Meal Type » Lunch & Dinner » General Tso’s Chickpea Stir Fry

General Tso’s Chickpea Stir Fry

Name: General Tso's Chickpea Stir Fry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup vegetable broth; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter; 4 tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (can sub for brown sugar); 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce (depending on brand and preference); 3 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; 1.5 tablespoons arrowroot powder + 2 tablespoons water; 2 cans chickpeas; 1 tablespoon oil (I used toasted sesame oil for more flavor); 1/2 large red onion; 1 red bell pepper; 1 green bell pepper; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 teaspoon fresh ginger (grated)

Claire Cary

5 from 21 votes

September 7, 2020

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Dinner just got a whole lot better. This general Tso’s chickpea stir fry is a vegetarian take on your favorite Chinese take out dish! It’s naturally gluten free, ready in just 30 minutes and a total family favorite.

Chickpea stir fry with broccoli and rice in three bowls.

You probably already know this if you’re a loyal reader of my blog (hi, ily) but I love chickpeas. There’s not much you can’t do with chickpeas.

Pasta, stir fries, salads, chickpea pancakes with chickpea flour, chickpea cookie dough and more. These sticky sesame chickpeas are one of my (and your) favorites, and I know you’re going to love this recipe too!

This General Tso’s chickpea stir fry is really easy to make (one pan!), full of flavor, veggies, protein and basically everything else you could want in a plant-based dinner. Serve it over rice with some steamed broccoli on the side or enjoy it as is! If you love this recipe, try my sesame chickpea meatballs next!

Quick tips!

The arrowroot powder can be subbed for cornstarch or even tapioca starch. I imagine any plain flour like brown rice flour or all purpose flour (if you are not GF) would also work. I haven’t tried this myself, so I can’t guarantee the result, but you just need something to help thicken it up!
Make sure you drain and rinse your chickpeas very well until the water runs clear and is no longer foamy.

How to make this chickpea stir fry

Drain and rinse the chickpeas until there are no bubbles. Set aside. Meanwhile, prep the stir fry and sauce. Whisk the arrowroot and water together in a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk all remaining ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl. Set aside. Chop the onion, peppers, and mince the garlic and ginger.

Add to a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil and saute for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add in the sauce and stir together.

Give the arrowroot mixture a quick stir and add that in and stir. When it starts bubbling, quickly add the chickpeas and stir to coat them in the sauce.

Let the stir fry simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken. If it doesn’t thicken, add additional arrowroot as needed. Serve warm over rice or noodles! Try my gluten free ramen next!

Showing the process of making the stir fry.

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Serving Suggestions

I like to pair this stir fry with steamed broccoli and rice, but you can also have it with quinoa, sauteed bok choy, or even as is! There’s plenty of veggies in here so don’t feel like you need to add more!

I suggest topping it all off with sesame seeds and chopped scallions (green onion) or chives for extra flavor. I also love some red pepper flakes for a little spice.

Hands holding the chickpea stir fry in a small blue bowl.

Does it keep?

Once prepared, this chickpea stir fry will store in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Store it in an air tight container to keep it nice and fresh! Beans go bad pretty quickly so once they start to smell off, you know it’s time to toss!

Ingredient swaps and tips

Use other veggies! The veggies in this stir fry are just a base to start with. You can also add baby corn, snap peas or snow peas, kale, carrots or anything else you need to use up.

Peanut butter: If you have a peanut allergy, you can sub the peanut butter for any other nut butter (almond or sunflower will probably work best) or just leave it out entirely.

Tamari: Tamari is just gluten free soy sauce which I use in all of my recipes, but regular old soy sauce works too! It tastes exactly the same as soy sauce, just without the wheat. I always recommend a low sodium version so the dish doesn’t get too salty. I don’t, however, recommend coconut aminos.