If you're asking yourself "what can I cook with a can of chickpeas?" you've come to the right place. These 35 best chickpea recipes are easy to make, protein-rich, and beginner-friendly.
We've listed our favorite dinner ideas for how to use up those canned chickpeas and chickpea flour. Browse through this list, and take your pick: from 20-min meals, and salads, to easy and quick recipes - all of them nutritious, wholesome, and with plant-based protein. We're sure you'll find your next chickpea (garbanzo bean) recipes on this list!
BEST CHICKPEA RECIPES
Easy chickpea recipes in 30 minutes
These recipes are quick and easy, perfect as lunch meals, and healthy too. You can use dried and cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas for these 30-minute meals.
1. Chickpea avocado salad
We start this list with creamy avocado, ripe and juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, and earthy chickpeas meld together to perfection to create a tasty, nutritious, and fulfilling avocado salad.
2. Chickpea pasta salad
You'll love this healthy pasta salad recipe because it's tasty, nourishing, and fulfilling, with plant-based protein, vitamins, and antioxidants. Great for meal prepping and as a post-workout meal.
3. Chickpea hummus 2 ways
A must-have chickpea recipe on this list: hummus! Learn how to make mouthwatering homemade hummus with a few simple ingredients; from both canned and dry chickpeas. This recipe also includes a guide on how to make the creamiest hummus possible.
4. 20-minute chickpea salad with fresh veggies
This chickpea salad is an easy and nutritious dish. Make it in just 15 minutes with simple, fresh ingredients and a refreshing lemon vinaigrette. It's one of our favorite recipes for putlocks and meal prep.
5. Air fryer chickpeas
Air fryer chickpeas are quick, healthy, and easy to make. In less than 15 minutes, you'll have a tasty, light, and crunchy snack (perfect before a workout), or topping for your soups and salads.
6. Chickpea pasta with eggplant
Looking for an easy and fulfilling lunch? This chickpea eggplant pasta is quick and easy to make, with simple ingredients. In less than 30 minutes, you'll have a wholesome plant-based meal for the whole family.
7. Chickpea quinoa salad
This quinoa chickpea salad offers a nutritious, naturally vegan, gluten-free meal choice that will please even the pickiest eaters. We add a colorful palette of fresh veggies to this salad, which makes for an inviting and healthy bowl.
8. Carrot salad with chickpeas
Carrot raisin salad is a classic, but with this recipe, we innovate slightly with chickpeas.
We make a creamy old-fashioned one, grandma's style, with shredded carrots, raisins, and mayo, and a modern one with orange juice, chickpeas raisins, and without mayo.
9. Avocado spread with crunchy chickpeas
Chickpeas quickly elevate other ingredients with their flavor, a good example is avocado! Learn how to make the creamiest, most delicious avocado spread to eat in sandwiches and on toast with crunchy chickpeas and fresh tomatoes.
10. Vegan tuna with mayonnaise
Vegan tuna is a quick and easy recipe made with mashed chickpeas. It's the perfect replacement for tuna in a sandwich, to fill a baked sweet potato, as an appetizer, or served as a vegan tuna salad.
Chickpeas for dinner
Weeknight meals, comfort food, veggie-packed dinners, and side dishes. These chickpea recipes are great for a quick dinner or appetizer with easy-to-find ingredients.
11. Chickpea stew
Our first chickpea dinner is a chickpea stew: an easy one-pot recipe with plenty of flavors and made with simple ingredients. It's perfect as a tasty and easy everyday dinner or as a make-ahead meal.
12. Stuffed eggplant
Here is a modern and healthy recipe you can make for an easy dinner with your family and friends. Our stuffed eggplant with avocado spread and crispy chickpeas is without meat and suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
13. Couscous salad
Chickpea is a wonderful pairing with healthy grains, such as barley, farro and couscous. This couscous salad is easy, crunchy, nutritious, and made with fresh vegetables.
14. Farro salad
Farro salad is a perfect meal for summer, autumn, and as a quick lunch! Add fresh veggies, olives, and chickpeas, and you can enjoy a protein-rich and vitamin-packed meal.
15. Potato salad with chickpeas (no mayo)
This delicious and creamy vegan potato salad is easy to make for a quick lunch or as a side for dinner. Pair it with your favorite source of protein, and you'll have a complete and satiating meal.
16. Eggplant soup with roasted chickpeas
Did you know that chickpeas can be added as topping to soups and stews? Our eggplant soup is a light, healthy, and tasty dish that is easy to make with a few simple, fresh ingredients. Pair it with air fryer chickpeas, and it's a perfect starter and dinner meal.
18. Roasted chickpeas (for soups, stews and salads)
Roasted chickpeas are a quick and easy way to add healthy protein and tasty crunch to salads and soups. They are also perfect as a healthy snack before a trip to the gym.
19. Eggplant salad
Eggplant salad is an easy and delicious recipe made with roasted or air-fried eggplant, chickpeas, and other crunchy seasonal vegetables. It's perfect as a make-ahead meal, for potlucks, and as a lunchbox meal.
20. Microwave sweet potato with chickpeas
On top of a microwave sweet potato, add couscous or bulgur salad with tomato and cucumber, then top it with crispy chickpeas, sliced black olives, and crumbled feta cheese (we used dairy-free feta).
21. Mediterranean farro salad
In just over 30 minutes, you can have a delicious, healthy, and satisfying Mediterranean farro salad. And if you prefer, you can make this recipe ahead of time and meal-prep your next lunches or dinners.
Chickpea flour recipes
Wondering how to cook chickpea flour? These meals are great beginner recipes, that are easy to follow and add healthy protein to your diet. Chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour) can be used to replace eggs in some recipes, and add extra fiber to a meal - let's see how it's done!
22. Vegan frittata
This vegan frittata is crisp on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, and for some reason, it feels like eating a regular egg frittata. We use sauteed zucchini or artichokes for a veggie-packed and healthy meal.
23. Tofu scramble
Our tofu scramble is easy to make with a few simple ingredients, and you can serve it with your favorite veggies, or even better on toast with avocado. We love it for Sunday brunch, and as a quick lunch when we need to cook something quick.
24. Chickpea crepes with veggie filling
Chickpea crepes are salty pancakes with loads of protein and healthy fiber. These savory pancakes are gluten-free and they're made with simple ingredients, yet they are delicious and fulfilling.
25. Farinata
Farinata or socca is an easy recipe made by mixing chickpea flour and olive oil and baked in the oven for about 20 minutes.
It's the perfect appetizer and accommodates most diets as it's gluten-free and vegan.
26. Chickpea muffins
Chickpea frittata muffins are an easy make-ahead recipe that you can eat as a nutritious and tasty breakfast, quick lunch, or dinner. Add your favorite veggies to these muffins, and freeze them for a meal-prep-friendly snack.
27. Asparagus frittata
This asparagus frittata made with chickpea flour is the perfect alternative to an egg-based frittata.
Our recipe is easy, and in less than 30 minutes, you can make this delicious dish and serve it as a starter, or as a quick and healthy weeknight dinner.
28. Vegan carbonara
Our vegan carbonara is a simple recipe that can be made in 15 minutes. The taste of our carbonara sauce is similar to the taste of an authentic Italian carbonara recipe, but we use tempeh and chickpea flour to create an authentic flavor experience.
29. Fried eggplant
Our fried eggplant recipe is super crunchy outside and tender inside; we make it without eggs, and it's suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Serve it on a bed of salad or as a side dish with your preferred source of protein.
Recipes with chickpea water (aquafaba)
Have you also wondered what to do with leftover chickpea water? There is no need to pour it in the drain! Instead, get inspiration here to use up aquafaba (chickpea water) for making delicious and egg-free desserts and dips.
30. Brownie cake
This chocolate brownie cake is an easy recipe made with 5 simple ingredients. Packed with chocolate flavor, it can be served warm, with ice cream, or at room temperature.
31. Vegan meringue
Vegan Meringues are easy, crunchy, and light. Learn how to make them with just 2 ingredients: aquafaba and sugar.
32. Homemade mayo - no eggs
Homemade mayo in 1 minute? Yes! We show you how to make a classic vegan mayo, and also how to turn it into a tangy spicy mayo, and into a garlicky vegan aioli (garlic mayo).
33. Vegan tiramisu
Here we make the best vegan tiramisù that we have ever had, with simple plant-based ingredients. We use leftover chickpea water to make airy and crunchy lady fingers, learn how to make it here.
34. Egg-free Amaretti
These Vegan Amaretti - Italian almond cookies - are crunchy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, and bursting with almond flavor. They are perfect as a sweet during holidays and Christmas for parties and special occasions.
35. Orange-almond cookies
Our orange almond cookie recipe follows the original Tuscan tradition of Ricciarelli di Siena, but without eggs, for a final product that has the same texture and flavor as the original.
Tips for Chickpea Recipes
- How to store: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, then reheat in the oven, microwave, or air-fryer before eating.
- How to freeze: You can also freeze warm meals from this list for up to 3 months. To freeze them, let them cool down first, then transfer them to a freezer-friendly container, leaving some space to allow them to expand. Salads with fresh veggies should not be frozen, nor reheated.
- How to reheat: Thaw in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop. Before serving, garnish with fresh herbs. Always check each recipe for exact storage guidelines.
For many more 30-minute meal ideas, check out our 30-minute meal category page.
35 Best Chickpea Recipes
Ingredients
- Pick your favorite chickpea recipe
- Read the recipe for ingredients required
- Make the recipe by following the instructions
Instructions
- How to store: Most of these chickpea recipes keep for 3 days in the refrigerator, best if stored in an airtight container. We usually reheat it in the microwave, but a pan with a dash of water would do too.
- How to reheat: Most of these recipes can be reheated in the microwave (if it's not a salad with lettuce), or reheated on a pan with a dash of water. Check the individual recipes for full make ahead, reheating and storage instructions.
Nutritional Values
If you liked these chickpea recipes, you might also like:
Leave a comment and star rating :-)