Got Too Many Chickpeas? Make These Recipes!

Whether you call them chickpeas or garbanzos, there’s no such thing as too much. Here are some of our favorite ways to use them.

Close-up on Chickpeas
Markus Winkler/Unsplash
Written by Nicole Clausing May 13, 2020

Did you accidentally hoard chickpeas? We get it. Some days, it feels like you need to grab anything you can find at the grocery store. From what we’re hearing from readers, a lot of you are having a bit of buyer’s remorse over the cans and cans of garbanzos in your pantries. Fret not; these legumes are incredibly versatile, serving as a snack, adding texture to salads, and turning stews into one-pot meals.

If it’s dried chickpeas you’ve overstocked, those can be used in any of the recipes here as long as you soften them up first. Do that by soaking the dried beans for 8 hours, or by boiling them for 5 minutes and then letting the pot sit for an hour. 

1 of 10Iain Bagwell

7 Twists on Hummus You Need to Try

We love a store-bought hummus, but it’s really not hard to make your own and give it any kind of flavor twist you want.

2 of 10Erin Kunkel

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

Chickpeas have enough flavor that it doesn’t take much to turn them into a tasty snack. Salt and pepper are all you really need to make a nutty, crunchy, and healthy treat.

3 of 10Annabelle Breakey

School Garden Salad with Chickpeas and Avocado

Add chickpeas to virtually any salad and what’s in your bowl changes from something light and nutritious into a stand-alone meal that sticks with you.

4 of 10Iain Bagwell

Saffron Tomato Chickpeas

In this flavorful preparation, garbanzos can be used as either a side dish or a bed for vegetables.

5 of 10James Carrier

Garbanzo and Watercress Soup

Just as with any legume, chickpeas make a simple vegetable soup much more hearty.

6 of 10Caitlin Bensel

Chickpea and Spinach Orecchiette with Crispy Lemon Bread Crumbs

Pasta and chickpeas might sound like an odd combo (its actually a classically Roman preparation), but all the different flavors and textures in this dish work together so well your family may not notice that it’s vegan. 

7 of 10James Carrier

Garbanzos Masala

Chickpeas are a staple of Indian cooking, and this recipe captures many of the flavors of India in a preparation that doesn’t take all day.

8 of 10James Carrier

Tilapia with Tomatoes and Garbanzos

Though often paired with vegetables, there’s no rule; here chickpeas complement a tilapia fillet.

9 of 10Thomas J. Story

Harissa-Roasted Chicken with Chickpeas

In this recipe chickpeas, which are green when fresh and can count as a vegetable, provide enough carbohydrate to make this a satisfying one-dish meal.

10 of 10Annabelle Breakey

Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad with Pork Chops

This substantial dish takes pork chops to a spicy, Middle-Eastern place that they rarely go to.

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