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Need a new go-to high protein vegan dinner? These Vegan Sweet and Sour Chickpeas are simple, satiating and on the table in 30 minutes.
this RECIPE
Vegan Sweet and Sour Chickpeas
I’m not going to lie to you guys… I developed and photographed this recipe quite a while ago. Please don’t hate me for hoarding this delicious recipe all for myself!
Life has been super busy so getting ahead on recipe development has been a lifesaver. Thank you, past Emilie, for working ahead a bit!
We all go through seasons of life that just feel super chaotic, so I know I’m not alone in my need for quick recipes that don’t take a lot of thought, a lot of ingredients or a lot of time. Shout out to all the moms and dads and hard-working people out there running around all day with little free time to make life better for the ones around you.
Some days, anything that requires more than 30 minutes for cooking is just not an option. On those days, if I don’t have a recipe that comes together FAST, I’ll be stuck eating avocado toast for dinner (no complaints, tbh). I know most of you are in the same boat with wanting dinner to be quick and easy so you can move on to other things in your life. You’re my people, and this recipe is for you.
Ingredients for Vegan Sweet and Sour Chickpeas
We all love a 30 minute meal on those busy weeknights, but what’s the point if a 30-minute recipe calls for a million ingredients? If the recipe says it takes less than 30 minutes then great, but if it also calls for 25 ingredients then I already know I’m setting myself up to spend at least 5 minutes getting everything out of the pantry and sometimes I LITERALLY don’t have time for that.
Not only is this recipe made in 30 minutes, but it requires just 8 ingredients. Yes, JUST EIGHT!!!
- Pineapple juice. Don’t waste your money on a big bottle of pineapple juice. You just need one 8-ounce can for this vegan sweet and sour sauce.
- Tapioca starch. If you don’t have or can’t find tapioca starch, cornstarch will also work perfectly well.
- Rice vinegar. This will add a bit of punchy, acidic flavor to our sweet and sour chickpeas.
- Coconut sugar. This is part of the ‘sweet’ part of our vegan sweet and sour sauce. You can use regular white granulated sugar if you don’t have coconut sugar, but I like the subtle toasty flavor that the coconut sugar adds.
- Tomato paste. We’re using a 1/2 cup for our vegan sweet and sour sauce, which is just under a full 6-oz can of tomato paste. Save the rest for another recipe later in the week!
- Soy sauce. For a bit of that umami, salty flavor.
- Garlic powder. You could also use 2 minced or grated fresh garlic cloves.
- Chickpeas. This recipe uses 2 15-ounce cans (or 3 cups) of chickpeas. You can also prepare your chickpeas from dried if you prefer.
Serve your vegan sweet and sour chickpeas with brown rice, steamed broccoli and a sprinkling of green onions for a balanced, high protein vegan meal.
How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce
Truth be told, the sweet and sour sauce packets that come with takeout never really appealed to me. But one day the inspiration hit, and I knew I had to drench hearty chickpeas with a homemade sweet and sour sauce.
I’d say it turned out pretty freaking great! The pineapple juice and tomato paste add natural sweetness – the sauce is less sweet than ones you’ll find at restaurants, but I like it that way.
To make the vegan sweet and sour sauce, you’ll add the pineapple juice, starch, rice vinegar, sugar, tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic, and water to a blender to combine all the ingredients. Then, pour your mixture into a saucepan and cook until the sweet and sour sauce begins to bubble. It should take about 8-10 minutes. You’ll want to stir pretty often as the sauce will thicken quickly due to the starch and can burn if you don’t keep it moving. Once it’s bubbling, cover your pan, reduce your heat and let it go for another 15-20 minutes. Once you take the lid off, you’ll be left with a thick and totally crave-worthy vegan sweet and sour sauce.
Sweet and Sour Chickpeas are the Perfect High Protein Vegan Meal Prep Recipe
Let’s be real. It’s not just dinnertime that we struggle to make time for on those super busy days. You know those mornings where you’re running late and need to run out the door ASAP, so you look in the fridge and realize you don’t have anything to bring with you for lunch? Yeah, not ideal.
This vegan sweet and sour chickpea recipe is the perfect thing to make if you’re looking for vegan meal prep ideas. Plus, the chickpeas are packed with fiber and protein, which meals this high protein vegan meal will keep you fuller for longer on those crazy days.
To make this recipe for meal prep, simply cook up the chickpeas as directed and store in an air-tight container. Then pick a grain and a non-starchy vegetable. I used brown rice and steamed broccoli here, but go crazy! Quinoa and carrots? Delicious. White rice and green beans? You go for it. Maybe even prep a few different vegetables to mix it up throughout the week. Store your grain and your veggies in separate containers and then you can build a new bowl for each day. Simple!
Pro tip – these vegan sweet and sour chickpeas are also totally freezable if you’re looking for vegan freezer meals.
More High Protein Vegan Meals
It’s super important to make sure you’re eating enough protein throughout the day, especially if you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. But it doesn’t have to be super challenging! If you’re looking for more high protein vegan meals, check out one of these recipes!
- Cajun Rice and Fried Tempeh Skillet
- Chipotle Tofu Burritos
- Black Bean Power Bowl with Avocado Pesto
- Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars
- Teriyaki Tofu Meal Prep
How to make:
Vegan Sweet and Sour Chickpeas
Need a new go-to high protein vegan dinner? These Vegan Sweet and Sour Chickpeas are simple, satiating and on the table in 30 minutes
Prep Time:
5 mins
Cook Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
30 mins
Author:
Emilie
Yield:
4 1x
Rating: 4.4 from 10 reviews
Print the recipe
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce can pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons organic soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, or 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 15-ounce cans (3 cups) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Cooked brown rice, for serving
- Steamed broccoli, for serving
- Sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Warm a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- To a blender or food processor, add pineapple juice, starch, rice vinegar, sugar, tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic, and water. Pour mixture into the saucepan.
- Cook until sauce begins to bubble, about 8-10 minutes, stirring often. Cover and reduce heat to low; cook for 15-20 minutes, until sauce has thickened.
- Add chickpeas to the sauce; stir to coat evenly.
- Serve on top of brown rice and broccoli, with a garnish of green onions.
Notes
Feel free to serve this over any grains (quinoa, freekah, buckwheat) or vegetables (green beans, asparagus, zucchini) you have on hand.
June 3, 2021
Tagged with:
beans chickpeas Dinner Gluten Free Lunch Nut Free rice
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39 comments
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Filipe Fontes says: I've never really enjoyed vegetables, soups or anything like that. More after seeing this one, I think I need to quickly review my concepts hehe. Great article and congratulations. It seems to be very tasty.
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Emilie says: It is delicious!
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Jennifer Bliss says: Sweet & Sour Chickpeas? YUMMO!
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Emilie says: They're so tasty!
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Dyanne says: Is there anything I can use to substitute the rice vinegar and can I use regular sugar instead of coconut?
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Emilie says: You can use regular sugar! Rice vinegar is traditionally used in Asian recipes, but you could try it with regular white vinegar.
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Courtney Ransom says: Yum, just made this! I ran out of soy sauce (my dad used the last of it-ugh) but I subbed 1/4 tsp-ish salt. I also only had orange juice on hand (what can I say). Magically, the sweet and sour gods were looking down upon me and everything turned out okay. Happy studying and thanks for the yummy recipe! I have a whole big batch of it in my fridge ready for dinners all week long now :) Tonight I'm planning on pairing them with roasted Japanese sweet potato (my fave).
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Emilie says: Ooh I love the idea of orange juice! I'm sure more people have orange juice ready to go in their fridge, so that's an easy sub. Also, Japanese sweet potato is my FAVE but I haven't had it in so long!!
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Sarah says: I made a quick version, just the chickpeas and rice, also using OJ cos I had it on hand. Amazing sauce, definitely going in the rotation. Can't wait to try in on tofu, too!
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run 3 says: Thank you very much. i think a lot of people are looking for such a content from you. hope you will have more share such.
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GoGoAnime says: those look delicious! maybe i’ll make them for my cookout this weekend!
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Emilie says: Tofu would be delicious! Glad you liked it, Sarah.
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секс шоп says: Looks so tasty! i Love it!
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Tory says: I just made a variation on this recipe. I used a can of pineapple tidbits juice and all and added the broccoli , sliced carrots, sesame seeds and a couple of sprinkles of hemp seeds. I also poured it over cauliflowerice. Delish! thanks for sharing!
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Emilie says: Yum, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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savannah says: can you make this recipe with flour instead of tapioca starch?
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Emilie says: The tapioca starch is what makes the sauce gooey and stretchy. Flour would just make the sauce thicker. You could also use cornstarch!
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Iris says: Just had this for dinner. It was indeed very tasty. I think I might use the sauce for other things like veggie strips or soy curls or some baked cauliflower.
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Emilie says: I have yet to try soy curls, but I bet they would be delicious with this sauce! Glad you enjoyed this, Iris. <3
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sravani says: those look so delicious i loved itbest speech therapy malaysia
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Emilie says: Thank you for trying it!
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ashutosh says: nice article
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brucewill374 says: I LIKE Chickpeas.
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HKN says: WOW looks very tasty... thank you :)
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Lisa says: Would this work with arrowroot powder instead of tapioca?
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Emilie says: I have not tried that, but please let me know if you do! I would guess it would work :)
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Patricia Littlefield says: I don't usually like sweet and sour but made this with some changes due to prediabetes. I used some tablespoons of sugar free apricot jam for sweetness. used some left over marinara sauce with some finely diced carrots, onion, and celery. Added chopped bellpepper and some chili flakes. Didn't eat it with rice, I cook a pound of garbanzos in slow cooker, stop at degree of firmness i like, and flash freeze on cookie sheets before storing in freezer in zip lock bags. Makes it super fast to cook this recipe.
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Emilie says: Thank you for sharing your tips, Patricia!
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Taryn Kramer says: I made this tonight and had to sub cornstarch, and then i used coconut aminos instead of soysauce, turned out super yummy :) thanks for the great recipe!
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Emilie says: Glad it worked for you!
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Sandy says: Not a fan, funny taste not what I hoped for
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Emilie says: Sorry to hear that, Sandy! Did you follow the recipe exactly?
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Sandra says: This is my first try At a sweet and sour receipeand pleasantly surprised. It goes down easy 😋Great, thanks
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Kasey Stern says: Do you have a pintrest
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Emilie says: Yes! You can find my recipes on Pinterest here: https://www.pinterest.com/emilieeats/_created/
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Caroline Sciberras says: Wow! This is exactly what I needed!. I love chickpeas & love sweet and sour made from scratch but never thought to try them together. thank you!
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Emilie says: I'm glad you liked the recipe! They are a good match aren't they?!
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lEE SWANK says: I've yet to even try this & i already know I'm going to be dancing in my chair while i scarf this down. been looking for new recipes that cater to my newfound (frugal-friendly) vegan pantry, & I'm so grateful you took the guesswork out of amping up chickpea proteins for me. thank youuu ~
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Emilie says: I'm so happy you found the recipe! Let me know how you like it!
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