This sweet and sour chickpeas recipe is the perfect quick and easy recipe to make on a busy night for dinner!
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If you loved sweet and sour as take out prior to eating plant based, then you will love this sweet and sour chickpeas recipe!
This recipe comes together so quickly, yet is packed with flavor, you’ll be looking for a pen to add it to your meal rotation immediately.
No more overcomplicating recipes! Grab these kitchen staples and let’s get a meal on the table fast!
Why You’ll Love This Dish
Simple
You will absolutely love how simple this is recipe is! Just 10 ingredients and ready in under 20 minutes.
Pantry Ingredients
For most people, all of these ingredients are already on hand which makes this a pantry staple meal. I know when I usually have all the ingredients on hand, it’s a meal I’ll make over and over again!
Nostalgia
We love cooking meal that bring back memories. If you used to get takeout often and love a sweet and sour sauce, this is recipe will give you all the feels!
Sweet and Sour Recipe Ingredients:
Gather your ingredients!
Below are notes about the ingredients before we get into the full recipe located lower in this post on how to make vegan dish:
- Chickpeas – We are using canned chickpeas that we have drained and rinsed. You can made your own dried chickpeas if you’d prefer, just have them ready before starting this recipe
- Garlic, Onions and Peppers – These are our aromatics and the base of the flavor that’s going to come out of the dish.
- Coconut Sugar – you’ll need a sweet component to this dish, so we are using coconut sugar to get that
- Apple Cider Vinegar – the tang from the vinegar helps balance the sweetness and the acid from the tomatoes
- Cornstarch – helps to make our sauce thick
- Soy sauce – we prefer to use a low sodium soy sauce so the saltiness isn’t overpowering
- Ketchup – using ketchup helps to make this recipe goes fast rather than making it using tomato paste
Substitutions and Variations:
- Chickpeas – You could replace with cauliflower, broccoli, tofu, soy curls, seitan, or even jackfruit
- Coconut Sugar – can use brown sugar instead, or granulated date sugar. Also liquid sugars like maple syrup, agave or date syrup would work
- Apple Cider Vinegar – lemon juice or white vinegar could work
- Cornstarch – arrowroot powder can be subbed instead
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos, liquid aminos or tamari are subs
Step by Step Instructions:
Into a small bowl, you are going to make a sauce using coconut sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, and garlic. Stir together.
In a separate bowl, combine your cornstarch and water and whisk together. Pour cornstarch slurry into sauce bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Add your peppers and onions and cook until softened. Then, add in your chickpeas and stir together.
Add in your sauce and stir to coat all the ingredients.
Stir and cook until the sauce has begun to thicken and bubbling.
Serve with choice of veggies and/or a grain like rice, quinoa, etc. Top with sesame seeds and/or green onions.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Soy sauce is the only top allergen in this dish. You can use coconut aminos, tamari, or no soy soy sauce depending on your allergens to replace.
Yes! Once cooled completely, you can store in an air tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes. Just double all the ingredients and cook as needed
Yes. Let cool completely and store in a freezer safe bag or container!
What other vegan main dishes could I make?
If you love this vegan recipe, you may love these even more:
- Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Edamame with Peanut Sauce
- Creamy Coconut Rice with Spiced Chickpeas
- Easy Vegan Chickpea Curry
- Vegan Green Bean Salad with Feta and Almonds
- Vegan Crispy Roasted Cauliflower
- Vegan Arugula Salad with Chickpeas Avocado and Cherry Tomatoes
- Vegan Zucchini Fritters
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🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Sweet and Sour Chickpeas
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut sugar*
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 4 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 4 teaspoon cold water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Optional Sides
- Grain of choice (rice, quinoa, etc)
- steamed veggie (broccoli, carrots, etc)
Optional Garnishes
- sesame seeds
- green onions, sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine coconut sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and garlic. Stir together. In another small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Pour cornstarch slurry into sauce bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
- Add oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add bell peppers and onions and cook until softened (about 3-4 minutes). Then add in chickpeas and stir to combine.
- Add in the sauce and stir to cover all of the chickpeas and vegetables. Stirring often, let cook until sauce has begun to thicken and bubbling.
- Remove from heat. Serve immediately with any sides and garnishes desired.
So very good! love the sweet and sour. Chickpeas never tasted so good. Simple recipe and quick to pull together with pantry ingredients. I served with a cauliflower and millet mash. Glad to find you guys and these tasty recipes.
We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! It makes us so happy to know that you found the sweet and sour flavor delicious and that it was quick to put together with pantry staples. Serving it with a cauliflower and millet mash sounds like a wonderful pairing. We are so glad you found us and are enjoying our recipes. Thank you for sharing your success with us
I followed the recipe exact and served it with 20 Minute Easy Vegan Fried Rice Recipe; both recipes were a hit. Thanks for the easy and delicious meal.
You’re so welcome! Glad you enjoyed
Amazing. Made this for a dinner party and they loved it and wanted the recipe!
Amazing!