Chickpea Tacos | Meatless, Gluten-Free Recipe - Elavegan (2024)

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
• 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.

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