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This post has been sponsored by Grapes From California . All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you SO MUCH for supporting the brands that make Food with Feeling possible!
I’ve been wanting to share this recipe for SO LONG and I’m glad that it’s finally hitting the blog! You KNOW what a huge fan of tofu that I am (see HERE for a roundup of all my favorite tofu recipes!) and this Tofu Chicken Salad is so ridiculously delicious.
As mentioned at the top of the post, today’s blog post is sponsored by Grapes from California (so fun, right!?) and the grapes in this recipe are TRULY the hero. They provide the most optimal touch of sweetness to this salad and really help balance out all of the other flavors. Seriously just SO GOOD and I can’t wait for you to try this recipe. Check out more recipes and add grapes to your cart today!
FIRST, just a little but about the grapes ????
We ADORE grapes in our house. It’s one of those things that I pretty much always keep on hand. Red grapes are our all time favorite and seriously the easiest (and healthy) grab and go snack. Jemma likes to put them in a cup to snack on when we go for walks and I’m always surprised HOW many that little kid can eat.
I knew that we were smack dab in the middle of grape season (which runs from May- January) BUT I had no idea that 99% of table grapes grown in the US are from California!
OKAY, on to this Vegan “Chicken” Salad!
I KNOW that I’m going to get hate from people on social media for calling this a chicken salad. I KNOW! But for those of us that have given up meat or are just generally trying to eat less of it, recipes like this are KEY. AND, I know that all of my fellow tofu lovers are going to go crazy for this recipe. SO, haters back off ;)
Growing up, I ate a LOT of chicken salad. It’s something that my grandmother makes a lot and hers always has grapes in it. When I was pitching recipe ideas for this campaign with California Grapes, THIS vegan chicken salad was the first one that came to mind and I’m seriously so excited to be sharing this.
As with my other meat-replacement recipes, I tried to keep this as close to the original as possible. All that really meant was replacing the chicken with chunks of tofu (and the mayo with vegan mayo if you want it to be fully vegan). You can definitely use this recipe as a base and swap in/ out any veggies that you have on hand. I often put shredded carrots in this as well so have fun with it and use up what’s in your fridge (but don’t ever consider skipping the grapes because they really do make this recipe!). Don’t forget to shop now & add grapes to your cart today!
Here are the main ingredients in this tofu salad:
- Firm/ extra firm tofu– I DO NOT recommend using any other kind of tofu. Soft tofu will fall apart too easily and kind of make this a mess and weird to eat.
- California grapes– as i mentioned, I’m a HUGE fan of red grapes but really any color would work well in this: red, green, or black!
- Mayo– I used a simple vegan mayo to keep this fully plant based. It’s the main dressing source in this salad so there’s a fully 1/2 cup in the recipe but I tried to keep it minimal. Some salads like this just have WAY too much mayo in them. I managed to find the PERFECT balance in this recipe.
- Celery + green onion– for a nice fresh crunch to the salad.
- Fresh parsley + dill– these add so much freshness to the salad and really enhance the flavors!
- Almond extract– This is my (not so) secret ingredient that REALLY takes the recipe to the next level. You might be skeptical of this at first but PLEASE give it a try. It’s so so good and enhances the flavor profile of the salad.
- Almonds– these are definitely optional but I really love them in my “chicken” salad.
Making this vegan “chicken” salad is SO SUPER easy. Once the tofu is lightly pressed, simply break it into large chunks and place in a big bowl. Then add in all of the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
THAT’S IT! The perfect last minute lunch/ dinner idea. Plus, it keeps in the fridge for a good few days so it’s perfect for meal prep and picnic-ing.
I can’t wait to see y’all making this recipe! As per usual, if you do end up making this recipe, please snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling! I always love to see what y’all are making from the blog.
See how to make the Vegan Chicken Salad here:
Vegan “Chicken” Salad
Ingredients
- 1 block of firm or extra firm tofu, roughly 15 ounces, pressed*
- ¼ cup of sliced almonds
- ½ cup of vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
- ⅔ cup of California red grapes, halved
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, chopped (can dub for dried)
- Juice from 1/2 of a lemon, about 1 1/2 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon of almond extract, optional but SO GOOD!
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Into a large bowl, crumble you pressed block of tofu into chunks about the size of quarters. Really any size will work here so go with what you’d prefer for your salad.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Serve on your favorite bread or eat as is! Store in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
This recipe is so tasty! I missed chicken salad so much and this hits the spot for sure. I added grapes instead of raisins and I also added some Trader Joe’s “chickenless seasoning” for a little extra flavor and color.