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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?
save this recipe!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
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?
15-Minute Chickpea Tacos
Ingredients
Cilantro Sauce*
- 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
Chickpea Tacos
- 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
Instructions
- Sauce: Blend all Cilantro Sauce ingredients until smooth.
- Cook Chickpeas: Drain and pat dry the 2 15-oz cans chickpeas. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large saute pan over medium/high heat. Add chickpeas and cook for about 7 minutes, until they begin to brown.
- Flavor Chickpeas: Add 1 tsp each salt, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika to the chickpeas. Stir well and continue cooking for 5 minutes, jostling the pan often, until crispy.
- Assemble: Spoon chickpeas onto tortillas and top with the Cilantro Sauce, diced white onion, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!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!
Can I omit the mustard ? I really do not like mustard
Yes! 🙂
I made these today and they were sooooo good! We are big meat eaters in my house but I wanted to make something a bit lighter and these hit the spot perfectly
Easy and enjoyable!! Love these!
So tasty! Thanks Sarah!
These tacos were quite easy to make and pretty fast. I made them and the sauce as instructed. The only thing we changed was adding in pico de gallo and it was a delicious addition. Thank you for another great recipe.
I’m so happy to hear it, Rita! Enjoy! 😀
I didn’t have any of the ingredients for the sauce but I did have a sad half bag of dried chickpeas in the pantry. To the instant pot and then in the pan they went. This was SO GOOD! I ate way more chickpeas tonight than anybody should eat in one sitting and I have zero regrets. Probably making it again tomorrow night but this time with sauce. Thanks, Sarah! You did it again!
I’m so happy to hear you loved it even without the sauce! Happy eating! 🙂
As a lacto-Ovo Vegetarian I made this & loved it. Took suggestions from other users. Made the sauce day before omitting the mustard & using fresh Cilantro…fridge overnight to marinate.
Followed above directions to prepare chickpea tacos in a large mixing bowl and added Scallions & homemade Pico de Gallo to that mix. Absolutely out of this world. Will definitely make again & probably add shredded cheese
That cilantro sauce is epic! I subbed miso for the mustard and since I didn’t have any yogurt in the house, I used cottage cheese and added some water to thin it out. A friend of mine make a lime and chile balsamic vinegar so I used that for the red wine vinegar and omigosh I just want to eat it by the spoonful. So tasty! I can see why this is a top rated recipe. Quick, easy and SO delicious!!
I REALLY want to try this. However, I REALLY dislike Cilantro. Lol Is there another herb I could substitute for the cilantro in the sauce recipe that would work without completely ruining the flavor? Such as parsley maybe? Or another sauce recipe altogether that you would recommend? – Hopeful in RI
Hi Michelle! I’d just use another sauce altogether. Romesco would be tasty, or our Bitchin’ Sauce!
Way too much sodium!!