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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!
save this recipe!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.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!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!
Do you have low sodium recipes? Thank you.
I don’t have a specific place where they’re all located, but you can browse all of my recipes here!
Tried this and loved it! We’re a “use what we have household,” so it wasn’t vegetarian. I had chicken broth I needed to use up, fire roasted tomatoes instead of sundried, and Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream, but it was crazy good. We had it with rice and crusty bread.
Thrilled you loved it, thanks for the review!
Yummmm! I used coconut milk and omitted the parm to enjoy it vegan style, I also added onion, spinach, and a bell pepper for some veg, and used dried basil instead of fresh simply to use what I had on hand.
Bringing this into regular rotation for sure!
Thrilled you loved it, thanks for the review!
Followed recipe exactly…it was delicious! Thank you!
So glad it turned out so well!
This worked exactly as written, thanks! Loved this recipe. I only started following you two weeks ago and this one alone I have made twice
Thanks for cooking with me, can’t wait for you to try more!
So is it just basically watery soup with beans?
I followed the recipe, it looks creamy white from the cream with some beans floating in it. It does not look like your picture. How do you get the orange-red color scheme? Am I missing something here? I followed the recipe from your ingredient list exactly.
Great question! The orange-red color comes mostly from the sun-dried tomatoes—if they’re not chopped finely or cooked down enough, they won’t fully infuse the sauce with that rich color. Try giving them a finer chop next time and really let the sauce simmer and thicken—it makes a big difference in both color and flavor. It shouldn’t be watery at all, so if it is, just cook it down a bit more until it’s nice and creamy!
Hi.
Want to try your Marry Me Chickpeas. Do I rinse the chickpeas before using them?
Thanks.
Yep!
This recipe is sooooo good. I’m not sure what has taken me so long to jump on the “Mary Me” recipe bandwagon, but this will definitely become part of our rotation. So quick and easy, as well as being tasty, frugal, and nutritious. We too are a make do with what you have household so I used dried chick peas I cooked in my instant pot. I also added onion and a half package of frozen chopped spinach I thawed and drained.
So glad it hit the spot, thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe! Made this vegan by substitution vegan butter, cashew cream, and nutritional yeast.
Thanks for the sweet review and so glad your vegan subs worked out!
I added mushrooms by sautéing them first, adding in the garlic/butter, and finishing the recipe as normal. I also added chicken bone broth to substitute the veggie broth.
Amazing! I’m going to add in kale next time. So good!
Happy you enjoyed it, thanks for cooking with us!
Hi! what exactly is the size of the serving size? I am trying to track my calories and its hard not knowing the grams or cups of the serving size
Hi Bri! It’s simply 1/4 of the recipe 🙂