5 Top Chickpea Recipes!

Chickpeas are a great addition to any diet. They’re a good source of fibre and vegetarian protein which keeps you feeling full and helps your body’s digestion. They aren’t the most flavoursome of foods but the good thing about that is you can use them to make sweet and savoury dishes to add texture and creaminess. Check out our 5 Top Chickpea Recipes! to find out how you can incorporate chickpeas into your diet in a delicious and fun way!

1. Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan and gluten free)

Forget high calorie shop bought cookies, you can make your own really quickly and easily. Chickpeas give these cookies a creamy, luxurious texture and are so delectable you’ll struggle to stop at eating just one!

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
½ cup all natural creamy peanut butter
⅓ cup maple syrup
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup vegan mini-chocolate chips

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Add all ingredients except for the chocolate chips into a food processor. Blend for a few minutes or until well mixed. Cookie dough should smooth and creamy.

Transfer cookie dough to a bowl and fold in chocolate chips. Use a tablespoon and scoop dough into balls and drop onto cookie sheet evenly spaced. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Credit: www.beginwithinnutrition.com

2. Coconut Chickpea Curry with Noodles

Dairy free, high in iron plus low in salt and fat this curry is an amazing meal for someone enjoying a healthy lifestyle. It’s pretty easy to make and will give your body a host of valuable nutrients and energy to keep you going for hours!

Ingredients: (serves 4)
2tbsp madras curry paste
1tbsp grated fresh ginger
400g tin reduced-fat coconut milk
450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
400g tin chickpeas in water, drained
450g cauliflower, cut into florets
200g flat rice noodles
½ x 25g bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to garnish
Lime wedges, to serve

Method: Set a large, deep non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the curry paste and ginger, and cook for 1–2 min. Add the coconut milk with 100ml water and bring to the boil. Add the sweet potatoes and chickpeas, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower, cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the pack instructions. Divide the noodles among four serving plates and top with the curry. Garnish with the coriander and serve with the lime wedges. Credit: www.healthyfood.co.uk

3. Roasted Red Pepper and Paprika Hummus

Although you can buy hummus in the shops it’s not as nutritious as what you can make yourself at home. Shop bought ones are usually full of added salt or fat, so whipping up your own version at home is much healthier and perfect for dinner parties!

Ingredients (makes one big bowl)
2 ½ cups of chickpeas (either canned and pre-soaked, or soak your own overnight and then boil for about thirty minutes)
1 large red pepper
½ a jalapeño pepper (add more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
3 tbsp of olive oil
¼ of a cup of water
1 tbsp of tahini
2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of cumin
2 lemons
Salt

Method: Start by slicing the red pepper into about eight long strips, discarding the seedy centre part. Then place these strips in a baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes at 180C.

While the pepper bakes make the rest of the hummus. First squeeze the lemons then place the lemon juice and all of the other ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth, this should take 3-4 minutes. The stronger your processor the smoother and creamier the hummus result will be.

Once the peppers have cooked for ten minutes and are starting to turn ever so slightly brown at the edges remove them from the oven, allow them to cool for a couple of minutes and then add them to the food processor with the hummus and blend until smooth. Finally serve and enjoy! Credit: www.deliciouslyella.com

4. Roasted Honey Cinnamon Chickpeas

Need a quick snack while you Netflix and chill? Don’t go for the sweet and salty popcorn, put some chickpeas in the oven an hour before you’re ready to settle on the sofa and you’ll have a crunchy, sweet snack ready for you that’s healthy and incredibly moreish!

Ingredients (serves 4)
15oz can chickpeas
½ tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp sea salt

Method: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat silicone mat. Drain and rinse the chickpeas in a colander then place them on a towel to dry off. Spread chickpeas on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until crispy. Test one, and if it’s still soft, bake for longer.

While the chickpeas are still hot, toss them in a bowl with the oil, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Enjoy as is, or for a caramelized effect, place them back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so. Store leftover chickpeas in an airtight container. Credit: www.popsugar.com

5. Chickpea Burgers

Whether you’ve got a table of impatient children or your hungry friends why not make a batch of these heart healthy chickpea burgers and see them go down a treat? Quick to make and versatile, you can make them fun by adding your favourite toppings.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
½ red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 small sweet potato
½ cup parsley
¼ cup chickpea flour
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp honey
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ lemon, squeezed

Method: Preheat oven to 350°F and turn on a food processor; while it’s running throw in the garlic clove so it is evenly chopped. Add the sweet potato, parsley and onion to the food processor and pulse it. Open the can of chickpeas, rinse and add to the food processor. Pulse the mixture so some of the chickpeas get mashed and some keep their shape.

Take the mixture out of the food processor and place in big bowl. Add the chickpea flour and seasoning to the bowl. Mix well so the entire chickpea mixture is seasoned. Form into patties and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Credit: www.foodnetwork.ca

Even by just having two of these meals or snacks each week you’ll be doing your body a whole host of good. You’ll be helping your gut to stay healthy and properly digest everything else you eat whilst also getting more (clean) protein which is vital for a balanced diet. Eating more protein is known to help weight loss too! Tweet us at @KeepFitKingdom if you try any of these recipes or come up with your own chickpea creations. Bon appetite!

Safia Yallaoui

Safia is a lifestyle blogger and coach at the fitness membership company MoveGB. She also has an MA in journalism and has done a variety of freelance work in print, radio and online. After losing 14lbs a few years ago Safia got into health and fitness realising the most important thing about clean eating is nourishing your body. She loves to keep in shape with weight training and going to fitness classes. Whilst training to be a Nutritional Therapist she is learning how to alleviate health problems by including or omitting certain foods and has a keen interest in the affects of sugar on a person's physical and mental health.

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