Your favorite takeout Kung Pao dish, gone vegan!! Hearty, satisfying, and deliciously spicy… you’ll be amazed at the fantastic flavor of this dish!
Just because you are eating vegan, that doesn’t mean your meals have to be boring… these Kung Pao chickpeas will amaze you with their bold, delicious flavor!
One of the things I love about this meal is the affordability. Think about the cost of chicken compared to the cost of 1 can of chickpeas… cha-ching! That’s more money in your pocket 🙂
This Kung Pao meal also comes together really quickly. Aside from the marinating time, you can cook this meal in about 10 minutes. For real!
I tossed my chickpeas in the marinade and cooked my rice while they were marinating, that way I had the whole meal together in about 40 minutes, including marinating time!
Once you’ve marinated the chickpeas, add some oil to a large skillet (or wok if you have one), then toss in your chickpeas, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and stir. Pour in your Kung Pao sauce and saute for about 6-10 minutes, until they get as caramelized as you’d like. Serve over rice if you want.
As far as garnishes go, it’s up to you! The night we ate this, I kept it simple and did sesame seeds, green onions, and some extra peanuts.
For leftovers the next day (which are equally amazing, by the way), I went with some sliced red Thai peppers, cilantro, sesame seeds and shredded red cabbage.
The spicy, sticky sauce is just amazing. You will hardly even notice you’re eating chickpeas!I found this recipe via Brandi on SheKnows.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- Marinade:
- 2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- 1 Tbsp agave or honey
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil melted (or vegetable oil)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 14.5 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed well
- Stir-Fry:
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil or vegetable
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch section of fresh ginger grated
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 cup peanuts
- 1 cup bottled kung pao sauce
- Garnish:
- Green onions thinly sliced
- Thai chili peppers sliced
- Peanuts
- Cilantro
- Red cabbage
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Add the chickpeas to the marinade, and stir. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, add the coconut oil, the marinated chickpeas and the remaining stir fry ingredients.
- Sauté for about 6 to 10 minutes, until the chickpeas have caramelized to your liking.
- Serve over rice and garnish as desired.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Kaila (GF Life 24/7) says
They look AWESOME too! We have lots of new “creations,” where I have a back up plan in my mind. I’d say it’s about 50-50 if it comes out well or not! Thanks for sharing, this is one that I could easily modify for our family’s food allergies. Have a wonderful weekend too. 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Kaila!! Glad to hear I’m not the only one that has back-up dinner plans 😉 I hope you can customize it to your family’s needs and love the recipe 😀
Loretta says
What a great, colorful dish, love this, definitely bookmarking it. 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Loretta!! 🙂
Joanne/WineLady Cooks says
This is an awesome recipe, I can’t wait to make it – and I definitely will not miss the chicken either. Thank you so much for sharing with Foodie Friends Friday party this weekend. Pinning & sharing.
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Joanne!! I hope you love it 😀 Have a great weekend!
Suchitra says
The Kung Pao chick peas looks so tempting! Would be perfect with rice! Cannot wait to try this recipe. I am saving it. Thanks for sharing. Happy FF!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Suchitra!! I hope you LOVE it 🙂 Happy FF to you too!
Jamie says
I love this vegetarian twist on a classic dish! Same great taste, but healthier for you, it’s a win win!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Jamie!! I sure love making healthy food taste great 😀
Julie is HostessAtHeart says
This sounds delicious to me! I love those sticky coating dishes. Also loved how your watermark is on the onion 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Julie!! Lol yeah I snuck that one in there 😉
Julianna says
Wow! I am loving the look of these! I adore Kung Pao and your photos are truly inspiring me to make this recipe! 😀
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you SO much Julianna!! 😀 Kung Pao just has such great flavor
Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says
What?? Kung pao and chick peas together? This is just awesome coz I love both of them. You are amazing!! I am taking two, you don’t mind, yes? Yes! Yes! 😀 Happy FF!! 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
Awww thank you Jhuls!! Tell you what, you can have as many as you’d like 😀 Happy FF and enjoy your weekend!
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
This looks amazing! Definitely going on my secret “to try” board (and a couple of my public ones too of course). I’m an omnivore but I eat mostly vegetarian at home because it’s much kinder on your pocket haha! Kung pao chicken is what I always order from our local chinese, even though theirs has pineapple in and I’m allergic – I just like it that much!
Oh, and about those thai chillies? We’re not the best of friends at the moment. I was chopping some up just the other day for a salad dressing and I scratched my eye in the middle of it! Never experienced pain like that before haha – had a shot glass full of milk to my eye while I was blending the dressing!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Michelle!! I know what you mean, meat can be so expensive to buy. Ohhhh ouch that sounds like a horrible experience with those chilies!! Hope your eye is okay? Too funny, I’m glad I’m not the only one with a secret “to try” board on Pinterest 😉
Justine says
wow these look good, are you a chick pea fan? You should see I made a chocolate mouse with chickpeas taken from elsewhere oh my it was amazing and this looks sweet and sour, love the idea. May I have a spoonfull? Thank you for coming to FF#68, Justine x
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Justine!! Chickpeas are awesome and that chocolate mousse sounds amazing for sure 🙂 Of course, I’ll make you up a bowl 😉 Happy FF!
Linda says
OH, be still my heart! I can’t wait to make this!!!!!!
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Linda
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Linda, I hope you LOVE it 😀
Jessy @ The Life Jolie says
This looks so delicious- the perfect meatless Mondays meal. Now I just need to get my husband on board!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Jessy!! Lol, that’s always the hard part here too… getting the hubs on board 😉
Miranda says
I am going to have to try this. I am not a big fan of chickpeas, but my husband loves hummus (hummus is made out of chickpeas, right?), and I love anything spicy. Thanks for sharing!
The Chunky Chef says
Thanks Miranda!! I’m not a huge fan of them either, but the sauce and other flavors really outshine the chickpea texture 🙂 And yep, hummus is made from chickpeas 🙂 I hope you love the recipe!
Fareeha - faskitchen says
You have made the most simplest looking chickpeas exotic.. Loved it
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Fareeha!! 🙂
Raquel @ My California Roots says
These look so gret! I love love the vegan spin. Delicious!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Raquel!! 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
What an awesome and healthy vegetarian dish! I love the flavour of kung pao and always order it for takeout so I must try this recipe out.
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Thalia!! I hope you love the recipe 😀 😀
Ai Ping | Curious Nut says
Chickpeas. What a great idea. I love it.
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Ai!! 🙂
Christine says
Gorgeous pictures, my friend. Those highlights! 100% lickable.
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you SO much Christine!! This set of photos was giving me fits because it was a cloudy day and I was trying to time the shots for when the sun came out lol 🙂
Stephanie says
Weiiiird, my husband and I were talking about chick peas yesterday and I was wondering what I could make with them besides falafels! You must have heard us! 😉 These look GREAT!!!! nom nom nommmm!
PS- HAHA I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had those pizza coupons out and haven’t had to use them!! I love it when it works out!!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank youuuuuu 😀 LOL must be that psychic connection 😉 Between these and making hummus (recipe to come lol), we always have about 5 cans of chickpeas in the pantry 🙂 Hahaha glad I’m not the only one with the pizza coupon stand-by!
Dini @ Giramuk's Kitchen says
Love this so much Amanda! 😀 I’ve been doing the same thing at home, introducing my carnivore husband to more vegetarian meals… I can see him liking this (I already know I will!!)
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Dini!! Aren’t men so hard-headed at times? Lol, I hope you both love this 😀 😀