15-Minute Chickpea Tacos (Stovetop or Air Fryer)

Name: 15-Minute Chickpea Tacos
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cilantro (thick stems removed); ½ cup plain yogurt (can use dairy-free, 120 g); ¼ cup red wine vinegar (60 mL); ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (60 mL); 2 tsp mustard; 2 clove garlic; ½ tsp each smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper; 2 15-oz cans chickpeas (drained and patted dry, 425 g cans); 1 Tbsp oil (15 mL); 1 tsp each salt, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika; To serve: tortillas (4 large or 8 mini), diced white onion, cilantro, lime

By Sarah Bond, BS Nutrition, MS Sensory Science, Updated Jul 02, 2024

4.88 from 25 ratings

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15 minutes

Serves 4 tacos

48 Comments

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Made with crispy chickpeas and a creamy cilantro yogurt sauce, these chickpea tacos are the perfect quick vegetarian dinner. These tacos are a go-to recipe for me when I need a quick and delicious dinner. They come together in about 15 minutes and are so filling! This viral taco sensation has been viewed over 3 million times and cooked in thousands of kitchens. Yours next?

Any recipe with chickpeas holds a special place in my heart. And these chickpea tacos…they *might* be my favorite.

Your New Taco Obsession

Incredibly quick but packed with so much flavor thanks to some simple, pantry staple spices.
It can be vegetarian or vegan by just swapping the yogurt (in the sauce) with a plant-based one.
It’s just as good on day two, so any leftovers can double as lunch the next day.

Reader rating

★★★★★

“It was very quick and easy and inexpensive to make. I really like the sauce option because I’m allergic to avocado so this was something I could eat.” —Adrienne

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Key Ingredients

This is just an overview–jump to the recipe card for full measurements instructions!

Chickpea Filling: I like to use canned for convenience but you can also use dried chickpeas that have been cooked. They get tossed in some basic spices and oil.
Cilantro Sauce: The sauce is a quick blend of cilantro, yogurt, red wine vinegar, and seasoning. (Must be a cilantro lover for this one! Guacamole is a great alternative if you don’t like cilantro.)

Making these is So easy

Make the cilantro sauce in a blender.
Cook the chickpeas in a saucepan with oil and spices until crispy.
Assemble the tacos with the sauce, cilantro, and onions.

Serving Tip

I love dinners where everyone can make their own plate! I’ll put all the different components in bowls on the table, along with any other taco toppings we’re feeling (like pickled red onions, pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos, or fresh sliced veggies – tomatoes, jalapenos, lettuce, etc).

Why this Recipe Works

I’ve made this recipe many times when I just don’t know what else to have for dinner. With so many test runs under my belt, here’s why the recipes works.

Crispy chickpeas can be hard to achieve on the stovetop. But, the trick here is to heat the oil first THEN add the chickpeas, THEN add the spices. This allows the chickpeas to soften and then fry with the spices to get crispy.
Sometimes vegetarian, sometimes vegan because sometimes I can’t decide what I’m feeling. Because of this, I wanted to make sure the sauce was delicious with dairy yogurt and plant-based yogurt.
While the chickpeas cook, you can blend the sauce meaning everything is ready to eat in 15 minutes. Have I mentioned vegetarian cooking is really fast?

Serving Ideas

Tacos go with everything – margaritas, chips, guacamole, a good playlist. To narrow it down, my favorite thing to serve with tacos is Mexican street corn salad. It’s a fresh dish that can be eaten as a salad or served as a salsa on top of tacos.

P.S. That cilantro sauce is also amazing on these buffalo white bean tacos, these air fryer eggplant tacos, and these sheet pan chickpea fajitas!

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