The easiest Marinated Chickpeas recipe! These delicious chickpeas are marinated in extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, plenty of garlic, onion, lemon and herbs, and are so infused with flavour. They take mere minutes to make and are really handy to keep in the fridge for easy meals and snacks throughout the week. Also great for potlucks, picnics and BBQs!
Want more no-cook chickpea recipes? Check out my vegan chickpea salad, healthy no-bake bars, spicy chickpea smash, and stuffed cucumber cups!
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My love for chickpeas knows no end. Seriously. And one of my current fave ways to enjoy them? Simple: Marinated Chickpeas eaten straight out of a big ol' bowl, after they've been infused with flavour from their very delicious marinade.
They are conveniently low-maintenance, extremely delicious, light yet satisfying, endlessly scoopable, and a great staple to have in your fridge. Make them in a large jar or container, and they are so easy to transport to your summer picnics, BBQs and potlucks!
You can enjoy your marinated chickpeas as soon as 30 minutes after making them, but if you can let them steep for a few hours, or even better until the next day, they'll be even more flavourful.
Mel x
🤍 WHY YOU'LL LOVE MY marinated chickpeaS
- Really quick and easy.
- Just 5 minutes of prep and no cooking!
- Healthy and high in protein.
- Infused with delicious flavour.
- Extremely versatile and can be used/served in endless ways (I've included lots of ideas below).
- Great for meal prep or making in advance and so handy to keep in the fridge.
- Perfect when you need to take something to a potluck or BBQ!
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Chickpeas - These can be canned or chickpeas you've cooked yourself at home.
- Parsley - Fresh is best. Any soft herbs will work here, though. Basil, thyme, or oregano would all be lovely instead of or as well as the parsley. I don't recommend using rosemary as the leaves are a little tough.
- Red onion - A shallot would work well instead or sweet white onion. I don't recommend using yellow onions as they can often be a bit strong.
- Garlic - Lots for really good flavour. If you're not a huge garlic fan, you can reduce the quantity a bit.
- Lemon - I recommend using a fresh lemon if possible, so you can utilize the juice and zest for the very best flavour in your marinade. If you only have bottled lemon juice, you can use that in a pinch and skip the zest.
- Red wine vinegar - I really like the flavour this gives, but white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar would both work ok too.
- Dried oregano - For depth of flavour. It plays really nicely here, so I don't recommend subbing it for anything else except perhaps marjoram.
- Chili flakes - For a touch of heat. You can omit them if you don't care for chili, and if you love chili you could add some fresh red chili (minced very finely) instead or as well as.
- Sugar - Just a little bit to balance the acidity.
EXTRAS THAT WORK WELL - Finely diced celery, bell pepper, pepperoncini, capers, roasted red pepper, olives, a touch of dijon mustard, a little ground cumin, crumbled vegan feta cheese. You can really get creative with this recipe and make it your own!
Let's Make Marinated Chickpeas!
Making marinated chickpeas at home is seriously quick and easy. Whisk or shake up the marinade in a bowl or jar and add drained chickpeas. Your container or jar needs to be able to hold a minimum of 1 litre. I use my Weck Tulip Jars.
Give them a shake or stir, then pop them in the fridge to marinate for anything from 30 minutes to a few days. They will work their magic and become infused with tons of flavour. Give them a shake or stir every so often to distribute the marinade. My jars are leak-proof so I just turn them upside down occasionally so that all the chickpeas get nicely drenched.
Fave Ways To Use Marinated Chickpeas
Try adding a scoop of marinated chickpeas to your dinner plate for a protein-packed side, taking them to work for a healthy packed lunch with some pita bread, to summer picnics, cookouts and BBQs, or just enjoy them as a hearty snack or quick lunch.
Some more ideas:
- Scooped up with freshly baked sourdough bread. Use the bread to soak up the garlicky, lemony chickpea marinade...SO GOOD!
- Scooped up with pita bread, no yeast flatbreads or easy yeasted flatbreads.
- Spooned over avocado toast.
- In wraps/sandwiches.
- Added to any and every salad or bowl meal.
- Poured over a bed of baby spinach for the easiest lunch.
- Eaten straight, from a bowl, alongside crispy pita chips.
- And this might just be the best application, especially if you need an easy appetizer when you've got guests coming over: Swoosh vegan cream cheese, vegan feta cheese or vegan ricotta over a large plate or serving platter then scatter over the marinated chickpeas with drizzles of their marinade. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with scoopers of choice. 🤤
Recipe FAQs
I used 1 litre Tulip Weck Jars. The size is perfect for one batch of this recipe, and they are totally leakproof, so you can shake to your heart's content or store upside down.
For best results, I recommend following this recipe as written. The extra virgin olive oil is really important in this recipe, and it just wouldn't be the same without it.
Recipe
Marinated Chickpeas
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 2 x 15oz cans chickpeas (2 x 398ml/400g cans in Canada/UK)
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
- 1 medium lemon , zest and juice
- 3 cloves garlic , minced finely or grated
- ¼ of a small red onion , diced finely (about ¼ cup)
- 2 teaspoons white or cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 big handful fresh parsley , chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Drain the chickpeas.
- Make the marinade. To a large jar, bowl, or container that can hold at least 1 litre, add everything except the chickpeas. Give it a stir or shake (with the lid on).
- Add the chickpeas and either stir or shake so all the chickpeas get coated in the marinade.
- Marinate - Cover tightly and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes but they will keep well for 5 days. The flavour will keep getting better and better. Every so often give them a stir, shake, or turn the jar upside down for a while so all the chickpeas get a chance to infuse nicely.
- If there is any marinade left when you've eaten all the chickpeas use it to dress a salad or two so you don't waste it.
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Denise says
These are delicious. I subbed fresh parsley with coriander and didn’t have red wine vinegar so subbed with ACV. So easy and I know this will be something I will make regularly to snack on or use with meals.
Mary says
Sounds great, and I will make this very soon. My question: can the leftovers be frozen?
Melanie McDonald says
I've never tried freezing it because it keeps easily for 5 days in the fridge. I think the herbs would get a bit slimy and weird once it was defrosted. I guess you could make it without the fresh herbs and have a go. Or just half the recipe so you don't have any leftovers?
Morgan says
This sounds amazing and I really want to give it a go (especially as I’ve been buying the delicious, but expensive, Bold Bean Co. Queen chickpeas in stock and eating them straight from the jar!) however I’m trying to cut down on oil consumption - would using the aquafaba instead of oil work? Or do you have an alternative recommendation, please? x
Melanie McDonald says
I keep seeing those Bold Beans on Instagram and I'm getting bean jealousy. Ha ha! They look so nice. We have nothing like them here.
The extra virgin olive oil serves a few functions in this recipe. Most importantly it tastes delicious. Aquafaba doesn't. This is a simple recipe and the extra virgin olive oil is a significant part of it. You'd lose the rich flavour and mouthfeel. Oil also balances the acidity of the marinade and acts as a flavour carrier, dissolving the fat-soluble flavour compounds in the herbs and spices. The chickpeas won't be anywhere near as delicious without it.
More importantly though, the mixture of oil and vinegar preserves the chickpeas enabling you to marinate them and keep them in the fridge for a while. I'm not sure if you've ever accidentally left some leftover chickpeas in their aquafaba in the fridge for more than a day or two, but they get stinky and weird pretty quick so if you do decide to use aquafaba instead of oil I'd say you'd need to eat them pretty quick. Ideally within 24 hours but definitely no more than 48 hours.
So, to cut a long story short, for best results I recommend following the recipe as written. I really don't think it would turn out well with anything other than extra virgin olive oil. Sorry!
Jamila says
Mel, Is there anything I can use in place of the oil? Thank you either way!
Melanie McDonald says
Hi Jamila. For best results I recommend following this recipe as written. The extra virgin olive oil is really important in this recipe and it just wouldn't be the same without it.