Vegan Spanish chickpeas and rice is an easy one-pot recipe bursting with smoked paprika and tomato flavours. It's a budget-friendly vegan recipe that packs in lots of protein and fibre, all in a mouthwatering bowl of goodness.
For another one-pot Spanish dinner, my sopa de lentejas is just as filling and just as cheap.
I love vegan chickpea recipes because they're hearty and filling while also boasting lots of nutrients, mainly when it comes to protein and fibre. This Spanish chickpeas and rice is no exception. It's a simple yet complete dinner that's easy to make in one pot.
All you have to do to enjoy a steaming bowl of rice and chickpeas is chop some onion and garlic, fry them up in a drizzle of olive oil, add some spices, rice, chickpeas, chopped tomatoes and stock and let it all simmer for 20-25 minutes. Everything comes together in one pot, so cleanup is a breeze.
What goes in this vegan chickpea rice?
Veggies - I use two medium onions and garlic as the base for this chickpea and rice recipe, but you can add some other veggies if you want. Celery, carrots, sweet peppers, or broccoli are all good ideas.
Long grain rice - long grain rice is perfect for this recipe, but you can substitute it with brown rice if you want. Just keep in mind that it may take a bit longer to cook.
Chickpeas - I use tinned chickpeas for convenience, but you can use dry chickpeas instead. You'll have to soak them overnight and boil them for 30-40 minutes before using them in this recipe.
Tomatoes - Try to use quality chopped tomatoes because they can make or break this recipe. Some very cheap tinned tomatoes are highly acidic so try to avoid them if possible.
How do you make it?
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until golden.
- Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the smoked paprika, oregano and chilli flakes, then add the rice and toast it for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Next, add the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas and pour in all the stock.
- Bring to a boil, cover the pan with a lid, lower the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally. If it looks too dry, add a bit more stock.
- Stir in the fresh parsley, season to taste, and serve immediately.
Extra tips and tricks
- This is a great meal prep recipe. You can make a big batch and pack the leftovers in airtight containers that you can store in the fridge for up to five days.
- If you find that there's not enough liquid left and the rice isn't cooked through, add another 100 ml (½ cup) vegetable stock or water and continue to cook for a couple of minutes until the rice is cooked.
- Make sure the stock you use is vegan. I use the Knorr vegetable stock pots in the UK, which are vegan. Alternatively, you can use homemade vegan stock for this recipe.
- If you add other veggies such as sweet peppers, for example, fry them up with the onion for a couple of minutes.
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Vegan Spanish Chickpeas and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) chilli flakes
- 9 oz (250 g) long rice
- 1 can (14 oz / 400 g) chopped tomatoes
- 2 cans (14 oz / 400 g) chickpeas, drained
- 4 cups (1000 ml) vegetable stock, 4
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until golden. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute until fragrant.2 tbsp olive oil2 medium onion3 garlic cloves
- Stir in the smoked paprika, oregano and chilli flakes, then add the rice and toast it for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.1 tbsp smoked paprika1 tbsp oregano¼ tsp chilli flakes9 oz long rice
- Next, add the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas and pour in all the stock. Bring to a boil, cover the pan with a lid, lower the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally. If it looks too dry, add a bit more stock.1 can (14 oz / 400 g) chopped tomatoes2 cans (14 oz / 400 g) chickpeas4 cups vegetable stock
- Stir in the fresh parsley, season to taste, and serve immediately.2 tbsp fresh parsleySalt and pepper to taste
Nicole
Quite delicious and flavorful with only a few ingredients. I went to make this and realized I had no chickpeas, so I used canned lentils instead. I added bell peppers at the same time as the onions. I also added spinach at the end. It was delicious. Filling, quick, and an affordable dinner. No complaints from my teens and had it with some brioche bread rolls.
Paris
GLad you liked it Nicole!
Toni
This was delicious! The whole family devoured it and asked that it be added to our weekly rotation. Alterations: we added spinach and celery since we needed to use them and used paprika instead of smoked paprika because that's what we had. Highly recommend!
Josephine
Both my husband and I loved it! I thought I was going to put in carrot and broccoli, but I forgot! So, I made it exactly as written above. It was amazing! We did add some red wine vinegar to the finished product (it’s a Cuban thing)! But we both tried it without it first and it was excellent even without the vinegar. Thanks!
We found you on YouTube and will be trying more of your recipes.
Paris
Thank you Josephine, glad you liked it.
Mona
I love it!
Paris
Me too:)))
Julie Levering
Can the leftovers be frozen?
Paris
No,it'll get mushy because it has rice.
Annie Frost
I often freeze things with rice. I’ll have way too much of this, so I’m definitely going to try freezing it. I’ll let you know how it is!
Colleen
This was a good dish. I will make it again for sure, except with less smoked paprika. I should have known to use less because I’m not the biggest fan of it. But I also follow recipes exact the first time and then tweak from there.
Paris
Glad you liked it Colleen.
Pam
Can you use brown rice? If so, how much longer cooking time? Thanks.
Paris
Yes you can. It should take about 10 min more, but keep an eye on it.
Josephine
I hope Jasmine rice will work, that’s all I have. I’m going to try adding diced carrots and maybe broccoli, as you suggested in the extra tips and tricks.
I will rate it once I’m done, but it looks like a keeper from the ingredients!
Shannon
Can you use dry chickpeas instead of cannned?
Paris
Of course you do, they taste much better than canned ones. Just dont forget to soak them overnight.
Amy
Excellent recipe, and my family agrees! I needed something quick to make with ingredients I had in the house and this was perfect, I even added some carrots as one of the comments suggested. I have added this to my "favorites" folder =)
Paris
Im glad you liked it Amy.
Laura
This was absolutely amazing. I used less spices and added dices carrot for some sweetness and it was perfect!!
Paris
Glad you liked it Laura!
Danielle
The only ingredient listing is oil
Paris
Sorry about that, there is a bug in the recipe card that doesn’t display the full list of ingredients. I fixed it. Thanks for letting me know!