This Chickpeas Burrito Bowl is loaded with protein from quinoa and flavorful chickpeas. Skip the takeout and make this vibrant, vegetarian burrito bowl that’s bursting with color, nutrients, and serious flavor.
Got canned chickpeas? Put them to good use — Make this beet and chickpea curry or the healthy chocolate hummus recipe next!
👉 This chickpeas burrito bowl recipe has been a family and reader favorite since I first shared it back in 2024! In April 2025, I gave it a little upgrade with fresh photos, a video tutorial, and added quinoa for an extra boost of protein. The original version used cilantro lime rice, so feel free to use your favorite base!
🤩 Why our recipe?
- High in protein: From the chickpeas and quinoa.
- Completely customizable: Use rice or chopped lettuce instead of quinoa and use your favorite burrito bowl toppings.
- Healthy & Satisfying: Filling, colorful, nutritious and wholesome.
- Mega flavorful: Mexican chickpeas, pico de Gallo and the sour cream sauce, makes it uber delicious.
- Great for meal prep: The quinoa and chickpeas can be made ahead and stored for the week.
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Short Video
Ingredients you'll need to make chickpeas burrito bowl
- Cooked chickpeas: I used my Mexican Chickpeas recipe for this—it’s super flavorful thanks to a simple Mexican spice blend. Ready in just 15 minutes, and it’s amazing in chickpea lettuce wraps, tacos, burritos… You name it!
- Cooked quinoa: My favorite way to cook quinoa is in the Instant Pot—super easy and it’s done in no time!
- Pico de Gallo: It adds a burst of fresh, tangy flavor and crunch. Don't have pico de gallo? Simply top the chickpea burrito bowl with chopped tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapenos, and a squeeze of lime!
- Avocado: No burrito bowl is complete without some creamy, ripe avocado —but guac works just as well too!
- Sour cream sauce: Just mix some sour cream, finely grated garlic, lime juice, salt and a splash of water to get to a drizzly consistency.
- Lettuce: Chopped romaine, butter or iceberg lettuce. Use as much as you like.
How to make burrito bowl with chickpeas?
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Recipe tips
- Feel free to customize with your favorite burrito bowl toppings.
- Use cilantro lime rice instead of the quinoa.
- Top with guacamole or avocado crema instead of avocado.
- Use salsa instead of pico de gallo or simply top the assembled bowls with chopped, tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeno and a squeeze of lime juice.
- Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
- For meal prep, cook the chickpeas and quinoa ahead of time—they’ll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store the sour cream sauce separately and just drizzle it on right before serving!
Frequently asked questions
Each bowl uses roughly ½ cup of cooked quinoa and about ¾ cup of cooked chickpeas, providing around 19 grams of protein per serving.
Keep in mind that the exact protein amount can vary depending on how much you serve. If you swap quinoa for rice, note that the protein will be slightly lower.
If you're using home-cooked chickpeas, use about 3 cups to replace the canned variety.
1. Cook the Mexican chickpeas and quinoa (refer to our instant pot quinoa recipe), then let them cool. Divide both into meal prep containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
2. Prepare the sour cream sauce and store it in a separate container.
3. Make the pico de gallo and store that separately as well.
When you're ready to eat, simply warm the quinoa and chickpeas in the microwave until heated through. Top with fresh lettuce, pico de gallo, avocado, and a drizzle of the sour cream sauce. Enjoy!
More Mexican recipes
Chickpeas Burrito Bowl with Quinoa
Ingredients
Chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons each paprika, chili powder and coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon each dried oregano, cumin powder and salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder optional
- 2 cans canned chickpeas (each 15.5 ounces) drained
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Sour cream sauce
- ½ cup sour cream or use plain yogurt
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- salt to taste
To assemble
- 2 cups cooked quinoa refer to the linked recipe for the recipe
- 1 ½ cups pico de gallo refer notes for the recipe
- 2 avocado or use guacamole
- 4 cups shredded lettuce about 1 head romaine lettuce
Instructions
Make chickpeas
- Mix paprika, chili powder, coriander, cumin, dried oregano, salt, sugar and cayenne in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, until onions are translucent.
- Add drained chickpeas and spice mixture, cook, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until the spices are evenly distributed and toasted.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro.
Sour cream sauce
- In a bowl, mix together the sour cream, finely grated garlic, lime juice, salt, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Give it a good stir, then taste and adjust the salt if needed. You’re aiming for a thick but pourable consistency—add a little more water if it’s too thick.
Assemble
- Arrange quinoa and lettuce in the bottom of a serving bowl and top with the chickpeas, pico de gallo, and sliced or diced avocados. Drizzle the sour cream sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
What a good idea to use chickpeas instead of meat!! Pinning so I can put it on the weeknight dinner list 🙂
Maria Doss
Thank you Kelly:)
Jorge
This looks really good and it honestly seems easy to make! i really enjoy simple recipes and plus I can't really say no to any recipe that has avocado and jalapenos in it. I'll try it out soon
Maria Doss
It is super easy and convenient since canned garbanzo beans is a pantry staple for many of us:) I'm totally with you on avocados and jalapeños, you are talking my language:) Do try soon, thanks Maria