When making our new Garlic Ginger Tahini Miso Dressing I started craving a dish to put it on, and my mind automatically went to a grain bowl with chickpeas and an Asian twist.
So, after testing a few variations I came up with this beautiful Crispy Miso Chickpea Bowl with brown rice, fresh veggies, and a saucy garlic sesame marinade. When added, the Tahini Miso Dressing elevates it to the next level, but it is optional. However, the pairing of the two is super dreamy!
Let me show you how easy it is to make this 10-ingredient bowl!
Once your grains of choice are ready, prepare your chickpeas by tossing in miso, sesame oil, a little maple syrup, and red pepper flake or chili garlic sauce. The combination creates a crispy chickpea infused with plenty of savory, spicy, sweet flavor. Swoon!
Up next, make your ginger sesame sauce, adapted from my Almond Butter Tofu Thai Noodle Bowls! It’s tangy, slightly sweet, salty, and perfect for elevating the rice and veggies in this dish.
We hope you LOVE this bowl! It’s:
Crunchy
Salty
Savory
Fresh
Customizable
Quick & easy to make
& Incredibly satisfying
This would make the perfect weeknight meal when you need something satisfying and wholesome on the table fast! Alternatively, store the chickpeas separately and add the sauce to the rice and veggies to marinate, making it the perfect dish to enjoy throughout the week as a quick lunch! This bowl is delicious on its own or elevated with our Tahini Miso Dressing (yes, that’s two dressings — we know we’re extra), and would pair perfectly with something like our Thai Spring Rolls.
Into healthy bowls? Try our Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl, Quinoa Chickpea Buddha Bowl, Greek Goddess Bowl, Roasted Rainbow Vegetable Bowl, and Ultimate Mediterranean Bowl!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Crispy Miso Chickpea Bowls with Garlic Sesame Dressing
Wholesome, satisfying bowls with warm cooked grains, crispy miso chickpeas, fresh veggies, and a tangy garlic sesame dressing! Just 10 ingredients and simple methods required.
Ingredients
GRAINS
- 2 cups cooked brown rice, rice noodles, quinoa, or cauliflower rice (or sub more vegetables — suggestions below)
CHICKPEAS
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed, well drained, and towel dried
- 2 Tbsp toasted or untoasted sesame oil (if oil-free, you can try omitting or adding more maple syrup as needed)
- 1 Tbsp white or yellow miso paste (ensure vegan friendly — we prefer Miso Master brand chickpea miso)
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce or 1/2 tsp red pepper flake (adjust to preferred heat level)
DRESSING
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce or 1/2 tsp red pepper flake (adjust to preferred heat level)
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup (plus more to taste)
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos (or sub tamari or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 4 Tbsp rice vinegar (or sub white or apple cider vinegar — results will vary)
- 1 ½ Tbsp sesame oil (if oil-free omit)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (optional // 4 cloves yield ~2 Tbsp)
FOR SERVING
- 1 ½ cups thinly sliced vegetables (such as red or green cabbage, bell pepper, cucumber, or carrots)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped roasted salted peanuts or cashews (optional)
- Quick Ginger Garlic Miso Tahini Dressing (optional)
Instructions
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If serving with grains, prepare at this time (follow links above for instructions).
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In the meantime, if preparing chickpeas, preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Rinse and drain chickpeas well. Then pat very dry — this will help them crisp up.
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To a medium mixing bowl add oil, miso paste, maple syrup, and chili garlic sauce or red pepper flake and whisk to combine. Then add chickpeas and toss to coat.
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Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or more baking sheets as needed if increasing batch size) and bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing/stirring once at the halfway point to ensure even baking. They're done when crisp and deep golden brown (see photo). Set aside.
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Next prepare dressing by adding chili garlic paste or red pepper flake, maple syrup, coconut aminos or tamari, lime juice, vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic (optional) to a small mixing bowl and whisking to combine.
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Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime or vinegar for acidity, salt or coconut aminos or tamari for saltiness, maple syrup for sweetness, or chili garlic sauce or red pepper flake for added heat. You want this to be quite flavorful so don’t be shy!
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Prepare any vegetable garnishes / toppings at this time and set aside.
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To serve, divide grains between serving bowls and top with chickpeas, veggies of choice, and dressing. This bowl is elevated with the addition of our Quick Ginger Garlic Miso Tahini Dressing as well!
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Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Store with sauce(s) on the side. Not freezer friendly.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with chili garlic sauce, 1/2 cup chopped cabbage, 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, 1/4 cup each cucumber and carrots, and without optional ingredients.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 3 servings)
- Calories: 459
- Fat: 19.1g
- Saturated fat: 2.8g
- Sodium: 477mg
- Potassium: 367mg
- Carbohydrates: 64.1g
- Fiber: 8.8g
- Sugar: 14g
- Protein: 9.9g
Next time I am doubling this recipe! This was such an awesome bowl and I added those chickpeas to my salads all week. Even my carnivorous coworker got a little jealous of my colorful and tasty lunch!
Yay! SO glad you enjoyed it, Christine! Thanks for the lovely review! xo
This is AMAZING. I pan fried my chickpeas in the sauce for 10-15 minutes on medium-high instead of baking and they turned out great. I used both dressings as well. Such great flavor!
So glad you enjoyed it, Madison! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Hi
What is the substitute for 1 15-ounce can chickpeas ? We don^t have cans of chickpeas in my country, only in packages. In the can are they cooked?
Thanks.
Lucy.
Hi Lucy, 1 can is equal to about 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas. Hope that helps!
Made this and loved it!! I tossed sambal oelek with the chickpeas and also some in the dressing – so yum! thanks for a great recipe!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Maneesha!
This was so good! I’ve pinned it to my fave recipes board – not many recipes end up there :D We added the veggies we had in the fridge as well as some lettuce, and used quinoa instead of rice. I’ll be making it again soon! Thank you!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Sam. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
So delicious! I used AVC in place of rice vinegar, and it was quite tangy. Still so good though. Bright and fresh!
Yay! You’ve been cooking a lot our recipes! Thanks for sharing, Paige!
It was delicious. Super good with some avacado, jalepeno, and crispy onions. Wish I would have tried making the second dressing (as sugested) or wish I had a vegan spicy mayo drizzle.
Wow, these chickpeas are delicious! I couldn’t stop picking them off the pan while I was assembling the rest of the meal. I am glad I had the foresight to double the chickpeas!
So great! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Emily.
This recipe was worth the effort 100%. I went the extra mile (as was suggested) to make both dressings and it was BOMB! There were a lot of different moving parts going during the making of the recipe which was totally okay for me because I made it on a Saturday night when I was relaxed. My husband said it was a “flavor explosion.” It was also a very stunning bowl; I used brown rice for the grains, cucumber, bagged mixed cabbage (for slaw), red peppers, shaved carrots and topped the bowl with both dressings and then a sprinkling of sesame seeds. It was PHENOMENAL! Thanks Dana for another inspiring, creative and flavorful recipe!
xoxo! Thanks for sharing, Karen!
Made this recipe for dinner this week and it was delish! Super easy to make and very flavorful. I want to put that miso dressing on EVERYTHING. Only modification I did was sub avocado oil for the sesame oil since i can’t eat sesame. Came out perfect and was good the next day as lunch leftovers too!
Thanks for sharing, Bree!
Such a great healthy lunch! That dressing is so addictive—I used a Microplane for the garlic and grated in a bit of ginger as well, it was amazing. I dress it in the morning so by lunch the veggies have slightly pickled and then throw the crunchy chickpeas on top. So so so delicious
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Alicia!
This was so delicious and flavorful!!! I think I’ll be making this on a weekly basis. Love your work!
So kind! xoxo
I feel so dumb. What is chili garlic sauce? Is there a brand you recommend? thanks so much!
Chili garlic sauce is a common ingredient found in most grocery stores – we prefer Huy Fong Foods brand.
Miso Ginger Dressing: This flavorful dressing is made with ginger, garlic, miso, rice wine vinegar, tamari and sesame oil. You can easily make the dressing oil free by omitting the oil. For soy free, use brown rice or chickpea miso.
Made this for dinner tonight, with kelp noodles. It was delicious and easy!! thank you so much for the great recipe. We particularly loved the chickpeas.
Thanks for sharing, Michelle! That’s a great idea to add kelp noodles.
As a favor, next time would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers! xoxo
Absolutely delicious, perfect combination of crisp vegetables and flavors. Love x 1 million!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Annie!
I have tried many of your recipes, and this by far has been the best one I’ve ever made! I added the tahini dressing-and let me tell you- flavor elevation was present. I added fresh cilantro when serving and my taste buds were simply in heaven. My full-carnivore friend liked this so much, she told me, “If I ate like this every day, even I would go vegan!”
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Sarah! So glad you both enjoyed it!
I made this tonight and wanted to love it (it looks so good in the pics) but instead of crispy and delicious, my chickpeas were just dry and kinda tasteless. I followed the recipe as listed and have an oven thermometer and a timer. i even took the chickpeas out after 18 mins. what is the secret to getting baked chickpeas to actually taste good? i love chickpeas so i bet it’s in the technique
Hmm, did you make any modifications elsewhere? With the miso paste and maple syrup you should have a nice salty-sweet balance, which is complemented with the heat from the chili garlic sauce. Perhaps adding a pinch of salt there could elevate the flavors?
This is such a strange response to my comment, which seems wasn’t read properly? I spoke primarily of texture (and also mentioned that i followed the recipe to a t) and you responded about taste? Confused.
Well you mentioned them being tasteless? That’s why I addressed flavor, primarily. As for crispy, these won’t get super crispy. They’re more of a caramelized, slightly firm texture. Does that clarify?
I make a lot of cooked chickpeas to as a snack and I very lightly stir them with olive oil and whatever seasoning I’m in the mood for and cook at 190 C/375 F. I find that the chickpeas always turn out crispy if I open the oven about every five minutes and use a spatula to flip them and continually test until the crisp is just right (usually about twenty minutes in full). Good luck!
[this comment is for Erin, who was asking about texture :) ]
Love this tip! Thanks for sharing, Dianna!
Try raising the oven temp to 450 °F. Just make sure you watch that they don’t burn.
This is an amazing dish! It is, indeed, easy to make. It’s full of flavor — satisfying, yet not heavy. I could eat it every day. Thanks a million!
Thanks, Eric! We appreciate that!
THIS IS THE BEST DISH I HAVE EVER MADE. It’s so flavorful, the sauces are amazing!!! I added the optional Quick Ginger Garlic Miso Tahini Dressing – well worth the extra effort to make it! It really was so easy to make this dish. I added bell peppers, cucumbers, shaved carrots, green onion, and cilantro. next time I’ll add some more veggies like sauteed garlic kale, and some roasted cabbage.
Also, the chickpeas get so crunchy with the sauce, and almost caramalized. They are so so so good!
I will be making this WEEKLY!
haha, YAY! Thanks for sharing, Loryn!! We so appreciate the feedback!
I made this last night & it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing, Erin @veggieterin
Thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoyed it.
This was amazing. Easy, delicious and beautiful. My vegetarian family all loved it!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Tara!
This is a delicious meal. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Trina!
Can I eliminate the oil or will it still taste OK? Or what can I use in place of the oil to crisp up the chickpeas? Thank you.
For the dressing, I’d just suggest omitting the oil. For the chickpeas, you can either try reducing the oil by 1/2, or omitting and add more maple syrup to coat as needed! Let us know how it goes if you give it a try.
I made this tonight. Followed recipe as close as I could. Subbed grapefruit vinegar for rice vinegar, and black lentils for rice. Didn’t want to make a trip to store. Made both dressings. Wow, fabulous meal. Husbands says to add this in our rotation!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Trina! Next time would you mind adding a rating to your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers! xoxo
Doc excited to try this! Is the chilli garlic sauce just store bought?
Yep! We buy Huy Fong brand.
I follow Forks Over Knives and eat oil free. What do you recommend substituting for the oil in these dressings?
For the dressing, omit the oil. For the chickpeas, you can either try reducing it or omitting and add more maple syrup to coat as needed!
Is this recipe good either warm or chilled? Would like to make it, chill it, and serve it a few hours later.
It’s actually great warm, at room temperature, and chilled. We enjoyed it all ways.
Oh my gosh! These bowls look amazing! I need to make them for lunch soon! They look so flavorful!
I’ve never pinned a recipe so fast in my life. Did you look directly into my SOUL and see my love for chickpeas and miso?!
Will try it this weekend and report back!
lol YAY! Let us know how it goes!