Meal Type » Lunch & Dinner » Vegan Orange Chickpea Bowl

Vegan Orange Chickpea Bowl

Name: Vegan Orange Chickpeas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 cans chickpeas; 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp sweetener of choice (maple syrup, honey, brown sugar all work); 3 tbsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce; 1 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch (can sub 2 tbsp arrowroot); 2 tbsp water; 2 tsp hot sauce (or to taste); 2 tbsp orange zest

Claire Cary

5 from 9 votes

September 28, 2020

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With so many vegan chickpea recipes, these orange chickpeas are one of my favorites! They’re packed with fresh orange flavor, ready in 15 minutes and are perfect for meal prep. Sweet, tangy and picky eater approved!

White rice with orange chickpeas and hands holding the bowl.

I’ve said this before, but I’m saying it again! I’m on a mission to make a chickpea dish out of all of the popular Chinese dishes. So far we have Sesame Chickpeas, General Tso’s Chickpeas, and now this Orange Chickpea buddha bowl, so what should be next?!

These easy recipes are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner because they are all so easy to make. Plus, they’re a great source of plant protein and there are (clearly!) so many ways to add flavor to chickpeas.

This recipe was inspired by my orange cauliflower, but I made a few tweaks to the sauce so it compliments the chickpeas better. Just as easy and delicious though!

Angled view of the final orange chickpeas with broccoli in a buddha bowl.

How to make this recipe

First, mince the garlic and add to a pan with 1 tbsp of oil. Let it saute for about 2-3 minutes or until it starts to brown slightly. Be sure to stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn.

Next, add in the fresh orange juice, tamari, rice vinegar, honey, ginger and hot sauce. In a separate bowl, whisk together the arrowroot powder and the water.

Add the arrowroot mixture to the orange juice mixture on low heat and whisk together to ensure no clumps form. Using low heat is important because if the heat is too high, the mixture will thicken too quickly and you may end up with a goopy sauce.

If this does happen, no worries, just transfer the mixture to a blender to smooth it out before proceeding to the next step.

Once the mixture starts to bubble, add in the chickpeas and stir to coat them nicely. Bring the mixture to a low boil to let the sauce get nice and thick. Avoid stirring too much as this will slow down the thickening process.

The sauce should be nice and thick within 5-10 minutes. If it’s not, whisk together another tablespoon of arrowroot and tablespoon of water and add it in.

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Serving Suggestions

I personally love these orange chickpeas with rice or quinoa and steamed broccoli. You can also enjoy these on their own, or with some chicken, salmon, the options are endless!

There will be some extra sauce so you can stir fry extra veggies right into there and make like a simple orange stir fry. SO good with broccoli, purple cabbage, bok choy, baby corn, bell peppers etc.

Three bowls with the final chickpea recipe with chives on top.

Flavor Tips

The recipe calls for freshly squeezed orange juice because it will yield the best flavor. You can absolutely sub for regular orange juice, but you may want to add orange zest for extra flavor.

I do not recommend leaving out the orange zest as it adds a really great orange flavor that orange juice just ins’t very good at (sorry OJ). I like this zester to grate it in while the sauce is thickening.

Not related to flavor, but the cornstarch in the recipe is there to thicken the sauce and a very important component in this recipe. You can sub for tapioca or arrowroot starch as well, but definitely don’t leave this out!

Do they keep well in the fridge?

Once prepared, these chickpeas will store in the fridge for about 3-5 days. I have not tried freezing them, but I do think they would freeze just fine.

Orange chickpeas in a bowl with broccoli and rice.

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