25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (2024)

What can't the mighty chickpea do? Beloved across the Mediterranean, Middle East, and India, chickpeas make their way into all sorts of snacks, sides, and main dishes enjoyed at all hours of the day. They're ground into flour to make pancakes, fried up for a hearty snack or salad topper, pureed into spreads, and simmered in curries, soups, and stews. These 25 recipes celebrate chickpeas in all their various preparations. Use them instead of hominy in a veggie-based pozole, serve them solo in a salad dressed with lemon and herbs, or toss them with pasta, greens, and mozzarella for a flavorful go-to weeknight meal. We have plenty of chickpea recipes to celebrate the legume's versatility.

01of 25

Marinated Chickpea Salad with Radishes, Cucumber, and Queso de Freir

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (1)

This quick chickpea salad from pastry chef Paola Velez is packed with vegetables and tossed with a simple, flavorful lemon-garlic and cumin dressing. Crispy, melty strips of fried queso de freir — a favorite cheese from Velez's childhood — take the dish over the top. The salad comes together in 30 minutes, making it ideal for busy nights.

Get the Recipe

02of 25

Chana Daal with Squash

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (2)

"The inspiration for this recipe is doodhi chana, a stew of bottle gourd and dried split chickpeas that I grew up eating in Gujarat," chef Vishwesh Bhatt says. "I always thought it lacked the oomph of other preparations my mother made. Then I discovered ras el hanout, preserved lemons, and pomegranate molasses, which elevated the previously boring gourd to new heights."

Get the Recipe

03of 25

Chickpea Doubles with Tamarind and Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (3)

These traditional Trinidadian doubles from 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi are served open-faced and quickly wrapped in wax paper, letting the flatbread steam and keeping the spicy filling piping hot. Try leftover tamarind sauce in margaritas, drizzled over fresh mangoes, or with roast pork.

Get the Recipe

04of 25

Mushroom-Chickpea Pozole

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (4)

"Here I use mushrooms to give us that earthy heartiness that you expect from pozole, no meat needed," says chef Marcela Valladolid. "Guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles are soaked and pureed for a perfectly balanced sauce that punches up the savory mushroom broth; the chickpeas are a yummy twist in place of the dried hominy."

Get the Recipe

05of 25

Lemony Chickpea Salad

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (5)

This chickpea salad from chef Tom Colicchio is accented with lemon, garlic, rosemary, and oregano, and gets a kick of flavor from quick-pickled onion and chopped peperoncini. Serve it with warm, soft pita bread to soak up the olive oil dressing.

Get the Recipe

06of 25

Fainá (Chickpea Flour Pancake) with Provolone Cheese

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (6)

Fainá is a savory chickpea flour pancake that originated in Italy but is popular in Argentina, where this recipe is from. For this cheesy version from the Buenos Aires restaurant El Preferido, the fainá is twice-baked to achieve the perfect texture: a crispy top and tender, custard-like center.

Get the Recipe

07of 25

Orzo and Chickpeas with Turmeric-Ginger Broth

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (7)

Coconut milk and fresh lime juice are natural flavor partners to ginger and turmeric; here they come together to form a restorative tea-based broth that’s delicious studded with chickpeas and pasta.

Get the Recipe

08of 25

Socca with Zucchini and Olives

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (8)

Socca, also called farinata in Liguria, is a crisp, tender pancake made from chickpea flour. Unlike the versions in Nice, which are cooked in copper pans, this one is baked in a cast-iron skillet before it's topped with a summery marinated squash salad.

Get the Recipe

09of 25

Hummus Masabacha with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (9)

Before opening Zahav restaurant in Philadelphia, chef Michael Solomonov visited hummus parlors all over Israel trying to find the best recipe. "Hummus is the hardest thing to get right," he says. "It has to be rich, creamy, and mildly nutty." To make his hummus luxuriously smooth, he soaks the chickpeas overnight with baking soda to soften them.

Get the Recipe

10of 25

Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (10)

Chef Missy Robbins of Brooklyn's Lilia restaurant swaps chickpeas for pasta in her riff on spicy pomodoro. She finishes the dish with a shower of fresh herbs and salty pecorino cheese.

Get the Recipe

11of 25

Crispy Chickpeas

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (11)

To make these salty snacks, chef Jason Travi tosses canned chickpeas with flour, coriander, and cumin, then fries them. He loves popping them into his mouth while he's watching football.

Get the Recipe

12of 25

Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (12)

This classic Punjabi dish, called masaledar chholay, is fragrant with garlic, jalapeño, ginger, cumin, and coriander. It's often served as part of a big Sunday lunch, along with raita, naan, and salad.

Get the Recipe

13of 25

Herbed Chickpea Bruschetta

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (13)

The key to these delicious bruschetta from chef Nancy Silverton is lots of olive oil. After she bakes the chickpeas with a variety of flavorings — including onions, pancetta, and carrots — she purees them with a good amount of oil, spreads the puree on toasts, and drizzles with a little more oil.

Get the Recipe

14of 25

Chickpea Stew with Spinach and Chorizo

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (14)

This stew, like all those in Catalonia, starts with a sofrito, a thick sauce made from sautéed onions and tomatoes. Once you get all the ingredients in the pot, there's not much to do besides enjoy the aroma wafting from this hearty, spicy, soupy stew as it slowly cooks.

Get the Recipe

15of 25

Kale Caesar with Fried Chickpeas

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (15)

This tangy Caesar salad is topped with light, airy, and super-crunchy pan-fried chickpeas instead of the usual croutons.

Get the Recipe

16of 25

Chickpea and Swiss Chard Chili

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (16)

"This smoky, rich chili is one of my go-to weeknight dinners, and for good reason," says former F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple. "It's a one-pot dish that has 10 ingredients (not including salt and pepper) and comes together in just 30 minutes. Plus, you can make it a day or two in advance because it reheats beautifully."

Get the Recipe

17of 25

Spicy Chickpea Soup

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (17)

Chickpeas are used as the base for this creamy (though cream-free) soup, which is flavored with the Indian spice blend garam masala and prepared by first pureeing it, then simmering it, to save time.

Get the Recipe

18of 25

Carrot and Chickpea Salad

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (18)

Chef Charles Kelsey tosses chickpeas and carrots with a deliciously unusual combination of smoked paprika, cumin, and cilantro.

Get the Recipe

19of 25

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (19)

These open-faced vegetarian sandwiches are loaded with plenty of chickpeas, onion, lemon juice, and dill. The salad sits atop slices of multigrain toast and is garnished with creamy avocado slices and a sprinkling of sprouts.

Get the Recipe

20of 25

Lamb Meatballs with Red Pepper and Chickpea Sauce

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (20)

Chef Nancy Silverton got this hearty meatball recipe from Matt Molina, the former chef de cuisine at Campanile. When the meatballs are almost cooked through, she pushes them to one side of the skillet and adds the ceci (Italian for chickpeas). That way everything soaks up the flavor of the luscious roasted red pepper sauce.

Get the Recipe

21of 25

Spiced Chickpeas with Yogurt and Pine Nuts

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (21)

More people should eat chickpeas at breakfast! The chefs at Marisa May’s now-shuttered restaurant SD26 used to make these stewy, savory chickpeas for her when she hadn’t gotten to eat something filling at home.

Get the Recipe

22of 25

Orecchiette with Greens, Mozzarella, and Chickpeas

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (22)

For this aromatic recipe, the chickpeas are fried and spiced, then get strewn across the medley of tender pasta, garlicky veggies, and fresh mozzarella and basil. Try the dish with a fruit-forward Pinot Gris.

Get the Recipe

23of 25

Spiced Lamb and Rice Dressing with Chickpeas

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (23)

Instead of the more common bread-based dressing, Bi-Rite Market owner Sam Mogannam's mother, Mariette, always serves turkey with this hearty, savory Palestinian stuffing, traditionally used as a filling for grape leaves or halved zucchini.

Get the Recipe

24of 25

Curried Spaghetti Squash and Chickpea Toasts

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (24)

Spaghetti squash gets its name because once it's cooked, you can use a fork to pull the flesh into long, thin strands. Chef Jonathon Sawyer makes his own curry and cooks his own chickpeas for this vegetarian dish, but this simplified recipe calls for store-bought curry paste and canned chickpeas. Sawyer roasts the seeds from the squash and uses them as a garnish; pumpkin seeds from the supermarket are a fine substitute.

Get the Recipe

25of 25

Chickpea-Chile Flatbreads

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (25)

Chef Suvir Saran rolls the savory flatbread dough into a cone shape before griddling, flattening it to create extra-flaky layers.

Get the Recipe

25 Charming Recipes Featuring Chickpeas (2024)

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of chickpeas? ›

Chickpeas: A Symbol of Prosperity and Good Fortune

Chickpeas have rooted themselves in cultural traditions, symbolizing abundance and well-being. From ancient ceremonies to modern-day festivals, these legumes carry a weight of significance beyond their nutritional value.

Are garbanzo beans and chickpeas the same thing? ›

The honest answer—there's no difference between chickpeas and garbanzo beans. They're just two (of many) different names for the same type of pulse. (Pulses are basically seeds of legume plants.) The word chickpea doesn't come from chickens at all—it's an evolution of the plant's Latin name, cicer arietinum.

What makes chickpeas taste better? ›

Salt: This is optional, but it enhances the flavor of the chickpeas. Add it to the cooking water or season it to taste towards the end of cooking. Adding salt in the beginning will season the chickpeas more thoroughly. Baking soda: I do not add baking soda, but you can.

What are 2 positive health effects of consuming chickpeas? ›

Chickpeas are high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats and have a low GI. Potential benefits of chickpeas include helping control blood sugar, manage weight, and support heart and gut health.

Are chickpeas in the Bible? ›

Chickpea is an ancient crop in Israel, mentioned in the Bible (Jessaiahu 30, 24) and in the Jerusalem Talmud (Avoda Zara, p. 44). Before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and actually until the end of the 1950s, the area of chickpea cultivation amounted to about 3,000 ha.

What do Mexicans call chickpeas? ›

Garbanzo” is the Spanish word for “chickpea.” The word “chickpea” is derived from the Italian word ceci (pronounced “chee chee”), and in Arabic, garbanzos are called “hummus.”

What is the nickname for chickpeas? ›

The chickpea or chick pea (Cicer arietinum) is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram or Bengal gram, chhola, chhana, chana, or channa, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea.

What is healthier than chickpeas? ›

Since lentils have more fiber, lentils win this round. Lentils contain more protein than Chickpeas. Both chickpeas and lentils are great sources of vegetable protein. However, since lentils have more of this healthy nutrient, lentils win this round.

Why do you put baking soda in chickpeas? ›

They heat the mixture in a pot for a few minutes before adding water and cooking the chickpeas as usual. The alkaline environment created by the baking soda helps break down the pectin in the beans, softening the beans' skins so well that they disintegrate during cooking and are easily rinsed away.

What is the healthiest way to eat chickpeas? ›

Chickpeas are found in many cuisines. Stir them into soups, stews and pasta dishes, toss in salads or puree for a healthy appetizer.

Why do chickpeas taste fishy? ›

Nori is essentially seaweed and it provides that briny, slightly oceanic flavor while still staying plant-based and vegan. You can either crumble up large sheets of nori or use nori flakes (which typically come in a shaker) to season your chickpeas to taste.

Are chickpeas good for losing belly fat? ›

Day 2. Flat-Belly Bonus: Chickpeas are a flat-belly food with 7 g of fiber and 7 g of protein in 1/2 cup, per the USDA. Those nutrients fill you up and stabilize your blood sugar to keep you satisfied for longer after eating.

Can I eat chickpeas every day? ›

You can eat at least one serving (28 grams) of chickpeas per day. However, don't eat more than 70 grams a day since that can cause adverse side effects. If you consume too many chickpeas, some side effects you may get include bloating, nausea, and gas. It's important to remember that chickpeas should not be eaten raw.

What is the best time to eat chickpeas? ›

Yes, it is ok to eat Chickpeas at night, in fact, they can be eaten at any time of day. Chickpeas are rich in vitamin B6, magnesium and a constituent (tryptophan) which helps in getting a healthy and sound sleep[6].

What blessing do you make on chickpeas? ›

Bracha Info

The Bracha Rishona on Chickpeas is Borei Pri Hoadama, and the Bracha Acharona is Borei Nefashos.

What is the meaning of chickpeas food? ›

chickpea. noun. chick·​pea ˈchik-ˌpē : an Asian herb of the legume family cultivated for its short pods with one or two edible seeds. also : its seed.

What is the spirituality of beans? ›

Once planted, beans can represent resurrection and reincarnation since they grow spiritually upwards. Beans are also phallic, especially when they are green and can symbolize male sex organs, and can connote immortality. Can be thought of also as an elementary food or way of counting.

Do chickpeas have energy? ›

Garbanzo beans truly are an amazing food. There so many benefits to eating chickpeas. There are good reasons for it being a superfood. Chock full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, it helps your body run smoothly and gives you the energy you need for your life.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 6635

Rating: 5 / 5 (80 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Birthday: 2001-07-17

Address: Suite 794 53887 Geri Spring, West Cristentown, KY 54855

Phone: +5934435460663

Job: Central Hospitality Director

Hobby: Yoga, Electronics, Rafting, Lockpicking, Inline skating, Puzzles, scrapbook

Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.