10 Minute Lemon and Black Pepper Chickpeas

These lemon and black pepper chickpeas are the perfect lunch – they’re incredibly tasty, full of goodness, and take just minutes to make!

This is just the kind of lunch I love to make. You can whip up these lemon and black pepper chickpeas in less than 10 minutes, and use them in all sorts of ways. Packed with tangy, peppery flavours, they make an ideal lunch!

Quick and easy lunch

I sometimes get in a bit of a rut with lunches – it can be boring to eat the same sandwiches over and over again. These lemon and black pepper chickpeas are such a great way to break the monotony!

They take just minutes to prepare, so even if you’re not very well organised (who, me?), you can whip them up at a moment’s notice.

Why make these lemon pepper chickpeas?

These tasty chickpeas are:

• super healthy – full of fibre and protein, and low in fat
• really versatile, and can be served in all sorts of ways
• easy to adapt with whatever you have in the fridge
• quick and easy to make at a moment’s notice

They pretty much have it all.

How to make lemon and black pepper chickpeas

Step 1: Cook the chickpeas with aromatics

There are really only two steps to this recipe. First, cook the chickpeas in a frying pan with some garlic and spring onions.

The chickpeas become perfectly coated in the lovely flavours – they’d be tasty to eat even just like this, to be honest. But it’s worth continuing…

Step 2: Add additional flavours

Just a few more ingredients really make the flavour of these chickpeas pop:

• lemon juice
• black pepper
• salt
• fresh parsley

If you can use freshly ground black pepper, that’s ideal – it tends to be a little coarser than the pre-ground stuff, and gives a more intense peppery flavour.

And that’s it! Literally just a few ingredients bring these little chickpeas to life.

How to serve lemon pepper chickpeas

I’ve mentioned how versatile these chickpeas are – they’re great eaten hot or cold, so the world’s your oyster.

Here are a few ideas of ways you could serve them.

• in a lunchbox as a fun alternative to a sandwich
• as a protein-rich snack (e.g. instead of nuts or crisps)
• scattered on a salad, crouton-style
• stuffed inside a pitta bread with salad leaves and hummus
• as part of a vegetarian picnic
• in a vegetarian mezze-style buffet

We had ours for lunch with some soft pitta, salad, and cherry tomatoes. It tasted so fresh and healthy, but super satisfying at the same time.

How to adapt the recipe

I love recipes like this because of how easy they are to adapt. Don’t have one of the ingredients? No problem! Just swap it out for something else.

• The spring onions could easily be swapped for chopped red onion or shallots.
• Butter beans or any other neutral-tasting pulse would be great if you don’t have chickpeas.
• Add some grated parmesan-style cheese or a knob of butter to make the recipe taste richer and creamier.
• Throw in a handful of chopped spinach, some cherry tomatoes, or some sliced mushrooms if you’d like to get in some extra veg.

Whatever you do, these lemon and black pepper chickpeas will be quick, tasty, and full of goodness!

Print Recipe

Lemon and Black Pepper Chickpeas

These lemon and black pepper chickpeas are the perfect lunch – they're incredibly tasty, full of goodness, and take just minutes to make!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Light lunch

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 184kcal

Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic puree)
• 400 g tin chickpeas, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 tsp black pepper (preferably freshly ground)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Few sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

• Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan, and add the spring onions, garlic, and drained chickpeas. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, until hot and fragrant. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper, and cook for 2 more minutes. Finally, stir through the fresh parsley, and remove from the heat. Serve hot or cold.

Notes

Feel free to adapt the recipe however you see fit – for example, you could add a handful of chopped spinach, swap the chickpeas for butter beans, or sprinkle in some grated parmesan-style cheese. It’s a really versatile recipe.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1 portion (1/2 of the recipe).

Love healthy lunch ideas with bags of flavour? This roasted vegetable fattoush is ideal: