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These vegan Chickpea Tacos with Avocado Cream are your new Taco Tuesday fix! Easy to prep, very nutritious, and delicious!
Things to Love About Vegan Chickpea Tacos
- No meat analogues: I appreciate the convenience of vegan taco meats and seasoned vegan ground rounds, but I don’t always love them straight up. I typically add extra veg and beans, so it’s not that much more difficult to make a mix myself.
- Easy:As I said, this is simply veg and beans with seasonings. It’s an easy prep with simple ingredients. The whole is more than the sum of the parts for these Chickpea Tacos. The crushing of the chickpeas helps them take up more of the seasonings, and it’s just delicious!
- Avocado Cream: Need I say more???
You can serve these Chickpea Tacos traditionally, spooning the filling in taco shells or soft tortillas.
Or, try making taco bowls with warm rice on the bottom, the chickpea taco mix on top, and a good sprinkling of lettuce and fresh veg – all topped off with the avocado cream and a good squeeze of lime juice.
Chickpea Tacos FAQ
- Is there a difference between chickpeas and garbanzo beans?
- No, they are the same, both words are used interchangeably.
- Can I use another bean in these tacos?
- For this recipes, I find chickpeas work best. You might try green lentils or french le puy lentils (but not red lentils as a substitute.
- Are chickpeas good for you?
- Yes! Chickpeas and all legumes are very healthy to eat. Read more here.
Have I sold you?
Right then, let’s get to these Chickpea Tacos!
Enjoy, guys, please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
x Dreena
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5 from 4 votes
Vegan Chickpea Tacos & Avocado Cream
Serve this mildly spicy (or not!) taco filling in taco shells with Avocado Cream, lettuce, and other fresh veggies like chopped tomatoes, jicama, or cucumber. Or serve the filling simply over rice with the toppings, or tuck all into a whole-grain tortilla.
Course entree, Main Course, sauces
Servings 4
Ingredients
Chickpea Taco Filling
- 2 14/15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons water plus more if needed
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup minced zucchini and/or bell pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or fresh minced chile pepper to taste, see Note
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon molasses
Avocado Cream
- 1 1/2 cups cubed ripe avocado about 1 large or 2 small/medium avocados
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
- ½ – 2/3 cup water to thin as desired
- 1/2 tsp scant sea salt
Instructions
For the Chickpea Taco Filling
Mash the chickpeas by pressing with the bottom of a measuring cup on a cutting board. (This doesn’t have to be thorough, just a rough mash/squish of most of the beans.)
Heat the water in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, zucchini or bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, allspice, pepper flakes, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion has softened. If the mixture is drying out and sticking, add another splash of water. Add the mashed chickpeas, lime juice, and molasses and stir thoroughly. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes, until mixture is heated through. Taste, and if you’d like extra salt or heat, add additional seasonings. If mixture is still dry or sticking, add another 2 to 3 teaspoons of water, increase the heat briefly, and scrape the skillet to help bring up the spices from the bottom of the skillet.
For the Avocado Cream
Using a blender or immersion blender and deep cup puree all ingredients (starting with ½ cup water) until smooth. With 1/2 cup water, the mixture will still be fairly thick, like a cream to dollop on soup or chili. For a thinner sauce, add the extra water (or more as needed), and then you can drizzle on pizza, burritos, salad, and more. Makes about 1 3/4 cups.
Notes
- Chile Pepper Note: If you’d prefer adding some chopped jalapeño or other hot pepper to this mixture instead of crushed red pepper flakes—go for it! Add as much as you normally like.
- Avocado Cream Note: This cream/sauce is spectacular with spicy dishes like these tacos, chili, burritos, enchiladas, etc. However, it’s so luscious and creamy, you will want to try it on other dishes, like cooked grains, soups, baked potatoes, pizza, and salads.
recipe reprinted from The Cheese Trap
images credit: Hannah Kaminsky
Disclosure
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Jaime says
I’ve been experiencing with lots of chickpea taco recipes this year and this is by far one of the quickest and most forgiving recipes out there. Fill a tortilla or layer it on a bed of rice. The avocado cream gives me life but I added some fresh garlic to mine because #singlegirllife With all the different dimensions of flavour I can’t wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
– @movelearnlivevibeReply
Dreena says
So happy to read that, thanks Jaime!
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Isaac Thomas says
Mexican is my absolute favorite! Thanks for the great recipe!
Isaac Thomas,
Peace & LoveReply
Christina Callaghan says
These are delicious and so easy!Reply
Dreena says
So happy you enjoyed them, thanks Christina!
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Jen Mulvaney-Hitchens says
Awesome recipe! I added a tiny garlic cloves and a few sprigs of cilantro to the avocado cream. Otherwise I stayed true to the recipe and served in coconut tortillas with shredded vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato and cilantro leaves. My husband and daughter loved it! My husband said it’s a keeper!Thanks Dreena! I just found your site on Friday and made the Sweet potato chocolate cake with sweet potato frosting (made into cupcakes) for our church fellowship. They were wonderful and everyone loved them! So glad I found your recipes. We have been plant based for over three years so I was shocked I had never seen your site before, but you know what they say, better late than never!
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Dreena says
Hi Jen, thank you so much for the note and I’m delighted you have already found a couple of recipe favorites. Indeed, better late than never – enjoy exploring!
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LYnne says
This was delicious! Thank you DreenaReply
Dreena says
Wonderful! Thanks Lynne.
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Michelle says
These look great! I was wondering does the molasses give it a sweet flavor?
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Dreena says
Hi Michelle, you can omit it if you want. It adds a slight sweetness but also some color and background flavor.
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Rebecca Cody says
This sounds delicious. I think I’d just go ahead and turn the avocados into guacamole, like I do for Mary McDougall’s burrito bowls. Yum!
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Dreena says
Thanks Rebecca, yes, go for it! The avocado part is entirely flexible. Enjoy!
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