Buffalo Chickpea Wraps
Buffalo chickpea wraps will become your new favorite lunch. They are so easy to make, spicy, tangy and so delicious. Buffalo chickpea with tahini ranch dressing wrapped in a tortilla or pita is a budget friendly, healthy meal that is ready in about 10 minutes!
Why you will love this recipe
- Quick and easy – the buffalo chickpeas cook in about 10 minutes on the stove. You can even make these buffalo chickpeas in advance for meal prep.
- Simple ingredients – this buffalo chickpea wrap recipe uses ingredients you likely already have in your pantry or fridge, which is great when you aren’t sure what to make for lunch or dinner. You can easily find everything you need for this recipe at your local grocery store for sure! This recipe is vegan, gluten free and dairy free friendly!
- Budget friendly – the base of this buffalo chickpea wrap recipe is chickpeas, which are so budget friendly (about $1 a can!). You can also make your own budget friendly wraps using red lentils and water! Use whatever veggies you have on hand to complete this meal and keep it super budget friendly!
- The perfect amount of spice – The chickpeas have a little heat from the hot sauce, but the creamy tahini ranch dressing really helps to offset this heat
Ingredients
- Hot sauce – use your favorite hot sauce for this recipe. I love Franks Red Hot (it has great ingredients and the perfect amount of heat). I also really love the Aldi version of Franks Red Hot (super budget friendly option).
- Avocado oil – avocado oil is a very neutral oil that helps to emulsify the buffalo sauce and coat the chickpeas. You can also use extra virgin olive oil or melted butter (vegan or regular) or ghee (not dairy free).
- Spices: Dried chives, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried dill, salt, smoked paprika – these spices help to really amplify the flavor in the buffalo sauce (giving it a smoky, ranch type flavor). If you don’t have one of these ingredients on hand, you can simply skip it.
- Chickpeas – chickpeas are so budget friendly and packed with protein and fiber. Chickpeas are easy to find canned or dry. You can cook chickpeas from dry or use canned chickpeas for this recipe (you will need about 3 cups or 2 cans in total). You can also make this with white beans (cannellini beans, great northern white beans, navy beans, butter beans) for a similar recipe if you don’t have chickpeas on hand.
- Romaine lettuce and tomatoes – these veggies are coated in tahini ranch dressing and help to ensure that the wraps are not too spicy and also help to add volume and color to the wraps.
Tahini Ranch Dressing
- Tahini – tahini is a paste made from ground up sesame seeds. Tahini has the same consistency as runny peanut butter or almond butter and adds a nutty, rich flavor to the dressing. It’s a great alternative to cream or dairy to make a creamy dressing or sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – apple cider vinegar helps to give this ranch dressing the tanginess that you would normally get from buttermilk. You could also use lemon juice in place of apple cider vinegar.
- Water – water helps to thin out the dressing.
- Spices: Dried chives, dried parsley, garlic powder, dried dill, salt – these are traditional spices that make up ranch dressing. I like using dried spices because they are easy to keep on hand. If there is anything you don’t have on hand, you can just leave it out.
How to make buffalo chickpea wraps with tahini ranch dressing
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
Combine the buffalo sauce ingredients (hot sauce, avocado oil, spices) in a bowl.
Once the skillet is preheated, add the chickpeas to the skillet and pour the buffalo sauce over top. Stir well to coat the chickpeas.
Cook the buffalo chickpeas over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken and when you run your spatula through the chickpeas, the sauce stays separated (see photo).
While chickpeas are cooking, make the tahini ranch dressing. Stir together all the ingredients (tahini, apple cider vinegar, water and spices) in a bowl. It will look thin and soupy in the beginning, just keep stirring. Then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to thicken.
Chop the lettuce, slice the tomatoes, and chop any other veggies you choose to include in the wraps.
Stir the lettuce and tomatoes together with the tahini ranch dressing.
Assemble the wraps (it can be helpful to heat the wraps in a hot skillet for 30 seconds to get them ore pliable if needed). Add the tahini ranch veggies, buffalo chickpeas and top with any additional veggies. Wrap the wrap (you can fold it like a taco or wrap it up by pulling in the sides first, then rolling it up, keeping it tight as you roll). Place toothpicks in the wrap if needed.
Top tips
- This recipe is great for meal prep. If you know you will be making this for leftovers, wait to add the dressing to the lettuce and keep the lettuce and chickpeas separate to ensure the lettuce doesn’t wilt.
- Don’t overfill the wraps or they will be tough to fold. You can also make them more like tacos instead of wraps to make it easier to assemble.
- You can heat up the wrap by putting it seam side down on a preheated skillet sprayed with olive oil or avocado oil spray. This will seal the wrap closed. Once sealed, flip and cook the other side and serve hot.
- Use these ingredients to make buffalo chickpeas salads or buffalo chickpea grain bowls as well.
Topping ideas
- Red onion
- Green onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Avocado
- Radish
- Pickled Red Onions
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Cucumber
- Thinly sliced red cabbage
How to enjoy
- In a wrap, in a lettuce wrap or collard green wrap
- On a salad
- In tacos
- On bread for sandwiches
- Crackers
- Chips
- Wrapped in lentil flatbread
- Stuffed inside a bell pepper or hollowed out cucumber
- In a bowl with brown rice or quinoa
- Cucumber slices or bell pepper slices
Common questions
What are the best wraps to make buffalo chickpea wraps
- Pita (regular or gluten free)
- Tortillas (burrito sized are best)
- Lentil Flatbread
- Collard green wraps or lettuce wraps
Can you use store bought buffalo sauce
Yes if you want to use your favorite store bought sauce in place of homemade, feel free. Be sure to check the ingredients if you are vegan or dairy free, as many store bought brands include butter.
Some great store bought options for vegan buffalo sauce are: Primal Kitchen and New Primal Buffalo Sauce.
What if you don’t have chickpeas on hand?
If you don’t have chickpeas, you can use any white bean you may have on hand (cannellini beans, great northern white beans, navy beans). You could also use pinto beans, kidney beans or black beans but the overall presentation won’t be quite as pretty.
What is tahini
Tahini is a paste made from ground up sesame seeds. It’s nutty, creamy and has an earthy flavor that pairs well with sweet and savory meals. Tahini can often be found in the grocery store near the other nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter) but is sometimes in the international section of the grocery store.
My favorite tahini brands are Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Thrive Market and Soom Foods Tahini.
What else can you make with tahini
- Lemon Tahini Pasta
- Tahini Lime Dressing
- Butter Bean Hummus
- Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce
- Tahini Pesto
- Cookie Dough Hummus
What if you don’t have tahini on hand?
If you don’t have tahini on hand, you can use almond butter, sunbutter or cashew butter in place of the tahini.
You can also make a really great vegan ranch dressing with soaked cashews, soaked sunflower seeds or hemp hearts. You will need to blend this dressing instead of just using a spoon to stir it. Check out all the tips, on how to make the best dairy free ranch dressing in this post.
Storing leftovers
- Fridge: You can store the leftover buffalo chickpeas in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I wouldn’t recommend storing any leftover lettuce unless you keep the dressing separate, as the lettuce will get soggy quickly. You can store leftover tahini ranch dressing in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freezer: You can freeze leftover buffalo chickpeas in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Simply defrost in the fridge a few hours or reheat in a pan over medium heat (add a few extra tablespoons of water) and cook covered until reheated. Freeze leftover tahini ranch dressing for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. You can pour it into ice cube molds before freezing to get single servings for defrosting.
Substitutions
- Hot sauce – use whatever hot sauce you have on hand. If you don’t have hot sauce, you can also make this recipe with bbq sauce, but the flavor will be different. You can also use a store bought buffalo sauce instead of making your own (you can also omit the avocado oil and spices if you are using store bought buffalo sauce).
- Avocado oil – you can use olive oil, melted butter (vegan or regular) or melted ghee (not dairy free or vegan). The butter will make this taste even more like traditional buffalo sauce.
- Spices – if you don’t have one of the spices listed, simply omit it.
- Tahini – if you don’t have tahini, you can also use almond butter. Sunbutter or cashew butter in place of the tahini. You can also use soaked cashews, soaked sunflower seeds or hemp hearts to make vegan ranch dressing in the blender.
- Apple cider vinegar – this helps to give the dressing that authentic tanginess you expect from buttermilk. You can also use lemon juice.
- Spices – if you don’ have one of the spices listed, just omit it.
If you love this recipe, you should try
Buffalo Cauliflower with Tahini Ranch Dressing
Buffalo Chickpea Wraps
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
- 1 tbsp avocado oil - or olive oil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried chives
- 1/8 tsp dill
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 cans chickpeas (1 15 oz can, drained and rinsed)
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 4 tortilla shells (burrito sized)
Tahini Ranch Dressing
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried chives
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp dried dill
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
- In a bowl combine the hot sauce, avocado oil and spices. Stir well.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Add them to the skillet when preheated then add the buffalo sauce. Stir well.
- Cook the buffalo chickpeas over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the sauce has thickened and it stays separated when you run a spoon or spatula down the skillet.
- While the chickpeas are cooking, make the tahini ranch dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. At first it will seem like it's not coming together, just keep stirring. Let sit 2-3 minutes to thicken.
- Chop the lettuce and slice the tomatoes. Add the tahini ranch to the veggies.
- Optional: If wraps seem hard to fold, heat wraps on a skillet (30 seconds) or in the microwave (10-20 seconds) to make them more pliable. Assemble the wraps. Add the tahini ranch veggies, buffalo chickpeas and any other toppings then fold the wrap in half (like a taco) or wrap it up by folding in the sides then rolling it tightly into a wrap. Secure with toothpicks if needed.
Notes
- This recipe is great for meal prep. If you know you will be making this for leftovers, wait to add the dressing to the lettuce and keep the lettuce and chickpeas separate to ensure the lettuce doesn’t wilt.
- Don’t overfill the wraps or they will be tough to fold. You can also make them more like tacos instead of wraps to make it easier to assemble.
- You can heat up the wrap by putting it seam side down on a preheated skillet sprayed with olive oil or avocado oil spray. This will seal the wrap closed. Once sealed, flip and cook the other side and serve hot.
- Use these ingredients to make buffalo chickpeas salads or buffalo chickpea grain bowls as well.
- Red onion
- Green onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Avocado
- Radish
- Pickled Red Onions
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Cucumber
- Thinly sliced red cabbage
- In a wrap, in a lettuce wrap or collard green wrap
- On a salad
- In tacos
- On bread for sandwiches
- Crackers
- Chips
- Wrapped in lentil flatbread
- Stuffed inside a bell pepper or hollowed out cucumber
- In a bowl with brown rice or quinoa
- Cucumber slices or bell pepper slices
- Fridge: You can store the leftover buffalo chickpeas in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I wouldn’t recommend storing any leftover lettuce unless you keep the dressing separate, as the lettuce will get soggy quickly. You can store leftover tahini ranch dressing in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freezer: You can freeze leftover buffalo chickpeas in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Simply defrost in the fridge a few hours or reheat in a pan over medium heat (add a few extra tablespoons of water) and cook covered until reheated. Freeze leftover tahini ranch dressing for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. You can pour it into ice cube molds before freezing to get single servings for defrosting.
