any combination of herbs works great. My favorite is dill and parsley.
- Substitute finely chopped shallot or red onion for the scallions.
- The dill pickle really makes the salad, but you could use anything pickled (pickled onions, pickled jalapeno, etc…)
- Use any finely chopped veggies in place of the mushrooms and carrots
- If you don’t like chickpeas, lentils would work great here as well
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- BBQ chickpea filling: up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer
- Avocado herb chickpea filling: up to 4 days in the fridge (wait to add avocado if prepping ahead).
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the BBQ chickpea filling before making your slider
- Avocado herb chickpea filling is best at room temp or chilled
- Add leftover filling to bowls or salads.
- Turn them into tacos!
- Serve them on toast for breakfast or with eggs.
