I finally found a way to get beans into my absolute favorite appetizer! This Buffalo Chickpea Dip has all the flavors of the regular dip, but made vegetarian with chickpeas! All the creaminess, spiciness, and dip-able-ness, but made with beans instead of chicken!
![Three-quarter angle shot of orange buffalo chickpea dip in white oval dish with celery and pitas.](https://beanrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Buffalo-Chickpea-Dip-5.jpg)
As much as I love buffalo chicken dip, I could go a day without touching raw chicken, you know what I mean? Luckily, a few pulses in the food processor turns chickpeas into small bits that are so similar to chicken!
I have fooled many people by serving this and not mentioning that it's vegetarian. Honestly, people just taste the spicy Buffalo sauce, the creaminess, and the crunchy dippers and don't even ask before devouring it!
I also tested all of the vegan versions of the dairy products in this recipe so that I could tell you if it could be veganized. While this recipe is naturally vegetarian, it does contain cream cheese, yogurt and cheese. Lucky for you, though, I tested plenty of dairy alternatives for this recipe and I will share my top findings in the 'variations' section below.
The Ingredients
- Chickpeas. One 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
- Buffalo Sauce. One-half cup of your favorite brand of Buffalo hot sauce. I reach for Frank's brand, but use whatever you like!
- Cream Cheese. Half of one 8-ounce brick of cream cheese slightly softened on the counter for a few minutes.
- Greek Yogurt. One-third cup of plain Greek yogurt. You really want to use Greek yogurt because the thickness is crucial for the dip. Make sure that it's plain and unflavored.
- Garlic Powder. One teaspoon of garlic powder or two cloves of peeled garlic.
- Onion Powder. One teaspoon of dried onion powder.
- Cheddar Cheese. For topping, use ¾ cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- For serving: salt, freshly ground black pepper, trimmed celery sticks and pita chips for dipping.
How to Make Buffalo Chickpea Dip
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit, and have ready a small dip bowl that holds about 2 cups of liquid. You can double or even triple this recipe to serve more people, just increase the size of the baking dish.
In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, Buffalo sauce, cream cheese, yogurt, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Pulse the mixture 5-10 times in the food processor to bring it together, but leave some chunks to mimic chicken.
Scrape the mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheesy is melted and the mixture is slightly bubbling. Serve with celery sticks, pita chips and regular crackers for dipping.
Variations
- Vegetarian - This Buffalo chickpea dip recipe is naturally vegetarian, since it contains dairy products.
- Vegan - I tested this recipe with dairy-alternatives and had great success. My favorite vegan Greek-style yogurt is Silk or Kite Hill. My favorite vegan cream cheese is Kite Hill or Miyoko's. As for a dairy-free version of shredded cheddar, I usually use Daiya. None of these recommendations is sponsored; I'm just sharing what works in my kitchen for me. I live with a vegan, so we have a lot of options in our house!
- Serving Size - You can absolutely double this recipe and make it in an 8 or 9-inch pan to serve more people. You can triple it for a 9x13-inch pan, too.
Buffalo Chickpea Dip
Creamy buffalo chickpea dip using chickpeas instead of chicken. You can double this recipe to serve a crowd.
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinse
- ½ cup Buffalo sauce (such as Frank’s red hot sauce)
- 4 ounce cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup shredded cheese
- For serving: celery sticks and pita chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350-F.
- In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, Buffalo sauce, cream cheese, yogurt, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Pulse the mixture 5-10 times in the food processor to bring it together, but don’t worry about getting it all smooth. Some chunkiness is good because it mimics chicken.
- Scrape the mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheesy is melted and the mixture is slightly bubbling.
- Serve with celery sticks and pita chips.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 412Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 1197mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 9gSugar: 8gProtein: 19g
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