10 Best Substitutes For Chickpeas

Chickpeas are a legume, and they belong to the category of lentils, beans, peanuts, peas, and lupins. They came from the Middle East, and they have been grown for thousands of years. And vegans have been using it as a chickpea substitute for years, owing to the high protein content.

Our Chickpea Substitutes List

Chickpea is also called Garbanzo and is used in various recipes. These beans are filling and an excellent source of fiber. But if chickpeas are not your thing and wondering what you can use instead of it for your recipe, there are plenty of options.

Northern Beans

Northern beans are bigger than navy beans and have a nuttier flavor as compared to cannellini. Moreover, it also has a lighter flavor in comparison to chickpea. Therefore, if you don’t prefer the strong flavor of chickpea, you can replace it with northern beans. The nutty flavors of the beans are great for making soups, salads, ragouts, and stews. And northern beans have tons of health benefits similar to chickpeas.

Lentils

Lentils belong to the legume family that is lenticular in shape. They are also among the oldest food sources, with their history dating back to 9000 years. Common forms of lentils include red lentils, black lentils, yellow lentils, yellow-brown lentils, green lentils, lentil Macchiatos, etc. Additionally, it also tastes as hearty as chickpea but with a more pleasant aroma. These also contain vitamin B1, high fiber content, and minerals. Lentils are popularly consumed in Asian countries, but they are found in other parts of the world.

Roasted Edamame

It is a type of bean, which is native to Japan. It is quite delicious and high in nutritional value. Additionally, the plant is enriched with vital vitamins, minerals, proteins, fiber, and fats. It is excellent for the intestines, smoothens the skin, and may prevent some cancers. Roasted edamame is very much similar to Vietnamese soybeans. These beans are harvested before being too old. Roasted edamame can be boiled or eaten raw.

Kidney Beans

There is also a popular type of beans that are typically known as Phaseolus vulgaris, a pea family native to Mexico and Central America. Kidney beans have a similar fatty taste resembling chickpea but are not as strong.

Kidney beans play an important role in many traditional cuisines in many countries. These beans should be cooked well before eating. And kidney beans are cooked properly; they can prove to be extremely healthy ingredients for the body. There are different patterns and colors of kidney beans, such as striped, dotted, purple, black, red, white, etc.

Peanuts

Peanuts are also known as earthnuts or groundnuts and have been popularly grown in tropics as well as subtropics for many years. They are generally planted in spring and later harvested in autumn. They have a thin, white, or ivory color with a red outer shell. It can often be consumed directly or added into other dishes by roasted, chocolate-coated, salted, and peanut butter.

Moreover, peanuts are often used to make oil using food processing technology. The taste is quite delicious and greasy. Peanuts are a great substitute for chickpeas as they both are an excellent source of plant-based proteins, dietary fiber, calories, sugar, and lower content of trans fat. They have considerably more iron, vitamins E, phosphorus, and niacin as compared to chickpeas. According to the research, peanuts may be helpful in weight loss and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Mung Beans

Mung beans are also known as green grams. The plant species belong to the legume family and are grown in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and India. These beans can be added to dishes like soups, curries, or salads. Additionally, Mung beans offer a middle sweet flavor, and their paste is generally used for desserts.

Mung beans work well when sprouted. They will have a fresh as well as crispy taste. When these beans are cooked properly, they turn slightly sweet and highly nutritious. Mung beans, as well as chickpea, are quite similar in nutritional content and health benefits.

Soybeans

Soybeans originated in Southeast Asia; they are grown in Japan and China. Soybeans have green skin when they are young and turn ivory yellow when ripe. It is a bit bitter and has a rough texture. So they are generally used as primary ingredients to make noodles or sauces. You need to use white soybeans as a chickpea replacement. Both soybean and chickpea have important nutrients and no cholesterol.

Black Beans

These are turtle beans because of the complex, black shell but has a white center. Black beans are popularly grown in the Americas, but they are found all over the world. These beans become quite soft when cooked in high heat. These beans have moderate sweetness as well as a smooth texture. Consequently, they were used popularly in recipes like salsa or soup. Generally, you need to soak black beans in water for many hours before cooking, just like you would chickpeas.

Green Pea

These are also known as garden peas, which are tiny spherical seeds. Green peas have a popular part of the human diet because of their great nutritional value and antioxidants. Additionally, these vegetables contain tons of vitamins and minerals as well.

Chickpea and green peas are enriched with dietary fiber as well as potassium. While chickpeas have beany flavor, green peas tend to have a neutral taste.

If you want to substitute chickpea with peas, you should consider using green peas. They especially work well in soup.

Cannellini Beans

These are made of fiber and carbs, and cannellini beans are rich in protein. The beans have a naturally sweet taste similar to chickpea. You can use these beans when cooking vegetable-based soups. 177 grams of cannellini beans include 15 grams of protein, which is around 27% of the overall calorie content. In fact, cannellini beans are among the richest source of plant sources.

Split Peas

They are popularly grown in temperate and semi-tropical regions. It is harvested when they are matured when the seeds turn soft, sweet, and green. Split peas are also harvested in the form of dried beans when they turn yellow and less sweet. They are a great substitute for chickpea for various recipes as split peas have a high amount of minerals and vitamins. Split peas also have lutein, carotenoids, and zeaxanthin.

Benefits of Chickpeas

Chickpea is quite popular, owing to the tons of health benefits including:

Enriched With Nutrients

Chickpeas have a strong nutrition profile. These beans offer 46 calories in a one-ounce service. Moreover, around 67% of the calories come from carbs, whereas the rest of them comes from protein and fat. Chickpeas also provide tons of vitamins and minerals along with a decent quantity of protein and fiber. Following are the nutrients that you will get from 28 grams of chickpeas.

Calories: 46
Fiber: 2 grams
Carbs: 8 grams
Protein: 3 grams
Iron: 4% of the recommended daily intake
Folate: 12% of the recommended daily intake
Copper: 5% of the recommended daily intake
Phosphorus: 5% of the recommended daily intake
Manganese: 14$ of the recommended daily intake

High In Plant-Based Protein

Chickpeas are an excellent source of plant-based protein, making them perfect for vegetarians. An ounce of chickpea offers approximately 3 grams of protein. It helps in keeping you full and keeps your hunger in control. The nutrient is also known for its role in controlling weight, improving bone health, and maintaining the strength of your muscles. Chickpeas contain all-important amino acids other than methionine. This is why it is a complete protein source.

Helps With Weight Management

Chickpeas have numerous properties that help in controlling weight. To begin with, chickpeas have low-calorie density. Therefore they offer few calories compared to the number of nutrients they hold. People who tend to consume low-calorie foods are more likely to lose weight and continue to maintain it than people who consume more high-calorie foods.

Improves Digestion

Chickpeas are loaded with fiber that offers tons of benefits to your digestive health. The fiber is soluble, which means it combines well with water and forms a substance similar to gel in the digestive tract. Moreover, soluble fiber helps in increasing the healthy bacteria in the gut and prevents the development of unhealthy bacteria. This can result in a reduced risk of certain digestive conditions such as colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome.

Keeps The Blood Sugar In Control

Chickpeas have numerous properties that help in managing the blood sugar level. Diets that include low-GI foods have been shown to promote blood sugar management. Secondly, chickpeas are an excellent source of protein and fiber. This is because fiber slows the absorption of carbs that promotes a steady increase in the levels of blood sugar instead of a spike. Additionally consuming protein-enriched foods help in maintaining healthy blood sugar level in type-2 diabetes patients.

Conclusion

Irrespective of the reason you are looking for an alternative for chickpea, there is no dearth of options. You have tons of low-carbohydrate options that provide more protein and other nutritional value. Some of the options have a similar texture or taste to chickpea.