I love crispy chickpeas, you love crispy chickpeas, we all love crispy chickpeas – but what I love more than anything in this world is a hearty, filling, plant-based crispy chickpea bowl. And this is just that – it’s a bowl that is slightly unique because it combines spicy peaches with jammy red onions, making a sweet fruit savory, and a savory vegetable, sweet.
The seasonings are minimal here, and I’m just choosing to let the ingredients and the cooking method shine. Because how can you be mad when things are charred on a pan? It’s one of the ultimate flavor techniques, and I love applying it to this crispy chickpea bowl.
Table of contents
Ingredients for this crispy chickpea bowl
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 medium peaches, cut into slices
- 1/4 tsp each of chili powder, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, harissa
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes & kosher salt
- 1 large red onion, cut into rings
- 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Olive oil as needed
- Kosher salt and black pepper, as needed
- 2 sprigs of fresh mint or parsley, for garnishing
What is the maillard reaction?
So this recipe uses the maillard reaction (fun!) which is a reaction you see commonly in food, but probably don’t know the name of. At its core, the maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives cooked food a distinct brown color and seared flavor. This is most commonly seen in proteins, but in this recipe, the color is coming from the caramelization of sugars in the vegetables and fruit we are cooking. So you’re getting some of the flavor you associate with seared steaks, charred barbecue and other grilled foods, but it’s all coming from plant-based sources and one cast iron skillet!
How to make the spicy grilled peaches
In a large bowl, add the chili powder, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, harissa, red pepper flakes and salt. Drizzle in some olive oil and mix into a spice paste. Add the peaches in and toss until they are well coated. Set this to the side.
Put a large cast iron skillet on medium heat. Ventilate your kitchen because things might get a bit smoky!
From here just cook the peaches for 1-2 minutes on each side until they are slightly charred, they will get all spicy and juicy and delicious.
How to blacken red onions for this crispy chickpea bowl
Add a small splash of olive oil to the skillet, then in batches, blacken the red onion rings. They will get charred and slightly soft, bringing out their natural sweetness. This should take about 2 minutes of cook time on each side. Move these to a bowl, season them with a bit of salt and set aside.
How to make the crispy chickpeas
This is the first time I made crispy chickpeas in a pan, and I am newly converted to loving this method. You need a decent amount of oil to help them crisp up, so after removing your vegetables, add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan, and throw in the chickpeas. Spread them out in an even layer and season with salt and pepper. Let them sizzle for about 2-3 minutes before stirring. Repeat this until the chickpeas are golden brown on all sides and slightly crispy.
Putting this plant-based crispy chickpea bowl together
You can compile this bowl any way you like, but I personally love piling the rice first, then the produce, and then sprinkling the chickpeas on top. It lets the rice be a strong base, the produce can meld their flavors together and the crispy chickpeas are right where you want them.
I definitely recommend serving this with fresh herbs, and I’ll always say mint is divine on this.
Looking for other vegetarian recipes?
Here are a few of my favorites from the blog:
And that’s it for this vegetarian chickpea bowl recipe!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Crispy Chickpea Bowl with Spiced Grilled Peaches & Blackened Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 medium peaches cut into slices
- 1/4 tsp each of chili powder, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, harissa
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes & kosher salt
- 1 large red onion cut into rings
- 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- Olive oil as needed
- Kosher salt and black pepper as needed
- 2 sprigs of fresh mint or parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- Begin by cooking your rice, I prefer a rice cooker but you can do this in the stove or in an instant pot. Cook according to package instructions.
- In a large bowl, add the chili powder, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, harissa, red pepper flakes and salt. Drizzle in some olive oil and mix into a spice paste. Add the peaches in and toss until they are well coated. Set this to the side.
- Put a large cast iron skillet on medium heat. Ventilate your kitchen because things might get a bit smoky!
- Add a small splash of olive oil to the skillet, then in batches, blacken the red onion rings. They will get charred and slightly soft, bringing out their natural sweetness. This should take about 2 minutes of cook time on each side. Move these to a bowl, season them with a bit of salt and set aside.
- Immediately add in the peaches, cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side or until they have golden char marks. Remove from the pan and set to the side.
- Add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan, and throw in the chickpeas. Spread them out in an even layer and season with salt and pepper. Let them sizzle for about 2-3 minutes before stirring. Repeat this until the chickpeas are golden brown on all sides and slightly crispy.
- To serve, add the rice to your bowls. Then add the peaches and the onions and top with the chickpeas. Add fresh mint or parsley to serve!
My husband is worried that grilling these components is going to fuck up his cast iron pan. Any tips on how to avoid that? Is it just lower heat and cleaning immediately afterwards?
Ok do not fear! I have a home-seasoned, crispy black, gorgeous Lodge in the game and I grill peaches on it all the time! Make sure you use a sufficient amount of oil on the peaches and scrub after, and feel free to do a subsequent season if you’re worried, but you shouldn’t have any problems!
Good to know! Thank you! Very much looking forward to trying this recipe out tonight!
I wanted to try this recipe with some sort of sauce to drizzle on it. Do you know any that would work?
I’m also hoping for a sauce recommendation!
We used Greek yogurt and it was fresh and tangy which balanced the other flavors!
So good! Making the peaches savory and the onions sweet?! Genius.
Thank you!! I hope you’ll love!
for the spices on the peaches, do you need powdered coriander and cumin? or whole spices?
I recommend powdered so they cling to the peaches, if you have whole you can toast them and then grind them, which is what I love doing if you want some extra *umph* 🙂
This was delicious! I had thought I might throw together a sauce for it but it really didn’t need it. It was very flavorful with the mint. I topped mine with a fried egg for some extra protein.
oooo I’m sure the egg helped too with texture!
I can’t wait to make this! Looks amazing! I am also dying to know where your bowls are from, they are gorgeous – would you share?
They should be linked in my ceramics highlight on Instagram 🙂
Just made this on Monday and it was absolutely delicious. The aromas made us hungry while I was cooking & the taste did not disappoint!
Ok is the smell not amazing?? And I’m so glad you made it. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
I’ve been excited to make since seeing the video recently. I finally did tonight after finding some perfect peaches.
The way these flavors came together!!
10/10. I cannot count how many times I stopped to say-“oh my god this is so good” during the meal.
I am impressed by every dish of yours I make, thanks for sharing!!
Omg I am so glad you made this and liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, I really appreciate it.
You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this site!
Dare I say this might be my favorite Justine recipe of all time? Subbed cilantro for parsley and topped with hot honey. Absolutely divine.
Thank you so much! I’ve been seeing all your other ratings and they just make me so happy 🙂
I cannot stop making this recipe. So easy, so cheap, so damn GOOD.
I’m not sure if I already replied to this but this comment made me so happy! This recipe is a staple in my house and I’m so glad you liked it!