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Having a chickpea scramble for breakfast is a great way to start the day with something protein dense, inexpensive, and quick to prepare. Serve with hash browns. Vegan & gluten-free.
Growing up, I hated breakfast. They say it’s the most important meal of the day, but I always wanted to hop right over it straight to lunch.
Most mornings, I ate a granola bar, an instant breakfast shake, or even one of those packaged oatmeal sandwich cookies with cream filling in the middle. (I mean, it had oatmeal right in the name, and so it must be breakfast-appropriate, right?)
My main issue with breakfast was that I didn’t like a lot of standard breakfast foods. They all seemed to center around eggs, and for the most part, I wasn’t a fan. Omelettes, quiche, fried eggs and toast? Not so much.
Once I gave eggs the boot, breakfast became so much better. Breakfast burritos, breakfast nests, vegan corn cakes, bagel sandwiches… Now that’s a meal worth waking up for.
Chickpea scramble & hash browns
Tofu scrambles get a lot of love in our house, but sometimes chickpeas need a chance to shine.
Plus, a chickpea scramble is a great option when your cupboard is bare. You only need few essentials – onions, garlic, and a can of chickpeas.
Deliciously simple.
Plus, the chickpeas are substantive enough to keep me full until lunchtime.
I first became acquainted with the chickpea scramble a couple of years ago. I saw a recipe for chickpea scrambles in Isa Does It. But they are one of those things that you can switch up depending on your preferences and what’s in the refrigerator.
I always include onions and garlic. Plus, I like to add a couple of big handfuls of spinach at the end until it’s just wilted, so that I can start my day with some greens. If you have a ripe avocado, all the better.
You can certainly have the scramble on toast. But it wouldn’t be a weekend in our house without potatoes of some sort. And the best breakfast potatoes of all are hash browns.
I’ve plugged this post in the past, but Erin at Olives for Dinner has a really helpful guide to making the perfect hash browns. It’s all about getting rid of excess starch on the potatoes, making sure the potatoes are very dry before frying, and letting the potatoes fully brown before flipping.
Plate the chickpea scramble and hash browns together with some hot sauce on the side. And you’ve got a deliciously hearty start to the day.
Chickpea scramble & hash browns
Ingredients
For the hash browns
- 2 small Russet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon organic canola oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
For the chickpea scramble
- 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
- Pinch turmeric for color
- Pinch salt
- 2 big handfuls baby spinach leaves
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
To make the hash browns
- Using the food processor with the shredder plate, shred 2 potatoes (or grate the potatoes by hand). Cover the shredded potatoes in water and soak them for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the shredded potatoes in a sieve, and move them to a clean dish towel. Ring the dish towel completely to remove any extra moisture from the potatoes.
- Heat a non-stick skillet to a medium-high heat and add oil. Add the potatoes in an even layer across the skillet. Brown the potatoes on one side for 9 to 10 minutes. Flip the hashbrowns and cook for another 6-8 minutes, until brown on that side as well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To make the chickpea scramble
- Heat a skillet to a medium heat with extra virgin olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until translucent and browning slightly.
- Add chickpeas to the skillet and continue cooking until warmed through. Use a fork to smash some of the chickpeas.
- Add lemon juice, nutritional yeast flakes, turmeric, and salt to chickpeas and combine. Add a splash of water, if necessary, to keep the chickpeas from sticking.
- Add spinach to skillet, combine with the chickpeas, and allow the spinach to wilt.
- Taste the scramble and add more salt, lemon juice, or nutritional yeast flakes, if desired. Add pepper to taste.
Hannah says
Every time I see you post about chickpea scramble I’m inspired to try it myself. I have yet to do it, but the day is coming! It looks and sounds delicious 🙂
Cadry says
Yes, you’ll have to give it a shot sometime. As much as I love tofu scrambles, sometimes it’s nice to mix things up.
cookeasyvegan says
I was a breakfast avoider growing up, too. Maybe if someone had made me chickpea scramble and hash browns, I would have changed my ways.
Cadry says
You know, I really wonder about that sometimes, Andrea! In my family, I was considered to be the picky one, but now I wonder if I just had a different palate.
Little Vegan Bear says
This is basically my perfect weekend breakfast! I love your plates too, what a gorgeous pattern.
Cadry says
Thank you! They’re the plates from David’s childhood home. We only have a couple of them left, but for sentimental reasons, it’s fun to use them sometimes.
EC says
This looks like a nice change up from tofu scramble!
Cadry says
Exactly! I won’t be retiring the tofu scramble, but it’s fun to switch things up every now and again.
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition says
This is a great way to switch things up from a tofu scramble. I love them but I like to limit my soy sometimes if I have it other days in the week. Great idea!!!
Cadry says
Thanks, Mary Ellen. I love tofu scrambles too, but it’s always nice to have more options. 🙂
Shell says
I’m totally hooked on chickpea scramble. It is so simple, yummy and packed with nutrients. I love the idea of adding hash browns!
Side note: I remember how much you didn’t like breakfast when we were in elementary school. I am the biggest breakfast fan ever, and so I’m glad we didn’t let that difference get in the way of our friendship 🙂
Cadry says
I think it’s so awesome that you’re hooked on the chickpea scramble. You are really a chickpea girl. And hash browns make EVERYTHING better.
That’s interesting that you remember me not liking breakfast! Thank you for looking past it where our friendship was concerned. 😉
Kristina says
I definitely need to try this one – I love chickpeas, and yep, always have some in the pantry!
Cadry says
Yes, it’s one of those breakfasts I reach for when we’ve returned from an out of town trip and the refrigerator is empty. I almost always have chickpeas, onions, garlic, and spices. It keeps me full until I can get to the store and stock up. 🙂
Aimee says
I love chickpea scramble and I love hash browns so this is like a dream plate of food right here 😀
Cadry says
Yay! That’s great, Aimee. You and me both.
Susan says
I wasn’t a bit breakfast fan when I was younger but it was mostly because I just wasn’t very hungry in the mornings. I ended up training myself into it because you really do need breakfast fuel before a long day at uni or work! This looks great. I have done the scrambled chickpeas from Isa Does It and they were a nice change.
I agree with you that hashbrowns are the best breakfast potatoes, however in Australia hash browns are different from in the US, so that is what I am wanting with my breakfast. 🙂
Cadry says
I’m not hungry first thing in the morning either. It takes at least a couple of hours before I want to eat.
I remember from your posts about the U.S. that the hashbrowns here didn’t meet your expectations. I need to do some googling and find out what Australian hashbrowns are like.
Sam says
I loved this recipe! Being a vegetarian, it’s so hard to find healthy and tasty breakfasts, so this was a major improvement. Since I’m from India, I added a lot more spices and at it with green chutney, it was heavenly.
Thank you for this recipe and your blog!
Cadry says
Oh, what a great idea to add some Indian spices and green chutney. I would be all over that! Thanks for the kind words!
Jessi Summers says
I make potatoes my own way, so no comment on the hashbrowns, but this scramble has been a life saver for a gal trying to figure out savory vegan breakfasts! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Cadry says
That’s so nice to hear, Jessi! Glad you enjoy the scramble. 🙂