Easy Mexican Chickpeas for tacos, salads, lettuce wraps, nachos or burrito bowl - An all purpose vegetarian taco filling made with canned chickpeas is healthy, versatile and delicious - Perfect vegetarian taco Tuesday recipe!

Mexican Chickpeas
This Mexican chickpeas has been one of our go-to family favorite for many years. This vegetarian taco filling is a great option when you are pressed for time or just not in the mood to whip up a family dinner (more easy weeknight dinner ideas ).
It is almost as easy as opening a can of chickpeas. Have you tried this Butter Chickpeas or Curried Chickpea Soup?
Reader feedbacks
Amanda writes "This saved my dinner I was going to make stuffed peppers with a black bean quinoa chili, but I was out of quinoa. Looking for inspiration and I found this! So good in peppers with Mexican cheese"
Heather writes "Sooo good! Used it as a taco side! We loved it!"
Amy writes "I didn’t have cilantro or lime juice to add, but these were still AMAZING. I can only imagine how extra delicious they’ll be once I have those two finishing touches!"
Chelle E writes "This was an absolute hit. I served it with guacamole & pico de gallo. I will absolutely make this again"
Why are you going to love this recipe?
- Made using canned chickpeas
- Mostly pantry ingredients
- Quick and easy
- Vegan/vegetarian
- Great for meal prep
- Healthy and Protein-rich
Packed with flavor
A flavorful blend of spices like coriander, chili, paprika, cumin, oregano and cayenne adds wonderful flavor without being too spicy. Garlic, lime juice and cilantro adds freshness and enhances the taste.
How to serve?
- Make Chickpea Burrito Bowl with white or brown rice, pico de gallo, avocado, cooked corn, cheese and cilantro.
- Lettuce wraps with butter lettuce cups, salsa or pico de gallo, avocado or avocado crema, cheddar, corn and jalapeños and sour cream.
- Make Chickpea Tacos with all the fix-ins.
- Garbanzo bean Nachos with tortilla chips topped with this filling and Mexican blend cheese, baked and top with guacamole.
Pro Tips for Success
Chickpeas - Drain and rinse canned chickpeas under running water. Pat dry in a clean kitchen towel before using.
Oil- It might look like that the amount of oil is bit too much, but it really helps in toasting the spices and brining the dish together.
Make it spicier - Add more cayenne pepper powder and chopped jalapeno pepper along with onion and garlic.
Make it less spicy - Decrease cayenne or omit.
How to make chickpeas for tacos?
- Drain, rinse garbanzo beans and pat dry.
- Heat some vegetable oil in a non stick skillet. Saute chopped onion and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add garbanzo beans, spices and stir fry oven medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes or spices are toasted.
- Take off heat and mix in cilantro and lime juice.
How to store?
Leftovers (or make a double batch) can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in a air tight container.
Can this be frozen?
Sure can! Portion them in quart size zip lock bags and freeze for up to a month. Simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and microwave until heated through.
More Chickpea recipes to try
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Mexican Chickpeas for Tacos, Salads, Nachos or Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
Spice mixture
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
Additional ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 - 15.5 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed and patted dry
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
Instructions
Make spice mixture
- Stir all spice mixture ingredients together in a small bowl.
Make Mexican Chickpeas
- Heat vegetable oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes, until onions are translucent.
- Add chickpeas and spice mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes, until spices are toasted well.
- Take off heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro.
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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Amanda Marie Boyle
This saved my dinner I was going to make stuffed peppers with a black bean quinoa chili, but I was out of quinoa. Looking for inspiration and I found this! So good in peppers with Mexican cheese.
Maria Doss
I love the idea of stuffing them into peppers, makes a healthy and filling meal. Glad you liked it:)
Heather
Sooo good! Used it as a taco side! We loved it!
Maria Doss
Glad you loved it:)
Amy
I didn't have cilantro or lime juice to add, but these were still AMAZING. I can only imagine how extra delicious they'll be once I have those two finishing touches!
Maria Doss
Glad you liked it Amy, lime juice adds a lovely tanginess and mellows down the spiciness.Cheers, Maria
Chelle E.
This was an absolute hit. I served it with guacamole & pico de gallo. I will absolutely make this again.
Maria Doss
Glad you loved it:)
Keely
Looks great! Need a translator though. Cilantro? Think that's coriander, and we do grams, not ounces, but easy enough to Google. Cheers, from Australia, mate.
Maria Doss
Hi Keely, Cilantro is coriander leaves. All metric conversions coming soon hun - Maria
Joe
Cilantro is the leaves and stems. Coriander is the seeds. Two distinct looks and tastes, both amazing!
Maria Doss
Yes!
CATHY KRAFT
WANTED A DIFFERANT SIDE DISH WITH OUR TACOS AND MEXICAN RICE, THIS WAS AN AWESOME DISH !!!!THANK YOU😋
Maria Doss
Happy to hear hun, have a wonderful day - Maria