BBQ Chickpea Pizza

I thought I would share this delicious and easy BBQ chickpea pizza today in case anyone is still looking for a simple recipe to serve on New Year’s Eve. Homemade (or store-bought if you like) pizza dough is generously spread with barbecue sauce and topped with chickpeas and red onions, which bake to roasted perfection in the oven. To serve, the pizza is topped with fresh herbs and avocado.

I absolutely love the combination of fresh, roasted, and sweet flavors on this pizza and the hands-on time is very minimal, even if you make the crust yourself. I’ve had several people ask me if the chickpeas topple off of the pizza when you try to eat it. They actually adhere quite nicely as they bake into the barbecue sauce. Just make sure to gently puncture the pizza dough before baking the pizza to prevent large air bubbles from forming.

I also added a quick and easy garlic almond butter sauce to the pizza, in place of the ranch dressing one might typically have on a BBQ-based pizza. But it’s completely optional and the pizza stands up just fine without!

For optimal homemade pizza results I use my large cast-iron skillet, preheated in the oven while I assemble the pizza on a pizza peel. This is the method I find yields the best crispy, fluffy and chewy crust. However, I have also tested this BBQ chickpea pizza baked on a regular baking sheet with parchment paper and it came out nicely. So there’s no need for special equipment to get started.

Looking for more New Year’s Eve-appropriate finger food? How about vegan spinach artichoke dip, everything bagel hummus, or kale spanakopita? Or on the sweet side: vegan snickerdoodles; date caramel mocha bars; or vegan white chocolate truffles.

However you’re choosing to celebrate, here’s wishing you a happy and healthy start to 2016!

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5 from 1 vote

BBQ Chickpea Pizza

This easy BBQ chickpea pizza packs in a ton of flavor with minimal hands-on effort. Baked with savory red onions and topped with ripe avocado and herbs, it's a lovely balance of roasted and fresh.

Course pizza

Cuisine BBQ, vegan, vegetarian

Keyword bbq chickpea pizza

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 1 pizza

Calories 301kcal

Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 half recipe whole wheat pizza dough prepared up to but not including the baking step (or pizza dough of choice)
• flour for dusting (I use rice flour for dusting pizzas)
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce of choice
• 1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (equal to one drained can)
• 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
• garlic almond butter sauce for serving (optional, recipe below)
• 1/2 avocado chopped, for serving
• fresh cilantro and/or green onions chopped, for serving

For the garlic almond butter sauce:

• 2 tbsp unsweetened almond butter
• 1 small clove garlic grated
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sriracha or other chili sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp warm water
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (if needed, adjust temperature according to the pizza dough you're using). If using, also preheat a large cast iron skillet. Otherwise, prepare a piece of parchment paper to fit a large baking sheet.
• Shape your pizza dough into a ball, flouring it lightly.
• Generously flour the prepared parchment paper (off of the baking sheet) or a pizza peel, and roll out the ball of dough onto the surface at approximately 1/4 inch thick in the shape of your choosing. Use a fork to lightly puncture the surface of the dough several times throughout the middle (leave space around the edges).
• Spread BBQ sauce on the dough enough to coat the surface, leaving about an inch around the edges for the crust. Scatter the thinly sliced red onion evenly onto the spreaded sauce, and finally, add chickpeas. Press the chickpeas gently onto the dough using your hands or a spatula.
• Slide the prepared pizza from the pizza peel onto the preheated skillet, or if using the parchment paper method, simply transfer onto the baking sheet.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
• Let the cooked pizza rest for 5 minutes after being removed from the oven, then add the rest of the toppings: drizzle lightly with the garlic almond butter sauce (if using), then sprinkle with chopped fresh avocado and herbs. Serve with additional BBQ sauce if desired.

For the garlic almond butter sauce:

• Whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth, and adjust seasoning to taste.

Notes

If making ahead and serving as leftovers, add the avocado and herbs just before serving.

Nutrition facts are calculated using 1/2 pound of store-bought whole wheat pizza dough. Note that my pizza, pictured, is smaller than what's calculated. You get to eat more pizza than that 😀

Nutrition

Serving: 1fourth pizza | Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 4.1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 4mg