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This Easy Chickpea Scramble is one of our favorite nutritious breakfast options that’s packed with protein. It’s a great alternative to tofu scramble and is as versatile as classic scrambled eggs. Perfect for busy mornings or lazy weekends in!
We recently did a Vegan Egg Taste Test where we sampled both store-bought and homemade versions, and chickpea scramble ended up being one of our favorites! After liking it so much, we thought that it would only be fitting for us to create a recipe on the blog for you to try, too!
The Health Benefits of Chickpea Flour
Chickpea flour, also known as besan flour or gram flour, is a nutritious and healthy ingredient that has been used in many cuisines for centuries. Not only is it vegan, affordable and shelf stable, but chickpea flour is also known for being high in fiber, high in protein, supporting digestion, and nutrient dense.
It’s also an excellent soy-free substitute for Tofu Scramble recipe.
If you’re interested in more recipes using chickpea flour, try our Vegan French Toast, Vegan Chickpea Omelet, Pumpkin Chickpea Fritters, and this Baked Falafel.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chickpea flour: This nutritious and naturally gluten-free flour is made from ground dried chickpeas. We usually purchase our chickpea flour from Bob’s Red Mill, but you can make your own chickpea flour at home using a grain mill or high-speed blender.
- Broth: We used our Homemade Vegetable Broth, but you can use any store-bought vegetable broth or vegan chicken broth for a more a savory vegan scramble.
- Garlic powder: Garlic powder adds a mild garlic flavor without overpowering the egg scramble. If you prefer a strong garlicky flavor, feel free to use minced garlic.
- Turmeric: Adds color and earthiness. If you don’t enjoy the flavor of turmeric, you can omit it but the chickpea mixture will be much lighter in color.
- Kala namak: Also known as Indian black salt, kala namak is known for its distinctive “eggy” or sulfurous flavor. A little goes a long way but if desired, omit the kala namak and replace it with regular sea salt.
Equipment Needed
How to Make Chickpea Scramble
- Whisk the scramble ingredients together. In a medium-sized bowl, add the chickpea flour, vegetable broth, garlic powder, and turmeric together. Whisk well until smooth. The mixture should be the consistency of a pancake batter. If it appears thin, add 1 tablespoon of chickpea flour at a time until thickened again.
- Scramble the chickpea batter. Heat a medium nonstick pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Once warmed add in the batter and cook, mixing often, until the mixture reaches the consistency of scrambled eggs, about 4-6 minutes.
- Season and serve. Sprinkle in the black salt, then season with salt and black pepper to taste. Keep in mind that black salt is salty, so go light on the added sea salt. Serve while warm, as desired.
Serving Suggestions
We serve this chickpea scramble alongside our Vegan Breakfast Potatoes or Crispy Fiesta Potatoes and slices of Whole Wheat Toast with vegan butter, but it can be served however you’d like! Try one of these suggestions:
- Add veggies: If you’d like to add veggies to the chickpea flour scramble, sauté them in the pan before adding the chickpea batter. Things like diced bell pepper, white onion, hash browns, and greens like Swiss chard or baby spinach would be delicious!
- Make it a breakfast sandwich: Put this chickpea scramble on our Vegan Bagels with your favorite vegan cheese, tomatoes, red onion, and Tofu Bacon.
- Roll it into breakfast burritos: Use your favorite tortilla and add your favorite breakfast burrito fillings like black beans, salsa, vegan cheese, avocado and fresh cilantro.
- Top your avocado toast: Take your avocado toast to the next level with this protein-packed breakfast recipe.
Storage Instructions
This chickpea scramble will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. We haven’t tested freezing it, but it would likely work, especially if you’re making Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos.
Reheat this scramble in the microwave or in the pan. It may be a bit dry upon reheating, so add an additional splash of vegetable broth to keep it hydrated.
Troubleshooting Tips
- Use a nonstick pan. Although we love our cast iron skillet, it’s not the best when it comes to cooking with chickpea flour. Even on low heats, the chickpea flour almost always sticks. Instead, use your best nonstick pan. We love our Caraway pans and highly recommend them!
- Keep the mixture pressed into a thin layer. When scrambling the chickpea batter, we recommend pressing it down into a thin layer while you mix so that it cooks evenly. If it piles up into a “ball of dough,” it will not cook all the way through and be the consistency of mashed potatoes.
- Whisk the batter really well. If there are any dry lumps of chickpea flour, they will remain that way and will not cook through properly. Make sure you have a smooth batter before adding to the hot skillet.
More Vegan Breakfast Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Potato & Leek Tofu Quiche – A hearty vegan quiche that’s perfect for your brunch tables!
- Spiced Chickpea and Tomato Toast – A super quick and easy breakfast that’s packed with flavor and protein.
- Vegan Filipino Scrambled Eggs – 3 ingredient vegan scrambled eggs you’ll love!
- Fall Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole – Loaded with seasonal veggies and an “eggy” flavor.
- Vegan Huevos Rancheros – Try the chickpea scramble in this Mexican-inspired recipe!
If you make this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below! + If you post any photos on Instagram, make sure you tag us @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris so that we don’t miss it, we love seeing your photos!
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Chickpea Scramble Recipe
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
This Easy Chickpea Scramble is one of our favorite nutritious breakfast options that’s packed with protein. It’s a great alternative to tofu scramble and is as versatile as classic scrambled eggs. Perfect for busy mornings or lazy weekends in!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (for color)
- 1/4 teaspoon kala namak (Indian black salt, for “eggy” flavor)
- 1 tablespoon oil, for cooking
- Salt and black pepper, as desired
Serve with (optional)
- Toast
- Breakfast Potatoes
- Steamed Spinach
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except for the black salt to a medium sized bowl and whisk until smooth. Add more chickpea flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to thicken. The mixture should be the consistency of a pancake batter.
- Heat a medium nonstick pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil (recommended). Once warmed, add in the batter. Cook, mixing often, until the mixture reaches the consistency of scrambled eggs, about 4-6 minutes. It will seem like it is too wet at first but if you keep cooking it, it will eventually dry out into the scramble consistency. We suggest when you mix it, to press it down into a thin layer so that it all cooks evenly. If it piles up into a “ball of dough”, it will not cook all the way through.
- Sprinkle in the black salt and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and serve warm. We served ours alongside our vegan breakfast potatoes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Soy-free
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan, Soy-free
Hey guys you gotta try this. Leftovers taste even better the next day. You can really taste the seasoning. Just add some veggie broth as suggested. It’s microwaveable. Eating some now with plant based sausage. It’s not only for breakfast. Sometimes I’ll have it as a quick after work meal!👍🏽
I tried it. It was DELISH! It does take practice. Practice makes perfect. Been looking for scramble egg replacement bcuz of slightly elevated cholesterol. Much better than wasting yolks for egg whites. And very economical. Eggs are so expensive now. I’m able to get two servings. Just added some vegetable broth as suggested and it retains its texture and taste. Microwave eggs not so much. I was able to order the kala namak from Amazon which does give a nice egg flavor. This recipe is helping me on my journey to better health by eating plant based. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 😊
This was DELICIOUS! Such a brilliant recipe & healthy too. I’m not sure if it was the specific brand of chickpea flour I had or what, but I had to use double the amount of liquid as called for in the recipe in order for it to come close to a pancake batter consistency. Turned out amazing tho!!! Such a great alternative to just egg and as a soy-free option.
Just egg gave me a bad stomach ache. I tried it a few different times and always got a bad stomach ache after. I am giving up on that one!
This is my VERY favourite breakfast. I haven’t mastered the scrambling yet, but make it as an omelette, take it out of the pan, put in my leafy greens and tomatoes, cook them down a bit, chop up the omelette and add it back into the pan. I also add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the mix. Thank you so much.
I am not completely vegan, but I am trying to eliminate animal products from my diet. I don’t like eggs very much, never have, but it is such an easy, protein-filled breakfast. This is a wonderful replacement. For the first time, I finished my whole plate. I usually end up giving most of my egg scramble to my dog. Thanks! Can’t wait to try more recipes from your site.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe 🙂 We hope you love the rest of the recipes you try!
I’ve never heard of chickpea flour. Can this be made by processing raw chickpeas? Would to try this and I can’t really go to the store at the moment
I have never personally made it before but I came across this that says you can make it from roasted chickpeas: https://www.thespruceeats.com/making-chickpea-flour-2394971
I just made it for my daughter and myself. It was VERY good and fast! Thank you!
Best tasting recipe I’ve tried. I made it more like an omelette, sauteed onion and garlic and added cumin and roasted paprika. Thank you!
Also eating as I type! My 11 month old, who hasn’t liked much recently, is eating all of my scramble ????
This is the second time I’ve made this and the first was pretty much a total flop! I wanted to suggest a video of how to cook it properly? Might help others like me!
Here’s where I think I went wrong the first time:
1. I used vegan butter instead of oil, and out of habit of low fat cooking just used a tiny bit. I really think you need the oil for this recipe, and the recommended amount, because otherwise the batter sticks to itself terribly.
2. I mixed it too soon the first time and it immediately became a ball and was impossible to separate. The second time, I let it cook as a pancake until the top was no longer sticky, and then chopped and started to scramble it. It came out amazing!
Thanks for the recipe, I think it will be amazing in breakfast burritos and, apparently, as breakfast for my daughter, who has eaten most of mine as I type ???? Thanks again!
Hi Megan,
Thank you for sharing your feedback on this recipe, so glad that you liked it! 🙂
Eating as I type this. Great both scrambled and as an omelette. Thanks for the super simple recipe.
Went camping with some friends and they made this for me. Really tasty! And we threw in leftover veggies from the night before. Really glad they introduced this to me and I’ll definitely be making this at home. So much easier & tastier than tofu scramble in my opinion.
I’m so excited to try this!! How do you think this would hold up in an egg/breakfast casserole I’m trying to veganize?
Hey Abby, It should work!
Can this be refrigerated? I’m only cooking for 1 so would normally just make a single serving but it’s going to be difficult to quarter this recipe with such small seasoning portions.
We would suggest making it and then refrigerating the end product. As the batter sits, it will thicken and may not be ideal to work with the next day.
Have you tried baking this into “egg” cups? Would be interested to see if it would work!
We haven’t tried, but I think it’s worth a shot!
I am definitely going to make this, I love scramble! I don’t have any black salt on hand is there a good substitute for this?
I don’t really know a replacement, but you can get black salt for pretty cheap at an Indian market. You can also omit it completely and it will still taste great!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been vegan for almost 2 years, and have tried many egg subs , including those in your taste test . I used to love eggs, and none of the substitutes hit the mark . This vegan scramble was so good and so easy to make and quick too! Even my carnivore husband ate it and said it was better than eggs . I sautéed some onion and red pepper before adding the batter to the pan, and this had so much flavor . I’m already looking forward to breakfast tomorrow . Thank you for finally taking away my craving for eggs 🙂 I look forward to trying more of your recipes !
So glad you love it! 🙂
This is so great to hear!!! I am starting a Vegan diet on January 1st and I think the thing I’m going to miss the most is eggs.
I absolutely love this. It’s so hard to find vegan recipes that aren’t loaded with soy or sugar. This is full of protein, easy, delicious and easy to add vegetables with. I absolutely love it
Delicious!