If you follow my Instagram stories, then you might have seen my many failed attempts at trying to make ladyfinger cookies. Traditional ladyfingers are made with whipped egg whites, so I thought, that's an easy peasy sub, just use our new friend aquafaba. It turns out these cookies were not my friends and did not want to cooperate. So after 3 failed attempts, 8 spongey cookies consumed, and a mountain of leftover chickpeas, I had to form a new plan of attack. Creamy Lemon Pepper Chickpeas! And what a lovely plan it was.
When it comes to cooking, I truly think the mistakes tend to guide you (if you let them), this unintended recipe, was a very, very, very good idea! Just 20 minutes to make this easy, creamy, zesty lemon, peppery, totally addictive chickpea dish.
Holy smokes these chickpeas are delicious! It took everything in me not to polish off the entire pan myself. Perfect as a side served with salad and some potatoes or rice, spooned over pasta, or as a scrumptious open faced sandwich on top of toast. You're going to want these saucy chickpeas everywhere!
More news: Now that my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan has been released for pre-order (OMG still losing it with excitement!!!), I have a bit more time on my hands so you're going to see things changing and improving on the blog, starting with today's new recipe layout. What do you think? Notice the cool new feature where you can change the servings, then the recipe sorts out the math for you! I 'm diggin' it.
To make Creamy Lemon Pepper Chickpeas: Sauté the onions and garlic until they are translucent and beginning to brown. Then sprinkle in the flour and stir and cook for an additional 30 seconds to heat up the flour.
Add in the vegetable broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, and stir scraping up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add in the chickpeas and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce thickens, then stir in the coconut milk. If you find your sauce a little too thick, you can add more broth to thin, and if you find your sauce a little too thin, just cook down a bit more. Garnish with cilantro or parsley before serving.
CREAMY LEMON PEPPER CHICKPEAS
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, (gluten-free if preferred)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 lemon zested
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1, 19oz can chickpeas (about 2 cups), drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
- small handful cilantro or parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir and cook for an additional 30 seconds to heat up the flour. Now add the vegetable broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove on any stuck on bits. Stir in the chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Stir in the coconut milk. If you find your sauce a little too thick, you can add more broth to thin, and if you find your sauce a little too thin, just cook down a bit more. Garnish with cilantro or parsley and serve hot.
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
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Susan says
I have made this twice now and my husband and I LOVE it. I double the recipe for the 2 of us and have it over brown rice (so I can have leftovers). The 2nd time we added sauteed mushrooms. When I reheat the leftovers for lunch, I add spinach to wilt while it is heating. I also added red pepper flakes and used homemade cashew cream instead of coconut.
Kim says
This recipe was a good starting point. I amped it up using juice of two lemons plus their zest, additional garlic powder/garlic, thyme, and marjoram. Thanks for the recipe, and your upbeat attitude =)
Kassie Brown says
This was super delicious! This recipe is so adaptable! I added carrots and zucchini. I will definitely be making this again.
Sada says
Hey Sam, thanks for yet another yummy recipe!! Tried this recipe for the first time tonight and I'm blown away. Paired it with some quinoa. May add some zucchini next time, as suggested by other reviews, just to amp up the veg. Loved how easy this was to throw together!
Sada says
I forgot to star it - 5 stars!!
Julie Ann Gardner says
I added a red pepper and a pinch of chilli flakes to give a little colour to this recipe. I had it over pea pasta (protein) with a green side salad. Make double....truly quick and delicious.
Sutton says
One of my favorite dishes on this page. The rich lemon taste is perfection either by itself or over rice. It seems so gourmet 🙂 !!
Ann Mione says
This is SO delicious! Thank you so much for your amazing recipes and enthusiasm!
Sam Turnbull says
My pleasure 🙂
Rachel says
Fantastic recipe that has become my new favorite during quarantine. It's delicious as written or can be doctored up easily. I like to add carrots and zucchini for some extra veg and have used this as a filling for a chicken-less potpie. Thank you for sharing!
Jess says
Added a little bit of red pepper flakes to this and it was so good!
Kristine says
Made this tonight! Was so happy to see I already had all of the ingredients on hand. I served it over a quinoa and wild rice mix with a side of string beans.
Adeline says
Whoa. This has got to be one the yummiest meals ever, and is somehow also one of the easiest?! Didn’t have parsley on hand so I topped with garlic chives from the garden and dipped some homemade bread i Sri the sauce. So psyched to have found a new staple!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww yay!! Thrilled you loved it so much Adeline 🙂
Gabbi says
I’m another one who happened to have everything I needed for this recipe at home whilst on lock down, including parsley from the freezer. Creamy, zesty and gorgeous! We had it with baba gaboush and flatbread xxxx
Sam Turnbull says
Sounds wonderful!
Kristal says
Simply excellent. Thankfully, I had the ingredients on hand to make this dish while being confined to my home. We ate these chick peas with wild rice, and I'm glad I doubled the recipe for leftovers. I'm soooo grateful those cookies didn't work out because this dish is a keeper.
Sam Turnbull says
Happy you loved it, Kristal 🙂
Tova says
Another smash hit Sam! This sounded good in principle & looked lovely but I was a little sceptical especially about a coconut undertone. WOOOOOW!!! Just WOW! The lemon pops, the creamy sauce is chin dripping heaven. I added broccoli & zucchini to up the veg quotient & stuck to your great counsel for the rest. It got polished off by 2 in one sitting. And it’s so simple - I’m teaching my vegan nephew to cook & we made this dish together for his second dinner lesson. It’s now on his weekly rotation!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww wonderful!!! Thrilled you loved it so much, Tova 🙂
Laurel says
Just made this. Added some nutritional yeast. Its so delicious. Will make again and again.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!!
lena says
this started out as a struggle meal, but i added zucchini from the garden and served with roast potatoes and a little rice - and it felt like an absolute feast! so delicious. highly recommend the zucchini addition, btw, it soaks up the flavour beautifully, but i feel like this is a super adaptable meal in general. so glad i now know how to make it!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Diane K says
Hot Damn.....these are so good. I usually eat spiced crispy chickpeas, what a nice change of pace, so fresh with the lemon and creamy garlic goodness. Made these tonight for tomorrow night's dinner (will serve over wild rice), I didn't want to stop eating them after tasting them for seasoning.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing! So happy you enjoyed, Diane 🙂
clutchngrab says
Hi Sam. So as I am inclined to do, I saw this recipe and riffed on it because I LOVE chickpeas and lemon/garlic. Sooo, I followed the base recipe with the lemon onion and garlic and made a middle-eastern seasoning mix out of zatar, onion powder, garlic powder, tumeric and sumac along with salt and pepper. I went with a cup and a half of veggie broth and instead of coconut milk mixed in 2 tbls of tahini. I also had a cold baked potato I mashed and added just because I could. I also pressure cooked a cup of dried chickpeas first since I think they taste better than canned. Finished it off with microwaved frozen broccoli. OMG - the best thing I've cooked in a while. Thanks for the great inspiration!
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed!
Hedwig says
Wow!! Loooooved it! I served it over pasta and it is so tasty and creamy! Will make it again! Thank you Sam, you’re the best!!
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you enjoyed it, Hedwig 🙂