These chickpea tacos are the ultimate low-effort, meatless mid-week meal. Packed with flavor and ready in 10 minutes, these tacos are hearty, healthy, and versatile. Plus, this recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, protein-rich, vegan, and utterly enjoyable!
A Quick And Flavorful Mid-Week Meal
Taco Tuesday’s are more like ‘tacos every day’ in my household. It’s probably no secret that my love of vegan Mexican recipes is … profound! Hearty, healthy, and packed with flavor – what’s not to love? These chickpea tacos (aka garbanzo bean tacos) are no different.
Meatless tacos are the perfect answer to a quick, low effort, healthy, yet satisfying mid-week meal. Not to mention that, due to the versatility of toppings, this is a meal that the entire family can (and will!) enjoy. Even the meat-eaters will be coming back for more!
Plus, vegan tacos have become a go-to of mine for days when I’m not in the mood to spend ages laboring away in the kitchen (yes, I have those days too). And if you’re still not entirely sold on the idea- there are no special tools needed for this recipe, either; just one bowl, a whisk, and a pan!
The Ingredients And Optional Add-Ins
There are three crucial ‘elements’ to the best homemade tacos. The first is the tortillas, the second is the main filling, and the third is the taco toppings!
Tortillas:
I actually use Homemade Gluten-Free Tortillas for all my gluten-free tacos. They require just two ingredients, take less than 15 minutes to make, and are far healthier than many store-bought alternatives (with no preservatives and gums). In fact, with the inclusion of chickpea flour, these tortillas are vitamin and mineral-rich, including copper, folate, manganese, magnesium, and Vitamins B1, B6, etc.
I love to make a large batch of tortillas and keep them stored in the fridge/freezer for whenever the cravings hit. Oh, and If you’re craving something a little different, then you might like my GF Spinach Tortillas), which are also packed with healthy vitamins and minerals.
Vegan Taco Filling:
When it comes to the filling, these gluten-free wraps contain a healthy, wholesome combination of pan-fried chickpeas, green pepper, red cabbage, chopped tomatoes, and avocado chunks. This is then topped with a creamy tahini dressing.
However, plant-based tacos are super versatile when it comes to fillings and toppings, so there are tons of extra add-ins and tweaks that you can make to satisfy everyone’s taste buds.
Optional Add-Ins:
- Veggies: Mushrooms, sweet potato, red onion, cauliflower, potato, grilled corn, cucumber, pickled red onion/cabbage, shredded lettuce, etc.
- Herbs: Green onion, cilantro, parsley, chives, scallions, etc.
- Nuts/Seeds: Pepitas, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashews, etc.
- Extra spices (for the pan-fried veg): Chili powder, garlic, onion, smoked paprika, cumin, etc.
- Other: You may also want to crumble over your favorite vegan feta or shredded cheese. Plus, serve alongside some lime wedges, for extra ‘zing.’
For more ingredient swaps and variations, check out the recipe notes section at the end of this post.
The full ingredients list, ingredient measurements, and nutritional information are in the recipe card below.
How To Make Chickpea Tacos
These chickpea tacos can be eaten hot or cold, and I even have a method for oven-baked wraps that I’ll include below for crispier tortillas.
Step 1 – Fry the chickpeas
Place the chickpeas in a pan/skillet with the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce and fry over low-medium heat for around five minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 2 – Chop the veggies
Meanwhile, chop the additional vegetables and avocado. You can optionally lightly fry the onion, green pepper, red cabbage, and tomatoes, or leave raw as I did.
Step 3 – Make the sauce
Prepare the tahini sauce by whisking all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk. If you’re using a thick tahini paste, then you may need a little more water to thin it out.
Step 4 – Assemble
If you want warm tortillas, then you can optionally fry them lightly for 1-2 minutes in a skillet or leave in the oven at a low-heat while preparing the fillings. You can then assemble the wraps and either top with any additional /herbs and serve as is or…
For Oven-Baked Tacos:
Fill your tacos with the chickpea filling and press closed. It helps if you have a sauce so that they stay closed – like this Vegan Cheese Sauce.
Once filled, transfer the tortillas to a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes at 410F/210C until crispy. Top with the veggies and eat immediately!
How To Store
Any leftover chickpeas can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Simply reheat in a skillet, as needed.
The fresh vegetables will need to be eaten sooner – best within 1-2 days.
Recipe Notes And Variations
- You can use hard taco shells instead of soft ones if preferred.
- For your avocado tacos filling, you can either use chopped avocado, whip up a quick, thick guacamole, or even make an avocado cream. To make avo cream blend the avocado with a little lemon/lime juice and water into a creamy consistency.
- Feel free to sub out the tahini dressing for some Vegan Sour Cream.
- You could sub out the red cabbage for homemade Keto Coleslaw.
- You can also use this filling to make a deconstructed taco bowl. Fill a bowl with some leafy greens, the chickpea filling, and optionally some baked/fried tortillas.
- You can also use this filling and the tortillas to make chickpea fajitas.
- For additional spice, feel free to add some thinly sliced jalapeno peppers.
- For an even healthier version, you can omit the GF tortillas in place of lettuce cups.
- Though the flavor will vary, you can swap out the chickpeas for other legumes such as kidney beans, white beans, black beans, etc.
Related Vegan Mexican Recipes
- Oven-Roasted Vegetable Fajitas
- Vegan Spinach & Eggplant Quesadillas
- Easy Vegan Tortilla Soup
- Mexican Pinto Bean Soup
- Easy Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Spinach Oven Baked Tacos
- Vegan Taquitos
If you give this chickpea tacos recipe a try, I’d love a comment and recipe rating below. Also, don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan – I love seeing your recreations.
Chickpea Tacos
Ingredients
- 6 soft tortillas
Taco filling
- 1 avocado chopped into cubes
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas canned, drained and rinsed
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 1/2 big onion finely sliced
- 6 tbsp red cabbage finely sliced
- 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (to roast the chickpeas)
- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce gluten-free (to roast the chickpeas)
- fresh cilantro to taste
Tahini dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/8 cup (or more) water (to thin out)
- 2-3 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/3 tsp salt or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper ground
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin (optional)
- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Put the chickpeas in a pan/skillet together with the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Pan-fry at low-medium heat for about 5 minutes and stir frequently.
- Chop your veggies and the avocado. You can lightly sauté the veggies (onion, green pepper, red cabbage, tomatoes) in a pan/skillet for a few minutes with a little bit of oil or leave them raw (like I did).
- Mix the ingredients for the tahini dressing in a small bowl with a whisk. If you use a thick tahini paste then you might need more water to thin it out.
- Stuff your tortillas with the veggies, the roasted chickpeas and drizzle the tahini dressing on top. Enjoy hot or cold!
Notes
- You can use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
- Read the blog post for more tips and variations.
- The recipe makes approximately 6 tacos. I calculated the nutrition facts for one taco including the tahini sauce, made with my homemade gluten-free tortillas. The numbers will be different if you use store-bought tortillas.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!
Love how simple this is to make yet healthy
and delicious!!
So happy it turned out delicious! Thanks for your feedback, Christine. 🙂
Amazing recipe! Thank you so much. They are so soft and delicious. Preserve well for leftovers for the next day.
Amazing! Thanks for your feedback, Vafa! 🙂
Oh Michaela, I wasn’t prepared for the goodness that hit me! I was sceptical about the dressing but I couldn’t stop licking while I mixed it! And it complemented the chickpea salad so so well. The tortillas were the best surprise. Ok, first off, mine are not gluten free (dont cringe-sorry) but I have searched for weeks on end for chickpea flour in vain. So I used spelt flour (richer, perhaps heavier) but still did a perfect job (I guess as I ate my first one! Ha ha) No really, lunch couldn’t have been better today so thank you-i must make this for a party soon hihi check my post out it’s up now on insta @michellerispah ????
Wow, that’s wonderful! Thanks so much for your sweet feedback! Made my day. 🙂
Lots of love, Ela ????
Hey. These look amazing. I can’t wait to try them. Wondering what you recommend to replace the soy sauce, since I’m staying away from that?
Hey Jean, you could use coconut aminos instead. 🙂
This is an OMG good flavor combo! I made them with my fiancé (total carnivore) and he LOVED them! We had corn tortillas on hand so used those…skipped onion and cilantro. Added a sprinkle of chili powder to roasting chickpeas (2Tbs Balsalmic, 1 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce). Sriracha as the hot sauce in tahini dressing + about 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and definitely don’t cook those veggies!! Flavor, texture, DELICIOUS.
That’s awesome, Veronica. Thanks so much for your amazing feedback 🙂
Omg… these are sooo delicious. My husband who isn’t vegan loved them! I sautéed the green peppers, onion and 122 this tomatoes and used the other 1/2 of the tomatoes as a fresh topping. DELICIOUS!
Makes me so happy! Thanks so much for your great feedback 🙂
Today I made this recipe and my husband and I loved it!!! It was Delicious ????
Makes me so happy! Thanks for your great feedback, Sonia 🙂
Went to the blog for one recipe but saw these and changed dinner plans. Delicious! Wonderful site so happy to have found it .
Awww, thank you soo much for this sweet compliment! 🙂
We made these last night and they were amazing! I found you on IG and was drawn in by all of your beautiful photos. Not only are your recipes a visual feast, they are so healthy and tasty. Thank you!
Thank you so much!! I am super happy you loved my recipe. Thanks for your compliments 🙂
They look awesome.. How can make them into crisp taco? Thank you
I never tried to make crispy hard shell tacos. I think you would need to fry them and fold the tortillas with the help of a tong while frying them. Try it out and let me know how it turned out 🙂
Fold it over your oven rack and bake. Keep an eye on them. Not sure how long or temperature. I seen this somewhere only remember part of it, sorry.
Thanks for sharing, Martha! 🙂
Dear MichaEla! I tried this tortillas cause they looksooo tasty and it was also super tasty and easy! Thanks so much for inspiration! Will try deffinitely some more from your blog! Like it very much!
Many greetings ☺️????
Ahoj dear Patricia, thank you so much for your great feedback! I am glad you tried out my recipe and that you like it a lot 🙂
Yummy Yummy! Great recipe! Cheers from Argentina!! ❣
Thanks for your comment! I am glad you liked my tacos. Greetings to Argentina 🙂
Ela, this is an amazing recipe! I saw it on your Instagram page a while back and decided to try it out. It is quick and easy. I could not find tahini readily at normal super markets nearby so I used coconut milk with lots of turmeric, garlic powder and a few other seasonings then thickened a little with corn starch. The family loved it and will definitely try again once I get tahini at a specialty store.
That’s amazing! Really super happy you liked my recipe for vegan tacos. Great idea to use coconut milk instead of tahini. Thank you, Johann! 🙂
Ela, this lunch is just so easy and healthy, thank you so much for sharing. I really hadn’t thought of anything like that tahini dressing, and it adds such a zing of flavor! I really love your ideas. Dee xx.
You are such a sweetheart, Dee! Thank you for your comment, I am glad that my blog post was inspiring. Lots of love 🙂
Mmm this is my idea of lunch heaven! I love tacos, I love avocados and I love chickpeas! Also I’m tahini obsessed so this recipe has my name written all over it 😀
Yay, that’s amazing, we both seem to love the same food 🙂 Thanks for your kind comment, Nadia! 🙂
I want to have these tacos in my belly right now! Chickpeas are my favorite and so are tacos, so I’d say this is a match made in heaven 🙂
Thank you, Nisha! I agree chickpeas are a Godsend, they are so amazing. And tacos are always a good idea, especially on Taco Tuesday 😀 Enjoy your new week. 🙂
Wow! These were so delicious. My family has been trying to eliminate meat from our life. Delicious recipes like this make it EASY. It was fresh, flavorful and filling! My husband and teenager loved it too!
Yay, I am so glad to hear that! Thank you so much for your wonderful comment, Tracy 🙂
Made this recipe yesterday: really great! I didn’t use the cilantro, because i don’t like de soap-taste but it was lovely without it! ????????
Hello Ela. Thanks for this recipe. I made it yesterday and the firts tortilla I made was great. With all the others I made a mess hahaha. I´ll try again during teh weekend because it looks delicious.
Thanks for sharing.
Hey, Noa, I am glad the first ones turned out amazing. That’s strange though that the other ones didn’t turn out so great. Did the batter get too thick maybe or did you change the temperature on your stove or something? Have you used the same ingredients like mentioned in the recipe? I think I made the tortillas about 10 to 15 times now and they always turned out just perfect (all of them). 🙂
The only difference is that I used chickpea flour made in Thermomix instead of cheackpea flour bougth. Maybe the capacity to absorb water is different. I´ll test it again. Thanks for your support.
Thanks, for letting me know. Yes, that might be possible as I used store-bought chickpea flour.
I tried this recipe and so easy and delicious!!! Fell in love with it and totally recommend it!!!
Thank you so much, Karina! Very happy you liked my recipe. 🙂
Did you hear your tortillas in a skillet?
They were still warm as I made fresh homemade tortillas.