Chili garlic vinegar chickpeas, bold ginger garlic heat and a vinegar snap. Use them on crispy potatoes, stuff pitas, smash tacos, toss salads, or top papadam nachos. Make once, meals and snacks all week. (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free) 18g protein 15g fiber
These tangy spicy 15 minute chickpeas are wildly flavorful and so versatile. Ginger for warmth, garlic for depth, chilies for spark, vinegar for snap. Cook these once, and you’ve got a building block for the week. Put them on crispy potatoes, stuff a pita, smash a taco, toss a salad, or make fusion pappadum nachos!
These chili garlic vinegar chickpeas are inspired from my Nepali potatoes. I took that flavor profile and put it with the chickpeas, because it’s just so incredibly delicious.
For the chickpeas, we’re making this dry sauce of garlic, ginger, and green chilies and also adding some whole spices, like mustard seeds and cumin seeds. We are adding vinegar in the end, so the chickpeas pick up that tanginess and aromatic flavors from the sauce and get so flavorful and tender.
Pappadum nachos below
They are just so addictive, especially served with the easy baked or air fried crispy potatoes strips.
You can serve these chickpeas and potatoes together in various ways: as a bowl with salad greens, to make papadum nachos, in smashed tacos, or stuffed into warm pita bread. No matter how you serve them, you are going to love them!
Why You’ll Love Chili Garlic Chickpeas
- easy, 1-pan chickpeas cook while the potato strips crisp up in the air fryer
- full of rich, deep Indian flavors
- versatile! Serve as a salad, nachos, tacos, or stuffed into a pita
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free
More Indian Chickpea Recipes
For the Garlic Vinegar Chickpeas
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Make the chili garlic chickpeas.
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Heat a skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping in a few mustard seeds. If they don’t sizzle, it’s not ready. Once ready, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let them cook for 10 to 30 seconds, until the mustard seeds start to pop and the cumin seeds change color.
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Reduce the heat to low, and mix in the onion, ginger, garlic, green chili, a good pinch of the salt, and the black pepper. Cook this for about 3 minutes, until the mixture starts to turn golden. Then, add in the 1/2 cup water, the chickpeas, and the rest of the salt and mix in. Cover and let this cook for about 10 minutes, so the chickpeas can pick up the flavor, and most of the liquid dries out.
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Then, mix in the Kashmiri chili powder and the white vinegar, and switch off the heat. You don’t want to fully cook out the vinegar, just remove that super fresh tang. Let it sit for a few minutes in the hot skillet, then taste and adjust the flavor. Add more salt or spice, if needed. Garnish with cilantro.
Meanwhile, make the potato crisps.
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Chop the potatoes into thin strips. Soak them in cold water while you finish chopping. Wash them in the cold water to remove excess starch, then drain and put them on a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Transfer to a bowl, add the 2 teaspoons oil, and toss well to coat. Mix the salt, pepper, and cornstarch together in a small bowl, and sprinkle that over the potatoes, tossing to coat again.
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Air fry at 370° F (188° C) for about 8 minutes, then stir and air fry for another 4 minutes or longer until crispy. Or bake at 375° F (191° C) for 15 minutes, stir, and bake for 8 to 10 more minutes, or longer, until crispy.
Serving Suggestions
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Make a greens and chickpeas bowl. Add lettuce, spinach, or other greens, top with a good helping of the chickpeas, potato crisps, cilantro, and lime juice. The chickpeas have so much flavor that you don’t really need much else. Top with some of the whipped tofu (recipe in notes).
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For papadum nachos. Cook papadums until crisp (or use tortilla chips), then top with chickpeas, chopped onion, tomato, cilantro, and a good squeeze of lime juice lime juice. Serve immediately, so the papadums don’t get soggy.
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Make smashed tacos. Smash the chickpeas a little bit, add to tortillas, then fold and stick them closed. Brush with oil, then pan fry or bake using the directions from my ricotta tacos. You can add cheese inside to help the tortillas stick, especially if you’re baking. Serve with pico de gallo, whipped tofu (recipe in notes), and/or hot sauce.
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For a stuffed pita. Warm a pita, open up the pocket, and spread on whipped tofu or hummus, then fill with lettuce, chickpeas, and potatoes. Then, top with onion, tomato, cucumber, or pickled onion (recipe in notes). It’s a fabulous burst of flavors and textures in your mouth!
For the whipped tofu: Add 14 ounces tofu, 1 teaspoon cumin, 5 mint leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons tahini, zest of 1 lime, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 teaspoons maple syrup to a food processor, and process until completely smooth. You can add in more water by the tablespoon, if needed, to get it really whipped and creamy.
For the pickled onions: Slice up 1 cup of red onion rings, and add them to a bowl. Add in 1/2 of a minced green chili, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and black pepper, to taste. Toss really well to coat with the spices. Let the onion rings sit. To make them more pickled, you can add more vinegar .
Calories: 479kcal, Carbohydrates: 84g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 518mg, Potassium: 1361mg, Fiber: 15g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 146IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 114mg, Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients
- oil – To sauté and to help the potatoes crisp in the air fryer.
- whole spices – The sauce for the chickpeas starts with whole, roasted mustard and cumin seeds.
- aromatics – Onion, garlic, ginger, and green chili add so much flavor!
- ground spices – Black pepper, salt, and Kashmiri chili powder add another layer of flavor to the chickpeas. You also need salt and pepper for the potatoes.
- chickpeas – Homemade or canned is fine to use, or use other cooked beans of choice.
- vinegar – Adds a great tang to the chickpeas!
- cilantro – To garnish the chili garlic vinegar chickpeas.
- russet potatoes – For the crispy potatoes.
💡Tips
- Throw a few mustard seeds into the pan of oil. When they start to sizzle and pop, the oil is hot enough to start cooking.
- Make the potatoes while the covered pan of chickpeas cooks to save time.
How to Make Chili Garlic Chickpeas and Crispy Potato Strips
Heat a skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping in a few mustard seeds. If they don’t sizzle, it’s not ready. Once ready, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let them cook for 10 to 30 seconds, until the mustard seeds start to pop and the cumin seeds change color.
Reduce the heat to low, and mix in the onion, ginger, garlic, green chili, a good pinch of the salt, and the black pepper. Cook this for about 3 minutes, until the mixture starts to turn golden. Then, add in the 1/2 cup water, the chickpeas, and the rest of the salt and mix in. Cover and let this cook for about 10 minutes, so the chickpeas can pick up the flavor, and most of the liquid dries out.
Then, mix in the Kashmiri chili powder and the white vinegar, and switch off the heat. You don’t want to fully cook out the vinegar, just remove that super fresh tang. Let it sit for a few minutes in the hot skillet, then taste and adjust the flavor. Add more salt or spice, if needed. Garnish with cilantro.
Chop the potatoes into thin strips. Soak them in cold water while you finish chopping. Wash them in the cold water to remove excess starch, then drain and put them on a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Transfer to a bowl, add the 2 teaspoons oil, and toss well to coat. Mix the salt, pepper, and cornstarch together in a small bowl, and sprinkle that over the potatoes, tossing to coat again.
Air fry at 370° F (188° C) for about 8 minutes, then stir and air fry for another 4 minutes or longer until crispy. Or bake at 375° F (191° C) for 15 minutes, stir, and bake for 8 to 10 more minutes, or longer, until crispy.
How to Serve Chili Garlic Chickpeas
Make a greens and chickpeas bowl. Add lettuce, spinach, or other greens, top with a good helping of the chickpeas, potato crisps, cilantro, and lime juice. The chickpeas have so much flavor that you don’t really need much else. Top with some of the whipped tofu (recipe in notes).
For papadum nachos. Cook papadums until crisp (or use tortilla chips), then top with chickpeas, chopped onion, tomato, cilantro, and a good squeeze of lime juice lime juice. Serve immediately, so the papadums don’t get soggy.
Make smashed tacos. Smash the chickpeas a little bit, add to tortillas, then fold and stick them closed. Brush with oil, then pan fry or bake using the directions from my ricotta tacos. You can add cheese inside to help the tortillas stick, especially if you’re baking. Serve with pico de gallo, whipped tofu (recipe in notes), and/or hot sauce.
For a stuffed pita. Warm a pita, open up the pocket, and spread on whipped tofu or hummus, then fill with lettuce, chickpeas, and potatoes. Then, top with onion, tomato, cucumber, or pickled onion (recipe in notes). It’s a fabulous burst of flavors and textures in your mouth!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chili garlic chickpeas are naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free.
