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Win hearts and prepare to fall in love with these Marry Me Chickpeas, a vegetarian twist on Marry Me Chicken! With over 35 million views across social media, this incredible 15-minute meal chickpea recipe has been devoured in thousands of kitchens around the world.
Pairs well with Air Fryer Veggies on the side. Finish the meal with Vegan Panna Cotta!

These Marry Me Chickpeas – the vegetarian equivalent of Marry Me Chicken – are about to have you head over heels for chickpeas! Wrapped in a creamy Tuscan sauce and absolutely loaded with flavor, they’ve quickly become one of my favorite ways to use a can of chickpeas! They’re:
- Easy to make, requiring just 1 pan and 15 minutes
- Served any way, like with a thick slice of sourdough bread or over a bed of rice
- Made with mostly pantry staples so you can enjoy this without much advanced planning!
Reader rating
“I made this dish for the first time about a month ago and last week my boyfriend proposed. Could be a coincidence, but also could be the power of delicious Tuscan cooking.” —Kyra

Key Ingredients
The ingredients are mostly pantry staples, so you can make it just about whenever the mood strikes! Jump to the recipe for measurements–this is just an overview.
- Chickpeas: We’re using two cans of chickpeas, or you can cook your chickpeas from dried.
- Garlic: Alright, garlic may not be the most romantic ingredient, but if you’re about to propose, we should be past the point of caring about garlic breath, right?
- Seasonings: Salt, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper bring flavor and spice!
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Bring that savory Tuscan flavor. Get the kind packed in oil!
- Broth: Vegetable broth, either from a carton, cube, or homemade from veggie scraps.
- Cream: In testing, I found heavy cream to give the best texture, but feel free to use half-and-half for a lighter dish, or coconut milk for a vegan option.
- Parmesan: Brings a savory taste perfect for rounding out this dish. Vegans should omit or use a plant-based parm.

How to make Marry Me Chickpeas
Making this dish takes just 1 pan and less than 15 minutes. This is an overview, jump to the recipe for the full printable recipe!
- Make the flavor base, a delicious combination of butter, garlic, and spices.
- Add the fillings and cook for a few minutes.
- Finish it off with cream, parmesan, and basil!

I like adding veggies
While I absolutely love this dish just how it is, sometimes I’ll bulk it up with veggies! I’ll cook a bunch of veggies in the air fryer (zucchini and cauliflower are my favorites for this one), then stir them in right before serving.


Protein Variations
Not a fan of chickpeas? Try one of these variations!
- White Beans – add them at the same time that you would have added the chickpeas (see also Marry Me Butter Beans)
- Tofu – cube and crisp it up (air fried tofu is my personal favorite)
- Soy Curls – this vegan ingredient has the texture of chicken and would be great here (how to cook soy curls here)
Reader rating
“Holy h*ll this was amazing!!! Wow I was scared it wasn’t going to be much because of how few ingredients it called for but WOW it packed a flavorful punch!” —Sam

Serving Suggestions
- With vegetables, like these air fryer veggies which can cook while the chickpeas cook
- With bread, like crusty sourdough, fluffy naan, or toasted rye
- With rice, like jasmine or basmati rice

How To Make Marry Me Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, 28 g
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp each salt, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 cup vegetable broth, 236 mL
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained, 425 g cans
- 1 cup heavy cream, can sub half-and-half
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Flavor Base: Heat 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, 4 cloves garlic, ½ tsp each salt, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper in a large saute pan or pot over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.

- Fillings: Stir in ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, 1 cup vegetable broth, and 2 15-oz cans chickpeas. Continue cooking on medium, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

- Finish: Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream ½ cup grated parmesan, and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil. Serve warm with crusty bread.

Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
Meal Prep it!
Make a batch of these proposal-worthy chickpeas and portion them into 4 or 5 meal prep containers with a grain (like brown rice or quinoa) and a steamed veggie (like broccoli or asparagus). I like to add a handful of cherry tomatoes as well!
















I make this every week! Even my husband who isn’t vegetarian (I am) loves it! I swap out one can of chickpea for orzo!
I need to try an orzo version, that’s such a great idea! Thanks for popping back in to let us know how it went! 😀
This came out so yummy… I added a little more water because it started to dry up a bit. I also subbed the heavy cream w/plain almond milk and it still came out fantastic!
I’m so glad I found this recipe I’ve been wanting to use my garbanzo beans that I’ve had in my cabinet and I’m so glad I came across this recipe. I was so nervous to make this meal since it didn’t require a lot of ingredients but I also loved how it didn’t take very long to do and the flavor is very creamy and a little spice. My fiancé and I enjoyed eating this tonight I definitely will make this again. Thank you for sharing
I’m so happy you both loved the recipe, Karla! Happy eating! 😀
I made this for my vegetarian daughter, her boyfriend and myself. We all LOVED it. Going to be a regular to my cook ups.
Thanks for sharing. Shan Australia
I added frozen diced onions and used half n half instead of heavy cream. Roasted some broccoli to go with it. So good, quick and easy!! Will definitely make this again, thank you!
I Love this recipe! Comfort food, I have made several times. I substituted the cream with coconut milk and the cheese with vegan cheese and it tasted great.
Made Merry Me Chickpeas today
Delicious. Spooned over toast .
Will be making again and again and again
Cliff
You say one serving has 432 calories. What size is this serving?
A serving is 1/4 (a quarter) of the recipe 🙂 Enjoy!
Very flavorful! Next time I’ll
make more of the sauce since it is so good.
I added about half a bag of frozen spinach at the chickpea step, otherwise followed recipe exactly – delicious!
I’m not sure what I could have done wrong because we followed the recipe exactly as written, but it was very soupy and had very little flavor. It also was pretty colorless compared to the pictures. It’s weird because I’ve made marry me chickpeas before and it was nothing like the version I made tonight.