Try Scrambled Chickpeas For Tasty Vegan Breakfast Wraps

Most vegans are familiar with tried and true egg substitutes for scrambles and baking. Firm tofu is a favorite scrambled egg swap, while flax meal and water mimic an egg's binding capabilities in baked goods. You can even substitute aquafaba (the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas) for egg white foam to create a vegan take on your favorite sour cocktail. However, aquafaba isn't the only chickpea derivative you can use as an egg substitute.

Whole chickpeas make the perfect vegan egg scramble to stuff into a tasty breakfast wrap. Like eggs, chickpeas are a versatile ingredient to pair with countless flavors as evidenced by numerous varieties of hummus, stews, and salads. They're also a soy-free alternative to tofu that still offer vegans a good source of protein to start the day.

You have two different avenues for converting chickpeas into an egg scramble. You can use cooked, canned chickpeas whole or mashed to pan fry, or you can use dried chickpeas ground into flour to blend with water and spices, mimicking runny, beaten eggs. You don't even have to make your own chickpea flour since a package of processed chickpea flour is comparable in price to a can of cooked chickpeas. Cooked chickpeas mashed or partially mashed with chunks of whole beans aptly imitate clumps of eggs while offering a comforting density and moisture. Chickpea flour and spiced liquid most accurately assume a beaten egg's fluffy curds as you stir it around in a non-stick pan.

Whether you use canned chickpeas or chickpea flour, turmeric is a common ingredient in vegan scrambles to give it the yellow hue of real eggs. While turmeric is integral to presentation, you can use any aromatic, veggie, or spice you like to add flavor and texture to your chickpea scramble.

For a Mexican breakfast burrito, you can sauté mashed chickpeas or chickpea flour paste with diced onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, chili powder, and a dash of hot sauce. The scramble would pair perfectly with black beans, red salsa, avocado, and pico de gallo inside a giant flour tortilla. Another breakfast wrap idea would be a smoky Mediterranean breakfast pita, stuffed with a scramble of chickpeas, garlic, onions, smoked paprika, chili powder, stewed tomatoes, and baba ganoush. You could also throw sweet leeks, cracked black pepper, mushrooms, kale, and crispy home fries into your scramble, wrapping the mixture inside pre-cooked vegan puff-pastry sheets.

To maximize the flavor of chickpea scrambles, use a few spoonfuls of vegetable broth instead of just water in the cooked chickpea mash or the chickpea flour paste. The broth will instantly enhance the chickpea's flavor along with any other ingredient you pair it with while also safeguarding the scramble from drying out.