These Buffalo Chickpea Taquitos are crispy, spicy, and satisfying! You can make the taquitos in your air fryer or oven; the recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and easy to make.
Crispy Taquitos – Baked or Air-Fried
Crispy, spicy, hearty, satisfying, and tasty! Yes, please! I am talking about these delicious vegan Buffalo Chickpea Taquitos. I love crispy finger food like Air Fryer Chickpeas, Hasselback Potatoes, Vegan Hash Browns, or Vegetable Pakora, and of course, taquitos!
Did you ever make your own taquitos? They are super easy to make and since I tried them for the first time a few months ago, I am hooked. Taquitos are a great snack, just think about your favorite Netflix series and all these hearty taquitos in front of you. Perfect evening, right?
No Chicken Taquitos
After a quick Google search for Buffalo Taquitos, I found about a million “Buffalo Chicken Taquitos”. Seriously, this isn’t very nice, especially since I have a pet chicken called ERNA. Yes, Erna is my rescue chicken, and she is living with me for 10 months now. She is quite a character and pretty popular because her story was shared on “The Dodo”. My Instagram followers love her. If you want to see Erna in action, go and check out my highlighted Insta stories. Here is a picture of Erna:
Having said that, I really cannot imagine that someone would kill my sweetheart Erna just for the pleasure of eating a dish for a few minutes.
There are so many cruelty-free plant-based alternatives to meat which are healthy, protein-rich, and tasty, like these Buffalo Chickpea Taquitos. Once you try them, you might change your mind. Erna would be very glad if other people would stop eating her friends.
Quick and Easy Recipe
It took me only about half an hour to make these crispy Buffalo Chickpea Taquitos. This recipe is super easy to make, and I bet you probably already have most (or all) ingredients at home. You’ll just need tortillas (I used homemade, gluten-free tortillas), chickpeas, a bell pepper, one onion, garlic, tomato sauce, hot sauce, and some spices. So if you are looking for a quick vegan dinner or snack, this easy recipe is perfect for you!
How To Make Baked Taquitos
- Using a fork, roughly mash the chickpeas in a bowl.
- Heat oil in a pan/skillet over medium heat and add the chopped onion and bell pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, then add garlic and spice mix and sauté for a further minute.
- Add all other sauce ingredients + chickpeas to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Let simmer on low heat for about 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat.
- Taste the mixture, if you want it spicier, add more chili powder to taste.
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees F (210 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place about 2 tbsp of the filling onto each tortilla and roll them up tightly. Place every tortilla seam-side down on the baking sheet, next to each other.
- Brush them with a little bit of vegetable oil (to make them even more crispy).
- Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy.
- Drizzle with vegan cheese sauce (optional) or top them with your favorite vegan cheese before baking. Enjoy with your favorite dip!
Air fryer Vegan Taquitos
Spread them in a single layer, seam-side-down, in your air fryer basket with space in between (cook in batches if necessary). Then air fry in a pre-heated air fryer at 350F/175C for 6-8 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy on the edges.
These vegan taquitos will turn out crispy when you bake them in the oven, and even crispier in the air fryer. There is no need to deep-fry them. I mean, you could deep-fry them, but I always get sick when I eat deep-fried food, so I prefer to bake or air-fry my taquitos. The secret is to brush them with a little bit of oil (1 tbsp oil is enough for 10 taquitos) and bake or air-fry them until they are golden brown and crispy!
Since I like spicy meals, I often add chili powder to my savory dishes. Because every person has different taste buds, though, it’s difficult to recommend the right amount of hot sauce and chili powder. 3 tbsp of hot sauce and a pinch of chili powder will add a pleasant spiciness, at least to my taste buds.
If you dislike spicy meals, you better leave out the chili powder completely and just add 1 tbsp (or even less) of hot sauce. And if you are like my boyfriend, who slathers his food in chili powder, I would recommend adding more hot sauce and more chili powder until you are happy with the spiciness.
If you make this delicious meal and maybe even take a photo of it, then I would love to see it. You can DM it to me on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me in your Insta caption + photo with @elavegan and use the hashtag #elavegan, and I will gladly check out your post. And if you are a fan of Buffalo Chickpea recipes, definitely also try out my Avocado Chickpea Pizza which is gluten-free and vegan as well.
More Crispy Vegan & Gluten-Free Snacks
- Veggie Taquitos
- Crispy Polenta Fries
- Baked Vegan Onion Rings
- Vegan Quesadillas
- Chickpea Fritters
- Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
- Oven-Baked Tacos
Or browse my list of 32+ Vegan Super Bowl Snacks
Baked or Air-Fried Taquitos
Ingredients
Buffalo chickpea sauce:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium-sized onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one 15 oz can, drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce (passata)
- 3 tbsp hot sauce (or more to taste)
- 2 tbsp plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- Sea salt & black pepper to taste
- Chili powder to taste
Tortillas:
- 10 small flour tortillas (gluten-free if needed) about 14 cm in diameter
Dipping Sauce (optional):
- vegan cheese sauce (or your favorite dipping sauce)
Instructions
- Using a fork, roughly mash the chickpeas in a bowl.
- Heat oil in a pan/skillet over medium heat and add the chopped onion and bell pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, then add garlic and spice mix and sauté for a further minute.
- Add all other sauce ingredients + chickpeas to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Let simmer on low heat for about 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat.
- Taste the mixture, if you want it spicier, add more chili powder to taste.
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees F (210 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place about 2 tbsp of the filling onto each tortilla and roll them up tightly. Place every tortilla seam-side down on the baking sheet, next to each other.
- Brush them with a little bit of vegetable oil (to make them even more crispy).
- Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.
- Drizzle with vegan cheese sauce (optional) or top them with your favorite vegan cheese before baking. Enjoy with your favorite dip!
Notes
- I used homemade gluten-free tortillas.
- I describe the method for air-fryer taquitos in the blog post above.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Hang Hockley
Just made these and the Hubby and I loved them! We used Delish hot sauce which is pretty hot so actually omitted the chili powder and it worked out just fine. I think I’ll add a bit of black beans next time! Great recipe!
Ela
Sounds so delicious! I am glad you both loved them. 🙂
Shanda
I have made this recipe a number of times now and my family and I really enjoy it. I always serve mine with a homemade vegan ranch dressing because for me, buffalo and ranch are a dream match! I also serve it with avocado & cilantro when I have it on hand. The favours in the recipe are wonderful! Thanks for the great recipe!!!
Ela
Homemade vegan ranch dressing sounds wonderful, Shanda! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Taylor
I made these taquitos a week ago and my fiancé liked them so much he requested them for Valentine’s Day dinner – a testament to their deliciousness! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Ela
Aww, that’s so amazing! Thanks so much for your great feedback, Taylor. 🙂
Iryna @ Mindful Points
It does look like it’s easy to make them, and you are right, I already have ingredients 🙂 Can’t wait to surprise my family tomorrow! Oh, and your Erna is adorable! I loved taking care after little chicks as a child. Thanks for the recipe!
Ela
You are very welcome, Iryna! I hope you will like the recipe.
Much love, Ela and Erna 🙂
Iryna
They turned out really good!!
Ela
I am glad they turned out great, Iryna! Thanks for your review! 🙂
Monica
I’m making these TOMORROW! And I wouldn’t dream of hurting sweet Erna when I can eat these lovely taquitos instead! I have been a vegan for a month along with my husband and we are loving your delicious recipes! Give Erna a hug from me, if she’s into hugs lol.
Ela
Aww, I am glad you loved the recipe, Monica! Thanks for your great feedback! I will give Erna a hug from you. 🙂
Angel M
This is delicious! My Omni husband even like them.
If your store bought tortillas are cracking, Pile them up, wrap the stack in a damp paper towel, put them on a microwave save plate and microwave them for 45-seconds to a minute. They will be super hot when they come out, put they won’t crack while you’re rolling them up. I did have to use a fork to fill them so that I wouldn’t burn myself.
Ela
Thanks for your helpful comment, Angel! I am so glad you both loved the recipe! 🙂
Kelly
I haven’t made these yet but would love to. Do you think if they were made up until you bake them if you could freeze them to bake later they would be fine?
Ela
It should be fine, Kelly, but I never tried it. Please report back if you give it a try. 🙂
April
Made these for the first time yesterday and they turned out great! Thanks for sharing the recipe I’ll definitely be making them again
Ela
Yay! I am so happy they turned out amazing! Thanks for your great feedback, April. 🙂
Hannah
These look great! I can’t eat hot sauce as I have a chilli allergy – what could I use instead? (I’m fine with powder,, just not sauce or fresh)
Ela
You can simply leave it out or use more regular tomato sauce. 🙂
Madelyn
I come back to this recipe time and time again. This paired, with your vegan cheese sauce recipe, is absolutely INCREDIBLE. Thank you for sharing this masterpiece!
Ela
Awww, thanks so much for the compliment, Madelyn! I am so glad you love it. 🙂
sharon
This was easy and delicious. My family really enjoyed it! I had to substitute in some siracha due to being short on hot sauce. It was super spicy but delicious. Thanks for such a crative use of garbanzos!
Ela
You are welcome, Sharon! I am glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Ayla
This is an amazing recipe!!!????
Ela
I am so glad you like the recipe, Ayla! 🙂
Kris
What kind of hot sauce are you using?
Ela
Any brand is fine! One is actually linked within the recipe. Just click on the ingredient “hot sauce” and you will see it. 🙂
Alexandra
Sooooo delicious! Will definitely be making these again!
Ela
So glad you liked the recipe, Alexandra. 🙂
Sarah Grace
Hi! Thinking about making these for a potluck at work— do you think they would get soggy being in the fridge overnight? We don’t have an oven at the office to warm things up in 🙁
Ela
Hi Sarah! I am afraid they would get soggy or at least they wouldn’t be crispy anymore the next day.
D
I made these the other night and I’m making them again for lunch meal prep this week! They are incredible! I added chopped pickled jalapeños and didn’t add in the chilli powder or cumin as I’m not a huge fan of those flavours. Will make these again and again!
Ela
Yay, sounds amazing! Thanks so much for your feedback. 🙂
Charlotte
Listen, this was just what I needed, I always have an open can of chickpeas around, because aguafaba, and my boyfriend never finishes his tortillas he buys. Perfect leftover recipe for me haha 😀
Thank you!
Ela
Yay, sounds amazing! Thanks for your feedback, Charlotte! 🙂
annie
A real winner! I made these for dinner with my vegan daughter and son-in-law are in mind. Everyone loved these, even hubby who’s a dye hard meat eater. A definite keeper. Thank you so much.
I’m trying them today using black beans.
Ela
My pleasure! I am so glad you liked the taquitos, Annie. 🙂
Renee
This recipe is a family favorite! We use the air fryer and it heats up quickly and crispy. What tortillas do you typically use? I use mission but the calorie count is 140 just for 1 tortilla. The recipe says 116 per taquitos so I’d love a lower calorie alternative
Ela
Hi Renee, happy you like the recipe! I use my homemade gluten-free tortillas, which I linked in the blog post: https://elavegan.com/gluten-free-tortillas-recipe
Riki
I used white corn tortillas and a lot of mine cracked. Did I do something wrong or should I use just use different tortillas next time?
Ela
Try using flour tortillas next time. I always use my homemade gluten-free tortillas. You can give them a try if you want. Here is my easy recipe: https://elavegan.com/gluten-free-tortillas-recipe/ 🙂
Anon
Wrap the tortillas in a light cloth and microwave them for about 15 seconds . They become soft and don’t crack .