These Chickpea Tacos are a quick way to make dinner! This crowd favorite combines a hearty side of chickpeas with guacamole, pico and slaw.
Here’s an idea for dinner if you don’t know what to cook: Chickpea Tacos! This plant-based recipe convinces with a short cooking time and great flavors. Chickpeas might not seem like taco filling to you (and honestly, Alex was a little suspicious here). But they make a savory filling that’s layered with cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika and spiced up with a zesty squeeze of lime. Scoop it all into a tortilla with guacamole and toppings, and this quick weeknight dinner is ready in 20 minutes. PS, it’s plant-based too!
Elements in chickpea tacos
Need ideas for dinner tonight? These chickpea tacos are designed as a workhorse recipe to get nutritious food on the table quickly. fast. We love recipes like this: easy to prepare and full of flavor. (In fact, we wrote a whole book about it!) This one
- Red cabbage
- carrot
- Chickpeas
- Spices: Cumin, Chili Powder, Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Kosher Salt
- olive oil
- lime juice
- sour cream (or cashew cream or omit for vegan)
- guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
Make the chickpea filling
The chickpea filling in these tacos is loaded with flavorful spices that make those beans sing! These tacos might convert those who distrust chickpeas, but this recipe is for chickpea lovers (like us!). Here are some pointers to what makes the padding work:
- The spice mixture resembles a mixture of fajitas. Look out for smoked paprika: its subtly smoky flavor provides an essential nuance.
- Sour cream adds the necessary richness. Chickpeas taste a bit dry without a bit more richness than a standard taco filling. For vegans, try vegan butter, cashew cream, vegan yogurt, or vegan sour cream as substitutes. You can omit it, but that balances out the texture.
- Fresh lime seals the deal. The hint of citrus picks it up a few notches.
You may end up with chickpeas left over after eating these tacos, depending on how many you add to each taco. Store leftover filling in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The recipe makes 3 cups of filling, which expands to make 8-10 tacos.
Guacamole is mandatory
Texture is everything when it comes to a taco. For these chickpea tacos, you need extra gooey and creamy elements to balance out the chickpeas. A smear of guacamole on the taco is required here before adding the chickpeas.
You can substitute other creamy spreads or sauces (like bean sauce), but we think creamy, flavorful guacamole works best underneath these beans. We’re happy to buy it for quick meals, but you can also try our homemade guacamole.
Pages for chickpea tacos
When it comes to quick weeknight meals, we often skip these chickpea tacos (they’re pretty filling!). But if you’re looking for something simple to accompany, here are some ideas:
More chickpea recipes
These chickpea tacos are a great way to use up the mighty chickpea! Here are some other chickpea recipes you might enjoy:
This chickpea tacos recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free.
The description
These Chickpea Tacos are a quick way to make dinner! This crowd favorite combines a hearty side of chickpeas with guacamole, pico and slaw.
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1 carrot
- 2 15 ounces canned chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon every chilli powder and smoked paprika (or paprika)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, divided
- 1 tbsp Sour cream (or vegan butter or cashew cream) and more for serving if desired
- Guacamole (required!)
- Pico de gallo or fresh salsa for serving (bought)
- Fresh coriander for garnish (optional)
- Prepare the quick coleslaw: Grate the red cabbage and grate the carrot. Place them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon lime juice and 2 pinches of kosher salt.
- Cook chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas, shaking off as much water as possible. Mix spices and salt in a small bowl. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and spices and sauté, stirring frequently, until the heat and chickpeas are evenly coated, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice and sour cream and cook 1 minute longer, until warmed through and tender.
- Warm up tortillas: Warm and char the tortillas by placing them over an open flame over medium-high heat for a few seconds on each side, turning with tongs until lightly charred and warmed through. (See Reheating Tortillas.)
- Assemble the tacos: Add a generous dollop of guacamole, chickpeas, slaw and pico de gallo. Garnish with sour cream (or cashew cream) and/or chopped fresh coriander, if you like. Store leftover filling in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: American
- Diet: vegan
