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Spice up tonight’s dinner with these spicy, creamy, and comforting Gochujang Chickpeas! This bold yet easy one-pan meal simmers plump chickpeas in a velvety gochujang sauce in just 30 minutes. Vegan, Gluten-Free Option.
These Spicy Gochujang Beans braise canned chickpeas in a bright red sauce made from gochujang, gochugaru, and sautéed aromatics. A splash of coconut milk tempers those fiery Korean-inspired flavors, leaving you with a velvety, protein-packed comfort food in just 30 minutes. I like to serve these beans over white rice, but they’re just as good scooped up with crusty bread.
Table of Contents
All About These Red, Velvety Beans
I keep all kinds of comforting recipes in my back pocket during those particularly cozy fall days and chilly winter evenings. But nothing screams “comfort in a bowl” to me quite like saucy beans. Like these Braised White Beans & Greens and this Easy Butter Beans Recipe, slowly simmering beans in a delicious broth makes them plump with flavor and perfect for scooping up with a big hunk of crusty bread.
While it’s true that all of my braised bean recipes are big on flavor, these Creamy Gochujang Chickpeas pack a serious punch. The chickpeas are simmered in a luscious, bright-red gochujang and coconut sauce in just under 30 minutes to give you a bold yet creamy Korean-inspired comfort food. Better yet, it’s proof that you can do some pretty cool things with a regular ‘ol can of chickpeas!
How to Make Creamy Gochujang Chickpeas
- Sauté the aromatics until fragrant, then stir in the tomato paste and gochujang.
- Add the coconut milk, sugar, and gochugaru to the pan and whisk to combine.
- Carefully add the chickpeas to the pan and stir to coat them in the sauce. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, then stir in the sesame oil.
- Divide the saucy gochujang beans between bowls with white rice and garnish with the remaining green onions, gochugaru, and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Cook the gochujang and tomato paste for at least 1 minute. You want them to turn from a bright red to a darker, rusty color. Cooking both for 1 to 2 minutes will caramelize their natural sugars, mute any tinny flavors, and bump up the layers of umami and tanginess in your sauce.
- To make this a true no-chop recipe, blitz the green onions, garlic, and ginger together in a food processor. Easy peasy, and no knives to wash!
- Is the sauce splattering on the stove? I like to keep a splatter screen or a pot lid on standby so I can quickly cover the pot when this happens.
Serving Suggestions
I always serve these spicy gochujang beans over a bed of cooked jasmine or basmati rice to soak up that fantastic sauce. You can always swap the rice for brown rice, quinoa, or couscous instead if you’d prefer.
On the side, the chickpeas pair perfectly with vegan naan, crusty bread, and/or a few simple side dishes, like this Roasted Garlic Sesame Broccoli, this Smashed Cucumber Salad with Edamame, and this Cooked Ramen Noodle Salad with Kimchi.
If you want to eat even more saucy beans, you’ll also love these Sweet & Smoky White Beans, these Tomato Beans, and this White Bean Puttanesca!
Or, if you’re looking for more easy vegan recipes with chickpeas, you’ll also love this No-Boil Chickpea Noodle Casserole, this Buffalo Chickpea Salad, and this Chickpea Curry Casserole.
How to Store Leftover Gochujang Chickpeas
Wait for the saucy chickpeas to cool to room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container (separate from the cooked rice). The leftovers will keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
To reheat, either warm the chickpeas in the microwave or add them to a skillet over medium heat until warmed through. I recommend adding a splash of water, coconut milk, or vegetable broth to help make the sauce silky again.
Freezing isn’t recommended – the sauce will break upon thawing.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: Most brands of gochujang contain wheat or barley. Make sure you check the ingredients on the label for wheat products, or use a gluten-free red chili paste you like.
- Coconut Milk Substitute: The best substitute for coconut milk is another thick and fatty non-dairy milk, like cashew cream. To make homemade cashew cream, blend 1 cup of soaked cashews with 3/4 cup of water and a pinch of salt until smooth.
- Chickpea Substitute: The chickpeas can be swapped for an equal amount of canned cannellini beans or butter beans.
- Optional Veggie Add-Ins: You can bulk up this dish by adding fresh or frozen green beans, chopped broccoli florets, or diced red bell peppers to the pan when you add the chickpeas.
- Boost the Protein: Combine the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of cooked green, brown, or red lentils to make this dish even more filling.
Recipe FAQs
I buy mine from my local Asian grocery store, or in the international aisle of well-stocked grocery stores. Trader Joe’s also carries it sometimes!
Not really. The coconut milk tones down most of the heat from the gochujang and gochugaru. If you’re still worried about the spice, start with 1 tablespoon of gochujang and 1/2 teaspoon of gochugaru, then add more to taste.
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 😊
Creamy Gochujang Chickpeas with Coconut Milk (30 Minute Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or avocado oil
- 3 green onions sliced; white and light green parts separated from the dark green parts
- 3-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger peeled and grated or finely chopped (about 1” fresh ginger)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 1 13.5 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar
- 1/2 -1 teaspoon gochugaru optional; or sub ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed well
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for serving (optional)
- Cooked white rice for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Aromatics: Warm the oil in a large salute pan or braiser over medium heat. Add white and light green portions of the green onion, garlic, and ginger; saute for 60 to 90 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste and gochujang; mix well and sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until the pastes begin to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Make the Sauce: Add the coconut milk, sugar, and gochugaru (if using) to the pan and whisk well, until the tomato paste and gochujang have dissolved into coconut milk to form a sauce.
- Simmer: Carefully add the chickpeas to the sauce and mix well. Bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and maintain the simmer, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to your liking. Stir in toasted sesame oil at end of cooking
- Serve & Store: Turn the heat off and stir in the toasted sesame oil. Serve the hot gochujang chickpeas over cooked rice (or as desired) and top with the reserved dark green portions of the green onion, gochugaru, and toasted sesame seeds
Recipe Notes
- No-Chop Recipe: Blitz the green onions, garlic, and ginger together in a food processor.
Nutrition
