General Tso’s Chickpeas

A simple and filling stir-fry of General Tso's chickpeas, a vegetarian and vegan version of the classic Chinese-American restaurant dish. Gluten-free optional.

Recipe by Yup, it's Vegan on April 25, 2015

Prep time: PT10M

Cook time: PT10M

Total time: PT20M

Rating

4.54 stars (13 reviews)

Keywords

general tso's chickpeas

Ingredients

1 tbsp soy sauce ((or tamari for GF))
1 tbsp mirin ((or dry sherry))
1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas ((equal to 1 15-oz. can), rinsed and drained)
6 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth ((1/4 cup + 2 tbsp))
1 and 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce ((or tamari for GF))
1 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tsp coconut sugar ((or other sugar))
2 tsp sriracha or other chili sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp prepared mustard ((grainier and nuttier mustards are better; if using the bright yellow mustard, reduce to 1/2 tsp))
1 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper or white pepper
1 tbsp neutral oil ((I used sunflower seed oil))
1/4 of a large onion ((or 1 shallot), thinly sliced)
1 large broccoli crown (, cut into florets)
1 red bell pepper (, cut into thin strips)
1 tsp minced ginger
2 cloves garlic (minced)
General Tso's sauce ((above))
marinated chickpeas ((above))
(optional) green onions, sesame seeds, and fresh red onion, for serving
(optional) cooked rice, for serving

Cuisine

gluten-free
vegan

Steps

For marinating the chickpeas:
- Stir together the soy sauce and mirin in a bowl and add the chickpeas. Let sit for 10 minutes (I do this first and let them marinate while I prepare the sauce and veggies).
For the sauce:
- Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
For the stir-fry:
- If you plan to garnish your dish with extra diced red onion, put the amount you want for garnish in a small bowl with cold water now. This will help to mellow out its flavor.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, stirring continuously.
- Continuing to stir, add the broccoli, bell pepper strips, ginger, and garlic.
- Stir in the General Tso's sauce. Drain the chickpeas and stir them in too. Cook for 1-2 more minutes, continuing to stir frequently, or until the mixture is hot throughout and the sauce has coated the chickpeas and vegetables. Add more soy sauce or chili sauce to taste.
- Serve over rice if desired; garnish as desired with green onions, sesame seeds, and drained soaked red onion from above.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 third recipe
Calories: 253 kcal
Carbohydrates: 35 g
Protein: 8 g
Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 551 mg
Sugar: 13 g
Unsaturated Fat: 5 g

Reviews

Alan Rolnick on 2021-02-18 (5 stars):
This was a hit with my two kids who are vegetarian. We really liked the complexity of the flavors - sweet, savory, spicy! One minor tweak to the recipe, I would recommend cooking the broccoli for a minute or two first before throwing the pepper in. Otherwise, this is a winner. Will definitely make this again!
Jenni on 2020-12-07 (5 stars):
These are awesome! I love chickpeas but usually just use them for curry or salads, so I've been on the lookout for something new. This recipe totally fit the bill. I found it super quick as well. It was also very filling even without rice or noodles. Thanks!
Johanna on 2020-09-08 (5 stars):
This recipe was delicious! Perfect balance of flavor and spice. My only complaint is that it did NOT take 20 minutes... more like an hour. Granted I’m kind of slow but still.
Wendy on 2020-01-04 (3 stars):
Update. I added some coconut milk (canned) to the leftovers for lunch and I liked it a lot more
larry on 2019-07-20 (5 stars):
Hey, Shannon. I love this recipe and we make it a lot, but I was thinking about this and wanted to see what you thought. i was thinking of adding pineapple to it and using Caribbean Jerk sauce instead of the general Tso sauce. we are having beach week at work i was thinking of this for our food day.
Betty on 2018-04-09 (5 stars):
Wow! usually I don't comment on recipes on the internet, but this one... I got in touch with it via I think tasty vegetarian site on facebook and I have to say I am absolutely impressed on how fabulous this dish is. I am not a vegan but a foodie and always tyring to get in touch with something new and this is so flavorful, savory and absolutely delicious! I fancy the asian cuisine many times so this is perfect. Had it without rice on the side so this is also going pretty well as a blank dish. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work! Will def try some other recipes and skip on meat more often. Greets from germany.
Shez on 2017-11-30 (5 stars):
My family thanks you for this delicious dish. I served it on short-grained brown rice for them and on kale and steamed sweet potato for me. We all loved it. I did reduce the sweetness a little and made it a little saucier but that's it. Definitely a keeper, thank you!
Audrey on 2017-01-16 (2 stars):
It cooked it tonight. It was ok but I won't make it again. I didn't like the prepared mustard in the recipe, without it, it would it better in my opinion. I added 2 more tablespoon of peanut butter and reduced salted soya sauce. I added fresh lime juice and cilantro.
Neha on 2016-05-15 (5 stars):
This dish was really flavorful. I loved it. I'm so glad I happened to have all of the ingredients in my pantry/fridge. However, my husband thought it was too sweet. Would it be acceptable to marinade the chickpeas in rice vinegar instead of mirin and omit the coconut sugar completely? It will be spicier, but I could also reduce the chili sauce a little bit. What do you think?
Allison on 2016-03-01 (4 stars):
This is a keeper! But I want MORE VEGGIES, I would double the amount of broccoli and onion. I also added mushies :)
Chantelle on 2016-02-25 (5 stars):
we just made this recipe this week and it was delicious!! 5/5 we used 2-19oz cans of chickpeas and doubled the sauce and just like the recipe says we put it on top of rice and WOW!! leftovers were even better!! Enjoy
Sue B on 2016-02-22 (5 stars):
Excellent recipe! We did add a bit more soy sauce and chili sauce, but overall , flavors were spot on! Serving size perfect for 2.