This post contains affiliate links.
With the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, these Nashville hot ranch chickpeas are a quick and high-protein vegetarian staple. This recipe uses easy-to-find ingredients and comes together in just 15 minutes. Enjoy them over rice or between two toasty buns for a weeknight dinner.
save this recipe!If you take perfectly fried chicken and coat it in a sweet and spicy sauce, that’s Nashville hot chicken. It’s been primarily sold in Nashville’s Black communities (for the past 70 years!) at iconic restaurants like Prince’s Chicken Shake and Hattie B’s. However, while traveling, I learned that it’s hard to find plant-based hot chicken alternatives.
So, I decided to turn it into a quick and easy Southern-style vegetarian dinner. And after the success of Marry Me chickpeas, I knew chickpeas would be the perfect substitute for chicken in this recipe.
Chickpeas > chicken
- Pantry Staples: All but two of the ingredients in this recipe are shelf-stable.
- Quick: With no frying involved, you can have a high-protein vegetarian dinner in just 15 minutes.
- High Protein: Not only are the chickpeas high in protein, but the sauce is too, thanks to cottage cheese!
Reader rating
“Wow! This is so easy and delicious! I decreased the cayenne to 1.5 tsp, and it is perfect for me. I am having it in a lavash wrap with shredded cabbage and it hits just right.” —Kimberly
Key Ingredients
Other than cottage cheese and milk, everything else can be found in your pantry. And I’m guessing you already have all the ingredients in your kitchen! Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Chickpeas: This high-fiber, high-protein ingredient is cheap, making this a low-cost, pantry-friendly dish. Feel free to use canned or cooked from dried.
- Cottage Cheese and Milk: We’ll blend these to create the creamy base of the spicy ranch-style sauce.
- Spices: To bring the heat, we’ll use both cayenne pepper and chili powder. For more depth of flavor, I like to add smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt.
- Brown Sugar: For a little sweetness to balance the heat. It’s a key component of a spicy Nashville hot blend. Honey will work too!
- Ranch Seasoning Mix: I like to keep a few packets or a larger jar of dried ranch seasoning on hand at all times to pair with all my spicy comfort foods.
too spicy?
These hearty chickpeas have a serious kick! That (plus the little sweetness) is what makes these Nashville hot. Worried about the spice? Start with just 1 tsp of cayenne, taste, and then add more little by little until you reach your desired level of sweetness.
Ready in 15 minutes
This dish is incredibly simple to prepare. Just a few steps, and you have a high-protein vegetarian meal ready to enjoy! This is an overview of the recipe. Jump to the recipe card for the full printable recipe.
- Prep: Add everything for the sauce to a food processor or blender.
- Blend: Blend until smooth and be sure to taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
- Cook: Add the sauce and chickpeas to a pan and cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve: These are great over rice or white bread and super tasty in wraps or sandwiches!
Blend long enough
Sometimes cottage cheese can give people the ick. This is usually because of the curds, which is why it’s important in this recipe to blend the sauce long enough to get rid of any curds. This can take up to a minute and you may have to stop and scrape down the sides to get them all.
meal prep spicy chickpeas
These chickpeas store really well making it an easy meal prep chickpea dish. Once you make it, just store the chickpeas separately from anything else you served with it (unless it’s rice, those can be stored together). It will last for 4 days in the fridge and you can quickly reheat them in the microwave.
let’s serve dinner
These chickpeas are always a fan favorite so I love to serve them when friends are coming over. When I do, I serve them similar to how I would buffalo chickpea dip. Some favorite pairings are:
- Tortilla Chips: Enjoy this recipe as a dip with chips!
- Naan: This is ideal for dipping and so simple to make.
- Flavored Tortilla: Turn these into a wrap with some homemade tortillas.
Nashville Hot Ranch Chickpeas (High Protein)
Ingredients
- 2 cups cottage cheese, 450 g
- ½ cup milk, 120 mL
- 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper, reduce this to 1 tsp if you're worried about the spiciness–this dish is HOT!
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp ranch seasoning mix
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained, 425 g cans
Instructions
- Prep: Add all ingredients except chickpeas to a food processor.
- Blend: Blitz until smooth and creamy.
- Cook: Pour mixture into a large saute pan or medium pot. Add drained chickpeas and gently warm over low heat. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until hot.
- Serve: Serve warm with pickles and white bread. It's also great on a sandwich with crunchy slaw!
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!
Made this and it curdled 😭
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear it, Jess! Cottage cheese can be finicky with heat–be sure to keep the heat on low!
Wow! This is so easy and delicious! I decreased the cayenne to 1.5 tsp, and it is perfect for me.
I am having it in a lavash wrap with shredded cabbage and it hits just right.
I’m thrilled to hear that you loved it, Kimberly! Thanks so much for dropping back in to leave a review. Happy eating! 😀
Hi can I make this with plant based milk and fat free cottage cheese
I made this tonight. It had great flavor but the sauce was kind of thin. It did not cling to the chickpeas and slid onto the plate. Any suggestions for thickening It?
The sauce is on the thinner side, but it’s odd that it wouldn’t cling to the chickpeas! Did you use a non-fat cottage cheese by chance?
Made this last night for myself & my husband. My cottage cheese didn’t get perfectly smooth but it was still great! Only used 1 tsp of cayenne and it was perfect for our tastes. Served in sub buns with a crunchy ranch slaw on top. This will be added to our dinner rotation.
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit, Colleen 😀
Made this recipe so many times already! So filling and satisfying to eat with toast. Very simple recipe for days I don’t want to chop anything haha.
I did noticed a comment said the sauce did not cling to the chickpeas when they made it, that happened to me when I used 2% cottage cheese but 4% worked perfectly!
You’re the best, thanks for the feedback about worked for you!
Does this freeze/reheat well?
I haven’t tested freezing this one, but I think the sauce would get a little funky and separate.
When we moved some of our appliances got sent to storage so I made a half batch with my magic bullet blender and the sauce is phenomenal! Our stovetop is either blazing hot or hardly heating so it took forever to heat up but it was worth the wait!
Thanks for making it and sharing!