Long time no post but I’m finally back with these amazing General Tso’s chickpeas! I’m quite afraid that’s starting to be a theme. I probably mentioned in the past that I work for a startup company right now. With most startups there comes a point where either A) the company goes down in flames or B) the company starts to grow rapidly and things get really really crazy. I’m happy and grateful that we are thankfully experiencing item B right now.
Of course, that means that I’m busy busy busy (in a good way!). The past week or so hit especially hard and I didn’t find much time to cook and photograph food for the blog. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: all of my respect goes out to the parents of the world because I could not imagine how much of a balancing act it is when children are in the mix. Anyway, I’m back now and hopefully can get back to my regular posting rate.
This recipe for General Tso’s chickpeas is pretty appropriate for the whole ‘time crunch’ thing, especially if you choose to use canned chickpeas. The prep work comes together in a snap and the cook time is under 10 minutes too. I was searching for ‘authentic General Tso’s recipes’ when I learned what I probably should have already realized: General Tso’s is really an American/Canadian dish that emerged in Chinese restaurants here. It’s generally some kind of protein that’s battered and deep-fried, and served with a sweet sauce that has a bit of a kick.
I skipped the deep frying and instead lightly stir-fried the chickpeas along with the vegetables that I added. And I also took some liberty with the sauce recipe to make it more salty, spicy and savory, and less sweet (restaurant versions can be very over-the-top in that regard). I’m happy to eat the General Tso’s chickpeas and veggies on their own as a complete meal, but this can also be served over rice. Enjoy!
General Tso’s Chickpeas
Ingredients
For marinating the chickpeas:
- 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
For the General Tso's sauce:
- 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
For the General Tso's chickpeas stir-fry:
- 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
Instructions
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Sources consulted: General Tso’s Chicken; Kung Pao Chicken with Broccoli; Kung Pao Chickpeas
Enjoy these General Tso’s Chickpeas? Try some of my other super-easy Asian-inspired recipes:
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Paula Golding says
How much chick peas used in General Tso’s chickepeas? One can?
Wendy says
I made this last night and, sadly, it we didn’t care for it. I’m glad others are enjoying it.
Wendy says
Update. I added some coconut milk (canned) to the leftovers for lunch and I liked it a lot more
larry says
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.
Amy says
I am really excited to try this recipe. Thank you for including full nutritional information! I am a type one diabetic and always have to count carbs so I can dose my insulin. I can’t tell you how excited I get when I find a recipe that already includes them!
Betty says
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.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
Shez says
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 says
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.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for your feedback Audrey! Not everyone prefers mustard in this sauce. I’m glad you were able to make some changes to improve it for your palate.
Neha says
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?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yes, Neha! You can definitely reduce the sweetener to your preference along with reducing the heat just a little bit. I recommend making scant measurements of everything for the sauce and then adding more of this-and-that to taste to round it out. Adding an extra dash of vinegar can help balance the sweetness too. I’m glad that you enjoyed the dish overall.
Allison says
This is a keeper! But I want MORE VEGGIES, I would double the amount of broccoli and onion. I also added mushies 🙂
Sue B says
Excellent recipe! We did add a bit more soy sauce and chili sauce, but overall , flavors were spot on! Serving size perfect for 2.
Candice says
YUM!!!! Hubby and I are new to eating mostly vegan and it’s recipes like this that make that transition easier. I doubled it and honestly, with rice it could easily serve us 6-8 times if not more. I used frozen organic broccoli as fresh is expensive right now add added extra Siracha. Thank you for a yummy meal!
SpazV says
My sister-in-law knows of my deep and abiding love for chickpeas.
So she sent me this recipe.
I made it this morning with a couple tweaks and lets just say
THERE WILL BE NO SHARING AND NO LEFT OVERS!
Priscilla says
My husband and I are new to the vegan lifestyle and are excited to try this recipe He doesn’t really like chickpeas that much Any substitutes for it?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Do you guys like tofu? That would also work very well in this dish! It would need to be cooked a bit differently, though. I would press it, cut it into cubes, brown it in a separate pan (or bake it) until crisp, and then add it to the pan with the sauce and the rest of the ingredients.
Pam swartz says
Great recipe, loved it! Thanks for sharing
Meg says
My kids aren’t happy with our lifestyle changes so I made this because they LOVE General Tso’s chicken. They all are it with no complaint! The sauce was amazing!
Sarah says
Just wondering how many servings this makes? I have to cook for 12 next week…I’m thinking I’ll at LEAST quadruple it, plus make rice to stretch it further.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Sarah, I find that when served with rice this makes about 3-5 servings just depending on everyone’s size and appetite. If you do quadruple it (or more), I would suggest using a really big pan that is preheated for a while, or dividing it into multiple pans – it tastes best when the veggies are cooked at a fairly high heat, and added a lot of them at once to a small pan would bring down the temperature.
Leslie says
This looks fantastic and I can’t wait to make it for my husband and me! The only thing is that I am allergic to peanuts, is there a good substitute for the peanut butter in the sauce or can I omit it entirely?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Leslie, I think almond butter or cashew butter would be a good substitute (or serve the dish with chopped toasted cashews)! If you don’t have that, you could just omit, it will still taste good, just won’t be quite as full-bodied.
Cameron says
This was fabulous and so simple. I made this for my boyfriend and we both loved it. We are both vegan, however this is a dish that omnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike couldn’t help but love. Kudos.
Lilly says
This looks delicious! I’m planning on making this tonight but I am unsure how many servings this recipe makes. If anyone could help me that would be great!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Lilly, sorry if it’s already too late to give you a response. I find that this recipe makes about 3-5 servings when served with rice. Depends on what sort of appetites you are feeding :]
Amy says
Just made this tonight, and it was fantastic! Next time I’m definitely doubling the recipe for the sake of having leftovers. This is going into my arsenal. Thank you so much!
Shelly says
Made this last night– AHHHH-MAAAZING! Wish I had doubled up on the sauce so I could use it for
veggie stir fry tonight. Great balance.
annie says
There’s a great documentary you might want to check out if you like food movies — it’s about the history of General Tso’s chicken and it’s called The Search For General Tso.
Julia says
The sauce is unbelievable!!! It’s so delicious. I love the combination but I will also try it on other vegetables.
Liz says
This looks AWESOME! Love the combination of flavors and the use of chickpeas— they’re the perfect bean for this kind of dish! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Little Vegan Bear says
Wow, what an interesting sounding flavour combination! Looks great, I’m going to give it a try one night!
Katie @ Produce On Parade says
This is so insanely clever! I am glad you are staying busy (in a good way!), but I hope you find some peace too 🙂 All the best, Shannon!! :
Jenna says
Well, I wish I could report back that my husband enjoyed this recipe, but sadly… I can’t.
Mainly because the poor lad never actually got to TASTE any of it. Because I went from simply tasting for seasoning to having ‘just a bit to hold me until dinner time since I skipped lunch’ onwards to ‘I should just go ahead and eat my dinner now and save the rest for him since he will be home really late and everyone keeps lecturing me on eating more often and not so late in the day’ to suddenly staring at a totally empty pan wondering just what I was going to find to feed him now that my dinner plane was completely gone.
Basically, I stuffed myself sick on this wonderful recipe and failed to save him even the smallest taste testing bite. And when you consider that I am currently in a bad food loop that can see me not eating anything for 3-4 days (until, like a total idiot, I pass out in a heap. Which is bad for several reasons – a big one being I’m 6’2 and when I faint, the villagers have scramble out of the giantess’s landing zone!) having a healthy meal I suddenly gorge on is a bit of a shock. I did make two small changes – I made almost triple the marinade (using it with baked tofu tomorrow) and instead of using mirin I used a glug of ginger brandy. The brandy adds another layer of sweet and heat as well as serving double duty as a drink to sip while I cook. I’ve got another batch of brandy steeping in the cupboard that I think I’ll try next – base of ginger brandy infused with thai chilies, lemongrass, schezwan peppercorns & orange zest.
Jenna says
This looks flat out amazing. Already checked my cupboard and fridge and the few items I need are on my grocery list for first thing in the morning – this is knocking tomorrow’s polenta lasagna back a few more days (thankfully that is a cupboard staple recipe so it can wait without spoiling any ingredients) because this looks too tasty to not make as soon as possible. As an bonus, I already had a half dozen cans of chickpeas on my list (another vegan blog blew my mind at the idea of vegan pavlova/meringue using the brine out of the cans) so between making a this spicy beauty and a lemon & passionfruit pavlova for dessert, once the cans go into the recycling I’ll have manage zero waste! Triple Green Geek Points!
And with that burst of nonsense, off to fall down the hole that is your blog. While I’m not a vegan (frustratingly my family has a actual genetic flaw that means at least minimal animal based protein OR frequent blood transfusions. Enough to make a gal want to bang her head in frustration!) I find more and more the foods I crave are vegan or at least veggie. Your site is a glorious riot of tasty looking goodies and I’m gonna spend (since I’m essentially grounded until I get to the dr – my husband has even hid my shoes in an attempt to keep me sitting) the rest of the day rummaging about planning the next few weeks meals. Which is high praise really – food has been sounding just foul lately, and eating has been something I’ve been doing ONLY to keep from being yelled at by well meaning family & friends. But between being ill, celiac and food allergies all pounding on me lately, nothing has sounded even a little bit good. Until I stumbled onto your blog today… and honest to God, my stomach is audibly growling and my mouth was watering as I read through this recipe! Thank you so much and keep up the really amazing work.
veena says
this looks amazing.. I have similar one in my draft.. I can make rice out of it
Lori says
This looks wonderful! Sadly, I am no longer able to handle spicy foods very well. Do you have any ideas for milder substitutes for the onion & the sriracha? Also, any ideas for a tomato paste sub? If I just leave out the tomato paste & sriracha, should I decrease the sugar amount? Any ideas from you or other readers would be a great help. Thanks!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I think you should be able to leave out the onion without adverse effects. As for the rest – I’m not totally sure about the tomato paste, it adds some savory, so maybe put in nutritional yeast instead if you have it? Definitely decrease the sugar a bit and increase the soy sauce if you leave out sriracha.
I was planning to make this again soon anyway, so I’ll try a version like this and let you know how I end up balancing it out. If you try it I’d love to hear how it goes.
Julie says
I’m in the same boat tonight! No tomato paste or hot sauce. Did you try the version with nutritional yeast and extra soy sauce?
Jessica says
Looks delicious! I’ll double the recipe, omit the bell peppers, and make the recipe soon!
Chantelle says
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