recipes

31 Chickpea Recipes We Could Eat Day After Day

Whether you’re craving a hearty meal or crispy snack, these easy chickpea recipes can do it all. 
Chickpea recipes
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Frances Boswell

Among the chickpea recipes below, you’ll discover an entire world beyond your favorite hummus. These legumes are more than just fodder for healthy recipes. Dried chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans) can shape-shift into silky chickpea curry for a luxurious weeknight dinner. Or, you can turn canned beans into a quick and easy chickpea salad sandwich when your lunch break is zooming by. Chickpeas can transform into crave-worthy dishes like a crisp Mediterranean-inspired falafel pancake. If you’re on a low-carb bend (or even if you aren’t), roasted chickpeas make for a gluten-free salad topper that just might replace the croutons in your life.

You don’t need an Instant Pot or a slow cooker to make most of these dishes. Our favorite chickpea recipes start with a can opener, since we wholeheartedly believe that a can of chickpeas is an essential item for every pantry. Here’s how to turn chickpeas into your newest favorite meal.

  • Pink plate of cucumber chickpea salad on marble.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman
    1/30

    Crispy Chickpea and Cucumber Salad

    Crunchy cucumbers can become a full-on dinner once you lean on pantry staples like seeded crackers to bring in the texture and fun. Feta cheese completes the Greek-ish flavors behind this satisfyingly easy chickpea recipe.

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  • Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Frances Boswell, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    2/30

    Dahi Puri With Black Chickpeas

    Take on this tantalizing Indian appetizer from chef Preeti Mistry. Fry store-bought semolina shells, then fill them with black chickpeas and potato hunks, and drizzle with spiced yogurt sauce and chutneys.

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  • Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    5/30

    Chana Masala

    This is the chickpea stew to end all chickpea stews. The key to Yasmin Khan’s excellent chana masala? Chickpeas so soft that they melt in your mouth.

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  • Photograph by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk
    6/30

    Saucy Grilled Summer Squash With Chickpeas

    Zucchini and yellow squash play nicely in this vibrant summer side dish. Bell peppers would work well in a pinch too. Use a skillet on the hot zones to blister tomatoes without losing any of their juices, while simultaneously charring larger veggies on the grates alongside.

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  • Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton
    9/30

    Creamy Spinach and Chickpeas

    Pantry MVPs (canned chickpeas, mixed giardiniera, and pickled cherry peppers) mix and mingle with the freezer VIP (frozen spinach) for a satisfyingly spicy weeknight dinner with a cook time that feels faster than the speed of light.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
    10/30

    Green Hummus With Sizzled Dolmades

    Blend a heap of spinach and herbs into your standard hummus recipe and suddenly it’s so vibrantly green—and so wonderfully fresh—that you’ll forget you’re essentially eating dip for dinner.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano.  Prop Styling by Maeve Sheridan and Molly Longwell
    11/30

    Big Baked Falafel Cake With Cucumber Salad

    No need to fight over the last falafel—this sliceable one is big enough for everyone. Paired with a bold red onion and cucumber salad, this vegan chickpea pancake will impress all your dinner party guests.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food styling by Susan Ottaviano.  Prop Styling by Maeve Sheridan
    12/30

    Chickpea Noodle Soup

    Cooked chickpeas enter this recipe in three different ways: The broth is flavored with chickpea miso, and a combination of tender and crispy chickpeas makes for a delightful mix of textures.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, styling by Judy Mancini
    13/30

    Squid Salad With Chickpeas and Celery

    The total time for this elegant chickpea salad is remarkably short thanks to a squid that only takes 3 minutes to sear.

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  • 14/30

    Chopped Dinner Salad With Crispy Chickpeas

    Customize this endlessly riffable salad to make it exactly what you want at any given moment. No romaine? Grab the arugula. Need more heft? Cooked couscous or lentils will fit right in. Toss what you’ve got in a simple red wine vinaigrette to bring it all together.

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  • Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Props by Meilen Ceramics
    15/30

    Corn & Chickpea Bowl With Miso-Jalapeño Tahini

    Crisp chickpeas in a skillet with lots of garlic, then toss in a handful of corn kernels to caramelize their edges and concentrate their flavor. Sprinkle on some za'atar and dress with a mixture of ginger, jalapeños, miso, and tahini to finish it off.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen
    16/30

    Chickpea and Celery Soup With Chile-Garlic Oil

    This simple chickpea soup is warm and comforting and comes together with just a handful of humble ingredients. Make extra chile-garlic oil—you’ll want to spoon it over everything.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime
    17/30

    Lemony Salmon and Spiced Chickpeas

    Everything’s better in bowl form, and this salmon dish flavored with a garlicky za’atar dressing is no exception. Peppery arugula and radishes seal the deal.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen
    18/30

    Smashed Chickpeas on Toast With Harissa Yogurt

    Slather garlicky toast with smoky, peppery harissa yogurt, then top with a lemony chickpea salad for an immensely satisfying vegetarian tartine.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski
    19/30

    Quite Possibly the Best Chickpeas

    Cook dried chickpeas with lemon zest, smashed garlic cloves, and olive oil to render them bright, savory, and full of flavor. They’re so good you’ll want to eat them straight from the pot.

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  • Peden + Munk
    20/30

    Chickpea Sundal

    Savory notes of garlic and nutty fried curry leaves amp up the flavor on your regular old bowl of chickpeas. Serve this light snack warm, room temp, or cold; just make sure you give it a generous dose of acid and salt.

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  • Marcus Nilsson
    21/30

    Fresh Herb Falafel

    The best falafel starts with dried chickpeas that are soaked overnight but not cooked before being blitzed in the food processor, turned into balls, and deep fried. Oh, and they’re also packed with a ton of fresh herbs.

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  • PHOTO BY CHELSIE CRAIG, FOOD STYLING BY ANNA BILLINGSKOG
    22/30

    Sheet Pan Chicken Meatballs With Tomatoes and Chickpeas

    These meatballs are a Moroccan-inspired dream. The sheet-pan method ensures easy cleanup and perfectly cooked chickpeas. If you can’t find harissa, substitute by mixing together your favorite hot sauce, tomato paste, a pinch or two of ground cumin, and a drizzle of olive oil.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food styling by Rhoda Boone
    23/30

    Foolproof Fish With Spiced Chickpeas

    Just about the most approachable at-home fish cooking method there is. Slow-roasting is the name of the game. In less than half an hour, your fish fillets will be cooked to perfection on a bed of herby chickpeas.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski
    24/30

    Warm Chickpea Bowls With Lemony Yogurt

    You can make the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, shaved fennel salad, and yogurt sauce a day or two ahead so that when your lunch hour rolls around, prep time is minimal.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    25/30

    Spiced Chickpeas and Greens Frittata

    This hearty dinner/lunch/brunch dish is great for using up whatever greens and herbs you have lingering in the fridge.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
    26/30

    Brothy Pasta With Chickpeas

    Is it soup? Is it a pasta dish? Either way, this is the bright, warming, filling bowl of comfort food you won't be able to get enough of.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig
    27/30

    Chickpea and Chorizo Tostadas

    Crunchy, creamy, chorizo-y—these quick tostadas hit all the notes. To make them tacos, skip the tortilla frying to keep them soft and, well, taco-able.

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  • Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Micah Morton
    28/30

    Turmeric and Coconut-Braised Cabbage With Chickpeas

    Cabbage is a hero of weeknight pantry cooking. Inexpensive and infinitely versatile, with an impressively long shelf life, one head of cabbage goes a long way. Here, half of a cabbage is shallow-braised in a spiced coconut milk and chickpea gravy until it’s meltingly tender and sweet.

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