Kung Pao Chickpeas
I’m on that Chinese food kick again. Awhile back, before I decided to even become a vegetarian, I purchased this cookbook. I pulled the book out, saw a recipe for Kung Pao Chicken and started playing around with protein substitutes. Chickpeas came to mind so I thought I’d give it a try and Vegan Kung Pao Chickpeas were born. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. The chickpeas responded to the marinade just as I had hoped. Crispy, caramelized and golden!
Flecked with red pepper flakes, chives or green onions…whichever you have. A bit of ginger and garlic and of course, that classic Kung Pao sauce. I really think you’ll love it!
Kung Pao Chickpeas {Vegan}
Ingredients
- FOR THE MARINADE:
- 1 can of Chickpeas Garbanzo Beans
- 1 Tbl Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbl Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbl Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Vegetable Oil
- *
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1 Tbl Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbl Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbl Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbl Sugar
- 1 Tbl Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Salt optional
- *
- FOR COOKING THE CHICKPEAS:
- 2 Tbl Vegetable Oil
- 1-2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 tsp Garlic minced
- 2 tsp Ginger grated
- 2 Tbl Green Onions or chives, chopped
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1/2 C Peanuts
Instructions
- Instructions
- Mix together the marinade ingredients. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes.
- To make the sauce, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
- Prepare the garlic, ginger and green onions and set aside with the red pepper flakes and sesame oil.
- Heat 2 Tbl of vegetable oil in a wok or skillet on high. Drain and add the marinated chickpeas. Cook, stirring occasionally until golden and caramelized.
- Add the grated ginger, garlic, green onions and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes more.
- Stir the sauce mixture and add it to the hot pan. Cook for another minute, stirring often and then add the peanuts and sesame oil. Toss a few times and transfer to a serving platter.
- Serve with white or brown rice and soy sauce, if desired.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Holy yum! I absolutely love this idea & may have to make it for dinner tomorrow… thanks for sharing 🙂
aimee says
Thanks for stopping by Shannon 🙂 Let me know if you try it. I’d love your feedback!
betsy shipley says
Looks terrific. I will be adding this to my list of recipes to make since we are going to re do our kitchen next week. We have been involved with tempeh making for over 35 years and I would love to incorporate tempeh into this recipe at some future date.
I will be bookmarking this today.
betsy
aimee says
Hi Betsy! Thank you for the comment. As a fairly new vegan, I haven’t really delved into tempeh but I would love to develop some recipes using it. I spent some time on your website…very impressive! 🙂
Shelly says
Just add the peanuts to taste…? Don’t see them listed in the ingredients.. thank you!! <3
aimee says
Sorry about that, I used 1/2 C but you could add more or less to suit your tastes.
Chamroeun Sor says
I am a Muslim and would like to know what can substitute for instead of using alcohol? Thank you for reading this comment. Cheers!!!
Chelsea says
I’m just going to add some extra rice vinegar!
aimee says
Hi! Thank you for visiting the site. I tried to do some research on this for you and understand that many vinegars are either processed with alcohol or alcohol added after the fact, though it is cooked out during the manufacturing process. There may be specific brands who do not use these processes and I would check with a grocer familiar with and carrying products suitable for this. You could always try lemon or lime juice for the tartness that vinegar provides. You could also look into non-alcoholic wines. I would think both of these would work just as well. 🙂
Emma says
This looks fantastic! I don’t think I’ve had Kung Pao anything before but sweet, salty and sticky sounds pretty darn amazing 😀
Melissa says
Red wine vinegar is listed in the sauce twice. Is that supposed to be another type of vinegar?
aimee says
Hi Melissa, I took a look to see if I made a typo but it’s actually red wine vinegar AND rice wine vinegar 🙂
Melissa says
Oops! Well I guess I should wear my glasses more often! :o)
Alice says
The 2nd one is RICE wine vinegar. I saw it that way too, at first.
Amy says
No it’s not. Rice wine vinegar and red wine vinegar.
Hedda says
Looks wonderful!
Trisha says
Will be making this for dinner tonight served over brown rice with a side of stir fry veggies. YES!!
aimee says
Wonderful! 🙂 I would love to hear what you think if you wouldn’t mind coming back to leave some feedback?
Aldo says
Just finished making this – awesome! Can you tell me which cookbook the recipe is derived from?
aimee says
I am so glad you liked it! 🙂 It wasn’t a vegan cookbook sadly, but I improvised the recipe from one in this book (let me know if the link doesn’t work): http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Easy-Chinese-Everyday-Recipes/dp/0811859304/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1399226159&sr=1-1
elizabeth says
Aimee, thank you for posting this recipe! It was absolutely delicious! My entire hard to please “meat eating” family loved it. It also tastes great without the finishing sauce as we had to test it along the way 🙂 I served the kung pao in ramekin dishes along side of a fantastic garden salad with a mouth watering home made lime dressing. Our taste buds were dancing tonight 🙂
aimee says
Elizabeth your comment just made my entire day 🙂 Thanks so much and I am glad you liked it! My mind comes up with these recipes and well, you just never know LOL
Mawilli says
Absolutely delicious!! Ate them for breakfast :). I have put them in a vegan wheat wrap with mashed avocado, sunflower seeds and fresh spinach for lunch tomorrow,
Cindy says
Thank you! I just made this and I am enjoying it very much now. I used cashews because I didn’t have any peanuts (I simply couldn’t wait for another trip to the grocery store to try this!).
I added about 1/2 tsp of the red pepper flakes because I only like it mildly spicy. It’s very easy to make. Your concise instructions made it very easy to follow and this only took a total of about 15 mins for me, so it’s great for a quick meal. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate recipes that are not so wordy–when you’re in the kitchen up to your ears in rice vinegar, spices, and chickpeas, you want to get straight to the point like your recipe does. ‘I’ll bet that it would taste great cold or with some edamame tossed in with the nuts. I can’t wait for my husband to try this.
aimee says
Welcome to The Veg Life Cindy! Thank you so much for your comment. I’m glad you liked it and love that you improvised 🙂 So many people get stuck on the recipe just as it’s written, but really it’s meant to be a guide to make it your own.
Jeanette Martinez says
I made this recipe yesterday! Loved it! easy to make
aimee says
Hi Jeanette – I’m so glad you tried it! And even better…liked it 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment. Made my day!!
Lee says
How many is this intended to serve, assuming you’re serving it with something like rice?
aimee says
Hi Lee, this made two nicely sized portions. You could easily double the recipe if you are wanting to serve more than two people.
Sandrine says
I cooked recently of the seitan sauce peanuts : I am also going to test chickpeas with peanuts 🙂
Thank you for the recipe.
Have a goog day 🙂
Ellen says
Thank you so much for the Kung Pao Chickpea recipe. My husband and I enjoyed the dish immensely! I used what we had in the cupboard so made some changes to it. I substituted chopped raw almonds for the peanuts; added a dollop of tahini sauce; substituted apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar. Great taste!
aimee says
Hi Ellen – I love that you substituted what you had in the house! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Rebecca says
Just made this and it’s absolutely fabulous! My omni parents made it and loved it as well. This is so great! Thanks so much for creating and sharing!
aimee says
Hi Rebecca – I am so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate your comment.
chamsalife18 says
Help! I just made this dish tonight. I first want to say that it tasted amazing. I and my husband LOVED it. But, the chickpeas stuck to my pan! I used 2 Tbs of oil and my pan was hot. I was not using a non-stick pan. I wound up chickpea mush with no sauciness. What did I do wrong? How do I make it so my chickpeas don’t stick to the pan?
aimee says
Gosh, I’m sorry you had that experience! ;( I haven’t had anyone else report having issues. The only things I can think of were that the pan might have been too hot, maybe not using a non-stick pan and/or not stirring frequently enough. I cooked mine pretty hot and they didn’t stick at all, however I did use a non-stick wok. They shouldn’t stick or turn to mush and I had some liquid left over. Like any stir fry, I cook on medium-high heat and get it done rather quickly. I’m sorry, I’m not exactly sure what went wrong but my best guess is the pan itself. I would recommend non-stick if you attempt it again.
Allison says
This is a fantastic recipe! It’s become a staple for us. I made three tweaks. First, doubled the liquids in the sauce. Yay for more sauce! Second, use Chinese black vinegar rather than red wine. Makes the sauce richer. Third, add a chopped red bell pepper. It adds a fresh note that rounds out the dish.
aimee says
I’m so glad you liked it and even more happy that you made it your own 🙂 I am going to try yours next time around!
Justin says
I just made this – I left out the ginger and sesame oil (all out) and substituted cashews for the peanuts.
Turned out amazing! Thanks for the great recipe.
aimee says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Louisa says
I found this recipe by google. I am glad I did. I just made it today and my husband and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the great recipe!
aimee says
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
kristin says
How many servings does this recipe make? Trying to plan ahead 🙂
aimee says
Hi Kristin! I would say two servings…unless you are really hungry, then one 😉 It’s one can of chickpeas, so if you can think of it that way, it might be easier to judge serving size. It’s easy to double the recipe if you so desire. Would love to hear what you think once you’ve made it!
Renee says
One of my husband’s co-workers just had a bit of a spat with his wife about meat-free meals for Lent. He doesn’t like any kind of sea food, and is tired of grilled cheese. I’m going to fix this and then share the recipe. It sounds wonderful!
Vito says
Here’s my idea:
Buy dry chickpeas, and cook it your own, instead of buying canned one.
The difference in taste is enormous, belive me…
Oh, and try adding some chili, to add extra kick to the taste.
Anyhow, tnx for the great recipe!
Mary Lou says
I was wondering if those are red onions in the picture? There appears to be something purple, but I don’t see it listed in the ingredients. Sounds like a good recipe!
aimee says
Hi Mary Lou, I took a look at the photos and I think what you are seeing is the red pepper flakes maybe coming off as a bit purple. I didn’t use onions in the recipe (but not a bad idea 🙂
Karen says
I goofed up the recipe… I did not drain the chickpeas from the marinade. I wasn’t sure if I should or not. So I figured I should keep all of that flavor form the marinade and cook the chickpeas with it. The whole meal was way too tangy. I’ll have to try it again.
aimee says
Hi Karen, I’m so sorry that wasn’t more clear. I adjusted the recipe to reflect this. Also, you can adjust the sauce by adding more sugar. I hope you decide to attempt it once more. I would love to hear how it turns out 🙂
Kirsten says
How many does this serve? Making it tonight for 4. I think I’ll double it and be happy with leftovers!
aimee says
It’s one can of chickpeas, so I would say it serves 2. Let me know how you like it 🙂
Dena A. says
I like reading all your comments. And what you added or didn’t. I want to make it this week. I know hubby won’t like it. Nor will he even try anything New! More for Me!
aimee says
I like the way you think! 🙂 Enjoy!!
Angelica Chambers says
Delicious! Didn’t miss the chicken at all!
Jack says
We’re trying to cut way down on meat consumption and made this last night. It was great. Grilled some peppers and onions and served all of it over brown rice. My only complaint is there wasn’t enough for leftovers. Will definitely double or triple the recipe next time.
aimee says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I’m getting ready to do an updated version of this recipe, so stay tuned 🙂