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With quick drop biscuits and a creamy vegan broth, this vegan chicken and dumplings recipe makes the perfect cozy soup! The soup comes together in 45 minutes thanks to chickpeas that are already cooked. Whip up a batch to enjoy for a quick dinner or enjoy for a comforting lunch!
save this recipe!To veganize this classic soup, I used my chickpea idea from my vegetarian Marry Me chickpeas! I chose to use chickpeas because their size is similar to chicken chunks so the soup has the same mouth feel as traditional chicken and dumplings (my food scientist background always comes in handy!).
The dumplings can be drop-style, rolled, or biscuits. But after some research and testing, drop dough won out because it’s so easy and doesn’t require any fussing around. So, if you want to learn how to make the best vegan chicken and dumplings, then let’s get cooking!
Why you’ll love it
- One pot is all you need to make both the delicious soup and the dumplings.
- Fast, thanks to chickpeas being ready to go, unlike their chicken counterpart.
- Pantry staple ingredients like flour, carrots, and broth are all you need for a full meal!
Reader rating
“Made this tonight and it turned out sooo yum! I ran out of flour so had to use half cup of chickpea flour with remaining white flour, still good! Thanks for the recipe!” —Sarah
grab these ingredients
The ingredients for this soup are really pantry staples, and many of them are shelf-stable, too! The only specialty item is vegan creamer, but most grocery stores sell that now. Jump to the recipe card for the full measurements.
- Mirepoix: The base of this soup comes from the melody of flavors from a traditional mirepoix. It’s yellow onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, sautéed in a bit of olive oil.
- Poultry seasoning: This is an all-in-one seasoning made of classic spices like thyme and rosemary. We will use it in the soup and the dumplings!
- Vegetable broth: You can use store-bought broth or make your own homemade vegetable broth!
- Flour: Flour helps to thicken the stock and to make the dumplings. All-purpose flour is fine here. I wouldn’t use gluten-free for the dumplings because it may result in dense and gummy dumplings (we didn’t test this recipe with gluten-free flour).
- Chickpeas: These are also sometimes labeled as garbanzo beans, but they are one and the same. You can use either one in the canned form or cook them yourself.
- Frozen peas: Peas add a sweet burst. I like to use petite frozen peas.
- Vegan creamer: I use unsweetened vegan creamer for the broth and the dumplings, but vegan heavy cream or coconut milk will work for the broth. For the dumplings, evaporated milk, buttermilk, or plant-based drinking milk will work, too.
- Baking Powder: This helps the biscuits rise while being steamed in the soup.
- Salt: Salt is a must to help bring out all the other flavors!
Baking powder vs baking soda
These are not the same! Baking powder is a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar. The baking soda is a base and the cream of tartar is an acid. So, it creates a complete reaction in recipes that don’t include an acid (like vegan dumplings without buttermilk).
How to make Chickpeas and Dumplings
This soup is super fast to make, made in one pot, and super forgiving, so there is no fussing over the stove for this recipe! Let me show you (jump to the full recipe at the end of this post).
- Make the flavor base by sauteing the mirepoix, garlic, and seasonings.
- Make the soup by adding the broth to the pot.
- Prepare the dumplings while the broth simmers by mixing everything in a bowl.
- Add the peas, chickpeas, and creamer to the soup and top with dumplings.
- Cook covered for 15 minutes, then enjoy!
Why this Recipe Works
This recipe really is a triumph because it delivers all of the flavor, minus any animal products! Here’s exactly why we love it:
- Classic ingredients like celery, onion, and carrots maintain the flavor that chicken and dumplings are known for.
- Chickpeas offer the same texture and bite experience as chicken but don’t require any pre-cooking.
- It’s all cooked in one pot, which saves time and effort on dishes.
Reader rating
“Super easy to make! My husband got 3/4s of way through dinner before he noticed there was no chicken! Officially carnivore approved!” —Marianne
what to serve with chicken and dumplings
This soup is delicious on its own because it’s a soup and bread combination. But if you want some pairing ideas, here are a few of my favorites!
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad is a refreshing salad that only takes 15 minutes to assemble!
- Easy Veggie Wraps may sound like an odd pairing, but the wrap’s refreshing crunch is a welcome contrast to the soft chickpeas and dumplings!
- Rosemary Roasted Potatoes can be popped in the oven to bake while the soup simmers.
Vegan Chicken And Dumplings (With Chickpeas!)
Ingredients
Chickpea Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, 15 mL
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced, about 1 ½ cups
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup flour, 30 g
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ to 1 tsp salt, start with ½ tsp and add more before serving if needed
- 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 L
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained, 425 g
- 1 cup frozen peas, 170 g
- 1 cup unsweetened unflavored vegan creamer, you could also use evaporated milk (for non-vegan) or coconut milk, 236 mL
Vegan Dumplings
- 2 cups flour, 240 g
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp poultry seasoning
- ¾ cup vegan creamer or milk, I used the same unflavored vegan creamer as in the soup, but you could also use evaporated milk or buttermilk (for non-vegan), or a plant-based drinking milk, 170 mL
- ¼ cup olive oil, 60 mL
Instructions
- Flavor Base: Heat oil in a large pot, then add diced onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute. Stir flour, poultry seasoning, and salt to evenly coat veggies.
- Soup: While stirring, slowly pour in the vegetable broth. Taste and add more salt if needed. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer while you prepare the dumplings.
- Dumplings: Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and poultry seasoning. Stir in vegan creamer or milk and oil, stirring just until dough comes together (do not over stir – this will result in tough dumplings).
- Assemble: Add chickpeas, frozen peas, and creamer to the soup. Bring back to a simmer, then drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough right into the soup.
- Cook: Put a lid on the soup and cook for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid while cooking – you want to build up the steam, which will cook the dumplings! After 15 minutes, check on dumplings (they should be firm, and a toothpick inserted should come out clean). Serve warm!
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!
Was overwhelmed by the salt in the dough personally. I saw another recipe calls for only 1/2 tsp with 2 cups flour for biscuit dough so the author may just like salt more. Then unfortunately I added salt to start before knowing.
So easy to put together and turned out really good. I had some cauliflower to use up so I added that, as well as some frozen corn(highly recommend adding this). When I got to the part about adding the peas i realized I didn’t have any so I used green beans instead. Added some extra thyme and rosemary, and a lot of pepper. I’ll definitely make this again. The dumplings were delicious. I made a half recipe and it still made a lot, probably enough for 4 people.
I’m so happy you liked the recipe, Melissa! Thanks for dropping in to let us know how it went! 😀
Incredibly delicious – the only sub I made was coconut milk for the creamer and I used fennel instead of celery. Super easy recipe and soooo hearty!!!
I’m so happy to hear it, Michelle! The fennel sounds amazing. Happy eating!
This looks so good! Can you share a link to the creamer you use? Thanks!
Excellent! I made my own poultry seasoning “on demand” since I did not have it handy. I used sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and nutmeg. Such deliciousness in this dish!
So happy to hear you loved it, Tara! Enjoy!!
This turned out very comforting! I’ll say if you end up using coconut milk as your cream, a whole 15oz can is too much! do half. I cook by the seat of my pants so I added mushrooms and potatoes, deglazed the pot with some wine before adding the broth, and added extra rosemary, thyme, and parsley, and some nutritional yeast. But yes perfect for dinner on new year’s day!
I have Celiac disease, would you offer a gluten free flour substitute, please? The recipe looks so good I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
I think you could use an all-purpose gluten-free flour for this one! Gluten-free cooking isn’t my specialty so I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it out!
Great recipe! I used a homemade cashew cream in the dumplings and broth (1:2 cashew to water ratio, soaked & blended) and it was absolutely decadent. Makes it easy to throw together with stuff from the pantry. The dumplings blew up wayyy more than I expected, but it was still delicious and at the very least I’m pleased as punch to be able to add this to my vegan repertoire!
Absolutely delicious!!! Tastes great and left me and my husband feeling healthy and supercharged. Thank you!
So glad to hear it was a hit, Joan! Happy eating! 😀
Absolutely gobsmacked with how delicious this soup is. !!!!!!! Reduce the salt in the dumplings if you are salt sensitive!!!!!! I also took a few creative liberties and added fresh dill, parsley and lemon juice. I’m not vegan I used buttermilk in the biscuits and a scant amount of heavy cream for the soup. AMAZING TOP TEN VEGGIE RECIPES OF ALL TIME HOLY SMOKES!!!!!
Ah this makes me SO HAPPY to hear, Allison! Happy eating!!
This is such an amazing recipe. So easy, so delicious and never a leftover. I made this four times in January. My husband (who is a meat eater) will try everything I make. He loved this and always asks for more. I cook for a meat eater and two vegan/vegetarians. We love your recipe(s). Thank you!