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These 25-minute Vegan Chickpea Tacos are so easy and packed with flavor! The pan-fried, taco-seasoned chickpea “meat” is piled into tortillas with a tangy cabbage slaw and topped with homemade avocado crema. Vegan, Gluten-Free Option.
These Easy Chickpea Tacos transform canned chickpeas into some seriously mouthwatering vegan tacos. By pulsing the chickpeas in a food processor and pan-frying them with taco seasonings and tomato paste, you get a savory, crispy, meaty crumble without making any trips to the grocery store. Serve it in warm tortillas with this Vegan Avocado Crema and cabbage slaw on top for a 25-minute meal everyone will love.
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Easy Tacos From Pantry Staples
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s turning pantry staples, like fresh or frozen veggies, canned goods, and seasoning packets, into affordable, flavor-packed vegan meals. These Easy Chickpea Tacos are the ultimate pantry staple glow-up. Let me tell you, these tacos are so. much. more. than canned chickpeas dumped into a tortilla.
We’re talking about easy pan-fried chickpea taco “meat” piled onto lightly charred tortillas and topped with a drizzle of my Vegan Avocado Crema and a 3-ingredient cabbage slaw. Easy? Check. Inexpensive? Check. Packed with flavor and ready on the table in less than 30 minutes? Double check! ✅
PS: The delicious vegan taco meat doubles as a filling for burritos and quesadillas and can even be topped on a salad or burrito bowl. I highly recommend making extra!
Ingredients for Vegan Chickpea Tacos
This recipe turns 10 simple ingredients into meaty vegan tacos piled with fresh toppings:
- Chickpea Taco “Meat”: just like my Classic Vegan Taco Meat, this recipe turns everyday staples, like chickpeas, tomato paste, and a taco seasoning packet, into a hearty plant-based meat substitute.
- Avocado Crema: AKA the best vegan taco sauce ever. It’s creamy, zesty, and even keeps in the fridge longer than guacamole.
- Cabbage Slaw: shredded green cabbage is combined with extra avocado crema, vinegar, and salt to make a refreshing taco topping. It works with red cabbage, too!
- Tortillas: this recipe makes enough chickpea taco “meat” and toppings for 6 to 8 “taco-sized” tortillas or 12 to 14 “street taco” tortilla-sized tacos.
How to Make Chickpea Tacos
- Add the chickpeas to a food processor and pulse until well-chopped.
- Cook the tomato paste in a warm pan. Add the taco seasoning and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Stir the chopped chickpeas into the pan and wait for them to brown. Repeat until the mixture sticks together when pressed.
- Whisk the crema, vinegar, and salt together in a bowl. Add the cabbage and toss to combine.
- Warm both sides of the tortillas in a dry skillet or microwave.
- Add some of the slaw to the bottom of each tortilla, then top with the chickpea “meat” and a drizzle of the remaining avocado crema. Serve the tacos warm and enjoy.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Dry the chickpeas really well. Dump the drained and rinsed chickpeas onto a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry before blitzing them in the food processor. The drier your chickpeas are, the more they’ll crisp up in the hot pan.
- Don’t skip cooking the tomato paste and seasonings. Taking the time to sauté both in the warm oil (called “blooming”) deepens their natural flavors, gets rid of any bitterness, and makes your chickpea taco “meat” much more delicious.
- Time-saving tips: The chopped chickpeas will take a few minutes to brown in the skillet, so I like to use this time to make the avocado crema. It’s a great time to make the cabbage slaw, too!
Serving Suggestions
I’ll serve these chickpea tacos for dinner any night of the week, but they come in especially handy in between grocery runs. They’re a flavor-packed and filling meal I can quickly whip up when all I have are the bare essentials in my pantry. If I’m lucky, I’ll have enough ingredients for a few extra toppings! Thankfully, I almost always have pickled red onions, fresh cilantro, pickled jalapeno slices, and hot sauce in the fridge.
Bonus: the chickpea taco “meat” is fantastic in more than just tacos. I like to use it as a topping on this Vegan Taco Salad and on grain bowls, or I’ll roll it up in a burrito with some cilantro-lime rice, extra avocado crema, and sautéed veggies.
If you’re looking for more vegan tacos to try, you’ll also love these BBQ Tempeh Tacos with Pineapple Coleslaw, these Oyster Mushroom Tacos, and these Crispy Avocado Tacos with Pico de Gallo!
Or, if you’re looking for even more easy vegan chickpea recipes, you’ll also love this Buffalo Chickpea Salad, this Pantry Tahini Pasta with Chickpeas, and this Vegan Chickpea & Rice Casserole.
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftover chickpea “meat,” avocado crema, and slaw in separate airtight containers in the fridge. All three will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Before serving, reheat the taco meat in a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat or in the microwave in 30-second intervals until it’s warmed through. Assemble in warmed tortillas with the toppings as normal.
Want to get a head start on this recipe? The chickpea filling and crema can both be made 1 or 2 days in advance. Just store them separately in the fridge until you’re ready to serve in tortillas with a fresh batch of slaw.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: Assemble the tacos in corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.
- Chickpea Substitute: I haven’t tested it, but you could try substituting the chickpeas with another firm, meaty bean, like black beans.
- Avocado Crema Substitute: You can swap the crema for my Vegan Chipotle Mayo or use this Homemade Guacamole as a taco topping instead. Or, to keep things simple, combine an equal amount of store-bought or homemade vegan mayo with a pinch of salt and a generous squeeze of lime juice to help the sauce cut through the heavier flavors in the “meat.”
Recipe FAQs
1.5 cups of dried chickpeas will work instead of canned. I recommend soaking the dry beans in water overnight, then simmering them in fresh water the next day until tender. Remember to dry them well before processing.
Baking or air frying the chickpea filling might work instead, but I haven’t tested it. I personally prefer pan-frying vegan taco meat because it always yields the crispiest texture.
Sure! It should freeze well in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Easy Chickpea Tacos with Avocado Crema and Cabbage
Ingredients
For the Chickpea Taco “Meat”:
- 2 15 ounce cans of chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 6-8 taco-sized flour or corn tortillas for serving (depends on size)
- 1 batch of Avocado Crema link other blog post
For the Cabbage Slaw:
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage about 1/4 head small cabbage
- 1/4 cup Avocado Crema above
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Pulse the Chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas well, then transfer them to a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry. Place them in a food processor with an S-blade attachment and pulse 8 to 10 times, or until chopped to your liking. Set aside.
- Fry the Tomato Paste: Warm a pan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the tomato paste to the oil and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until the oil turns red in color and is infused with tomato flavor. Add the taco seasoning and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Cook the Chickpeas: Add the chickpeas and mix well, until evenly combined, then spread the chickpeas out across the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until browned, then mix. Repeat 1-2 more times, until the chickpeas are darkened in color and the mixture is mostly dry, but will still stick together when pressed. (Tip: I recommend making the Avocado Crema during this time!)
- Make the Slaw: Add 1/4 cup of the Avocado Crema to a medium bowl along with the vinegar and salt. Add the cabbage to the bowl and use tongs to toss until combined; taste and add additional salt or vinegar, as needed. Set aside.
- Warm the Tortillas: Warm a dry skillet or comal over medium heat. Heat both sides of each tortilla for 15 to 30 seconds, until warm and pliable. (You can also wrap your tortillas in a damp paper towel, place on a plate, and microwave for 30 seconds in a pinch)
- Serve: Place a generous amount of slaw on the bottom of each tortilla, then top with the chickpea taco meat and an extra dollop or drizzle of the remaining avocado crema. Serve warm; store any leftovers in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Gluten-Free: Use corn tortillas to make this recipe gluten-free. Most taco seasoning mix is gluten-free, but it never hurts to check the ingredients!
- Tortillas: This recipe makes 6-8 tacos with “taco-sized” tortillas, or you can also divide it between larger flour tortillas to make burritos. It would also make 12-14 “street taco” tortilla-sized tacos, if you prefer smaller tacos!
