Vegetarian Taco Recipe

After making this recipe more times than I can count, I’ve learned that patience in the pan matters more than people expect. Once the spices go in, resist the urge to stir constantly. Letting the chickpeas sit undisturbed for a minute or two at a time gives them real contact with the hot pan, which is what builds the crispy, browned edges instead of a soft, steamed texture.

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

Why You’ll Love This Vegetarian Tacos Recipe

• 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.

Ingredients for Chickpea Tacos

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.)

How to Make Chick Pea Tacos

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

How to Store Chickpea Tacos

Store the chickpea filling and cilantro sauce separately from the assembled tacos. Both keep in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like making a double batch of the chickpeas and sauce specifically so I have a head start on lunch the next day.

To reheat the chickpeas, use the air fryer, stovetop, or microwave until warmed through and crispy again. The chickpea filling freezes well on its own for longer storage, but I don’t recommend freezing the cilantro sauce, since the yogurt base tends to separate once thawed. Make a fresh batch of sauce when you’re ready to eat instead.

Why This Vegetarian Tacos 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?

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Chickpea Tacos Recipe

4.90 from 28 ratings

By: Sarah Bond

Prep: 8 minutes minutes

Cook: 7 minutes minutes

Total: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 tacos

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!

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

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

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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

*Don’t like cilantro? You can also use your favorite taco sauce for this recipe! We love these chickpea tacos with Cholula and sour cream.

Are there any substitutes for chickpeas? You can use white beans or cannellini beans if needed. Cannellini beans are much larger though so the texture will be different. To add more oomph, you can also pair the chickpeas with something like rice or lentils!

For air fryer chickpeas, toss them with oil then spread in a single layer in your air fryer basket or rack. Cook at 390°F (200°C) for 7 to 9 minutes, or until crispy and lightly browned. Toss with spices while hot, then spoon into tacos.

Storage: I often make a double batch of the chickpeas and sauce to store in the fridge. Each will keep in the fridge for 5 days in an airtight container. When you want to eat them, simply reheat the chickpeas in the air fryer, stove top, or microwave, and then use as desired with the cilantro sauce!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (¼ of the recipe) | Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 64.2g | Protein: 14.3g | Fat: 21.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 1489mg | Potassium: 390mg | Fiber: 8.5g | Sugar: 3.4g | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist, and should be taken as an estimate. For the most accurate nutritional information, calculate it using the actual ingredients in your recipe.

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!