Chickpea scramble! Ever tried one?
It’s the perfect solution when you want something egg scramble-like without eggs or tofu (no shade on tofu, but some folks avoid soy, so this is another workaround).
Chickpeas are a delicious source of plant-based protein and fiber, and they take on flavors well. The only “problem” with chickpeas as a base is 1) they don’t bind together well, and 2) they don’t quite emulate the fluffy texture of eggs or tofu.
To the drawing board I went. I experimented, I asked your guys’ opinion on Twitter and Instagram, and I experimented some more. And one suggestion – eggplant – was the golden ticket!
This recipe is simple to make, requiring just 30 minutes and 10 ingredients to make! I even include some workarounds that make it even faster + easier if you’re short on time.
The “secret” to this scramble is baba ganoush*, which whips up in less than 15 minutes. It’s what helps bind the chickpeas together while also providing provide flavor, creaminess, and a bit of fluffiness!
Eggplant for the win, once again.
*Note: you can learn about baba ganoush here.
While the eggplant is roasting, season your chickpeas! I went with Indian-inspired flavors including a healthy mix of turmeric (an amazing anti-inflammatory!), ginger (great for digestion), and cumin (also helpful for digestion).
A pinch of salt, pepper, and smoked paprika bring even more flavor to this delicious and wholesome scramble.
I hope you all LOVE this scramble! It’s:
Fluffy
Flavorful
Wholesome
Satisfying
Easy to make
& Super tasty
This would make the perfect breakfast or lunch when you’re craving something satisfying yet healthy. While it does require 30 minutes from scratch, you can use store-bought baba ganoush to cut that down to 10-15 minutes or make the seasoned chickpeas and baba ganoush ahead of time to throw into the skillet throughout the week!
For more savory breakfast bites, check out our Roasted Sweet Potato & Kale Breakfast Hash, Masala Spiced Tofu Scramble, Eggplant Bacon, Spicy Tempeh Breakfast Sausage, and Crispy Hashbrown Haystacks.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Fluffy Chickpea Scramble (30 minutes!)
Ingredients
QUICK BABA GANOUSH (or sub store-bought baba ganoush)
- 1 large eggplant (sliced horizontally into 1/4-inch rounds)
- 1 Tbsp avocado or grape seed oil (or other neutral, high-heat oil // omit if oil-free)
- 1 pinch sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp tahini (ground sesame seeds)
- 1 large garlic clove (minced)
CHICKPEA SCRAMBLE
- 1 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas (drained but not rinsed, cooking liquid reserved // 1 15-ounce can yields 1 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas)
- 1 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 pinch smoked paprika (optional)
- 1/4 tsp each sea salt + black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 1-2 Tbsp water (to thin)
- 1 Tbsp avocado or coconut oil
- 4-6 Tbsp baba ganoush (recipe above or store bought)
FOR SERVING optional
- Roasted sweet potatoes* or other vegetables
- Ripe avocado
- Steamed kale
- Brown rice or cauliflower rice
- Cilantro
Instructions
- If using store-bought baba ganoush, skip this step. Otherwise, preheat oven to high broil, move a rack to the top of the oven, and line a baking sheet with foil (foil is best for broiling as parchment paper can burn).
- Slice the eggplant and arrange on foil-lined baking sheet. Lightly drizzle both sides with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Then broil for 2-3 minutes on each side, watching carefully as it can burn easily. You’re going for a deep golden brown, not black.
- Remove from oven and stack the eggplant. Fold the foil around the eggplant to steam for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, add chickpeas and 2-3 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) of their cooking liquid to a shallow mixing bowl. To a separate small mixing bowl, add turmeric, cumin, ginger, paprika, salt, pepper, and water to thin and mix into a pourable paste. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more spices for flavor or salt for saltiness.
- Pour spice mixture over the chickpeas and mash half of them with a fork, evenly distributing the spices until the chickpeas are coated. Sprinkle the chickpeas with a bit more salt for flavor. Set aside.
- Unwrap the eggplant and peel off most the skin – if well steamed, it should peel right off. Don’t fuss too much about getting all of the skin off – a little bit is fine!
- Transfer eggplant to a food processor (or mixing bowl) and add lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and another healthy pinch of salt. Blend (or mash/whisk) until a paste is formed (see photo). Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lemon for acidity, garlic for zing/spice, tahini for creaminess, or salt for saltiness. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp (15 g // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) oil and chickpeas. Stir to coat and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add desired amount of baba ganoush – 4-6 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
- Stir to combine and cook for 3-4 minutes more or until the scramble is slightly drying out and taking on a golden-brown color. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more fresh garlic for garlic flavor/zing, salt for saltiness, or pepper for a little heat. You can also add more baba ganoush for fluffy texture + flavor.
- Serve the chickpea scramble as is or with desired garnishes / sides. I love roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, cilantro, and extra baba ganoush on the side. Hot sauce is also delicious.
- Best when fresh, though leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warm.
Notes
*To roast sweet potatoes, cube a large sweet potato (skin on or off), place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil of choice (I like avocado), and add a sprinkle of salt. Roast at 400 degrees F (204 C) for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown and tender.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without additional sides / garnishes.
Joel K says
I’m allergic to eggplant. Could I sub hummus in this recipe?
That should work!
Debbie says
Huge hit as the vegan entree for Christmas breakfast! Prepared as directed with no substitutions. I’ll be making this again and again. Thank you!
Whoop! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank you for the lovely review, Debbie! xo
VICKY says
This was so good! Everyone liked it, including baby and older sister!
Love seeing my family eat healthy stuff, so thankful for your recipes!
Woohoo! Total win =) Thank you for sharing, Vicky!
Darina says
Very creative and delicious! Making this tonight for the second time :)
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Darina. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
The Vegan Goddess says
I was looking for a way to use up uncooked eggplant slices and this fit the bill perfectly. This also satisfied my desire to incorporate turmeric in my diet more often, and I love that this has ginger in it as well.
I never heard of baba ganoush or tried it before and enjoyed it, and it paired well with the scrambled chickpeas.
Healthy, filling and tasty — a great meal to make regularly. Thanks!
Great! We’re glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing! xo
Laura says
I’ve had an egg allergy my whole life and I made this for the first time today. Completely impressed, it came out perfect! The spice blend was delicious (I added more smoked paprika than recommended because I love it) and the recipe was so simple. I used store bought baba ganoush and added extra garlic paste. Served on wholemeal toast with a few slices of honey roast ham as a Saturday lazy breakfast. Perfection!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Laura! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Monica says
Wow just came across your your chickpea / BaBa Ganaoush
Recipe.
Its is so so delicious. Had it for lunch on a bed of Kale salad
Thank you
Look forward to cooking with you!
Are you in Instagram?
Monica
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Monica! Thanks so much for sharing! You can find us on Instagram @minimalistbaker
Rachel says
Made this and it was awesome! I made it into tacos which was great. I didn’t have eggplant and wanted to use what I had so I made the tahini sauce exactly the same way just without the eggplant and it was still very good. We had it for lunch but my husband said he could easily see eating this for breakfast. If I was gunna make this for breakfast I think I would want to add some meatless sausage or something but it was great without it too! Highly recommend! **Keep in mind though it definitely doesn’t taste like eggs, which is fine for us but anyone new to eating vegan/vegetarian etc may think it’s an egg substitute and it’s not, it’s its own thing.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Rachel! Thanks for sharing!
El says
Do you use dried or canned chickpeas?
Once cooked, how many days can store in the fridge? Is it freezer friendly?
Canned. Or you can cook them first from dried. It will keep 3-4 days. Hope that helps!
El says
Thank you.
Jessica says
This was just the creative take I needed on a “scramble” to make a fun and nourishing breakfast with the ingredients I had on hand (I used store-bought baba ganoush that was leftover from a meal earlier in the week). I was also surprised by just HOW well the scramble paired with avocado – yuuuuum!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jessica! Thanks so much for sharing!
Alexa says
Made this with sides of couscous + frozen peas, and crispy hash potatoes with cumin, turmeric, slightly too much cayenne, and ginger. It was DELICIOUS and incredibly filling. Omitted the eggplant because I didn’t have one, but otherwise made the chickpea “eggs” with everything else that would have gone in it (the tahini lemon juice mixture). Put it on high heat in a cast iron and then threw in some BREAD CRUMBS which made it even crispier and gave it a flaky/crispy texture. Heartiest breakfast in a while. Will be making again. Soon.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Alexa. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Pam says
Yum! I used hummus with flax egg mixed in instead of baba ghanoush and it worked well! Did my own spice mixture, adding nutritional yeast and mustard. Had with oven fries and hot sauce and kale – will make again!
Brooke says
Eggs have made me feel sick since I was a kid, so traditional breakfast has always been tough for me. THIS. CHANGES. EVERYTHING. Thank you!!!
Easy hack: TJ’s baba, TJ’s cruciferous crunch, TJ’s meatless sausages, brown rice, Roasted sweet potatoes and avo!! The possibilities are endless. A whole new breakfast world! Scrambles, hashes, burritos…?
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Brooke! Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer says
Hello, can you substitute zucchini for the eggplant?
Hi Jennifer, we haven’t tried that, but another reader mentioned a zucchini-based baba ganoush. If you press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac, a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for specific words (such as zucchini) in the post and comments. Hope that helps!
Peg says
This is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had for breakfast! I made a tahini-free babaganoush because my daughter is allergic to sesame. I roasted 2 large eggplants in the oven at 400 degrees for around an hour, let them cool, scooped out the insides, put in food processor with 2 cloves of garlic and the juice of one lemon and then processed for about 15 seconds. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and found the spice mixture to be perfectly balanced flavor-wise. I served it on top of hashbrowns. I can’t wait to have it again!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Andrea A. says
This scramble was delicious. I had a little trouble peeling the skin off the eggplant, and just ended up trimming it off. I served on tortillas with avocado. I love that I have left over baba ganoush. I went ahead and mixed a pre-blend of the spices. Now everything is ready to go, and I should be able to whip up at least two more batches in less than 10 minutes.
Thanks for sharing!
Hudi says
Ok I’m stoked!!!! My nine year old super picky eater said this is SICK. I hate when he talks like that but in his language that means he really likes it!!! Yayyyy!!! He seriously doesn’t eat anything healthy!! Accept green apples and apple sauce. He loves it and so do I. It’s delicious! And easy. Ty!
KLMC says
Noticed others asked this as well…thoughts about omitting eggplant and tahini? Sons allergic. Thank you! :)
We haven’t tried that and think it wouldn’t end up being a very cohesive scramble. We have a vegan scrambled eggs recipes coming up that might interest you! Otherwise, perhaps subbing the baba ganoush for a tahini-free hummus would be your next best option? Hope that helps! If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes!
Kele says
You can make a zucchini-based baba ganoush instead! Just slice the zucchini in rounds or long slices and grill or roast them before blending. Also, you can skip the tahini and sub a bit of extra oil (maybe 2-3 tbsp rather than 1) to get that creamy consistency.
Felicia says
I have a lot of Indian black salt (egg smelling) from when I was making tofu scramble. Soy isn’t my friend. Would you recommend using it in this? If so, how? I’m VERY recipe dependent so “just play around with it” doesn’t work for me lol.
Stay tuned, Felicia! We are working on a recipe that we think will be just what you are looking for!
Jessica says
If using canned chickpeas, are we supposed to leave the chickpeas un-rinsed and preserve the liquid from the can? Hopefully the answer is yes, b/c I’m guessing this won’t be answered right away and I’m about to cook supper. ;)
Caroline Pitts says
Hi, I dont know but it seems that since the liquid in the chickpeas is used as an egg replacement (aquafaba) it probably helped you.
How about telling us how it turned out?
Antonia says
This is a good recipe! The eggplant baba is very good.
The eggplant’s skin didn’t come off easily for me, so I cut it off with a knife and ate the outsides (which were yummyyy!) because I didn’t want to trash anything edible.
My sister and her friend really enjoyed the dish and went back for second and thirds!
Whoop! Glad to hear they enjoyed it!
Elsa Mehary says
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing!
Mary Trzeciak says
I’m a chickpea fanatic and not huge on tofu scrambles so I was so pumped when I saw this recipe! I’ve made it three times now since I first tried it and it is so perfect for the days I’m craving a savory breakfast! I pick up baba ganoush from my local mediterranean restaurant to save on time but not sacrifice the quality. I like the recommendations for trying over toast, so I think I will try that today….
alyse says
This was a really unusual and surprising dish. I really liked it. I’ll have to back off on some of the spices, as there was a little more of a bitter note than I appreciate. I’ll definitely be making it again!
Liz says
I’m allergic to eggplant. ? Is there an alternative to the baba ganoush that you would recommend?
Mo says
Going to try subbing zucchini for eggplant (weird oral allergy) and see how it goes!
James says
Any ideas on how to make a soy bean scramble? I have an instant pot, so I would pressure cook the soy beans and then process them up in the food processor. That’s what I’m thinking anyway.
Got any advise for me?
Jess says
Hi Dana :)
Just wondering re the nutritional info – why is there 11g of sugar?
Thanks
Jess
Kathryn Tate says
I wasn’t really certain of this before making it, but I have eaten it with leftovers
for a couple of days. (I used all of the Baba Ganoush in this).
I use a rack I bought at amazon for veggie cooking, and I use olive oil
cooking spray on the vegetables.
I have a dear sister coming to visit next month and will
definitely be making this for breakfast.
thanks Dana, the Minimalist Baker!!!!
Sarah R says
Dana! You should definitely try to work with chickpea flour to make a scramble or omelet. It’s amazing! You can get chickpea flour on the cheap at an Indian grocery store. Have fun!
Shelbi Post says
Whoa. This dish was pretty mind-blowing. I really loved all the different spices with turmeric, cumin and paprika! It was so unique tasting. The texture when mixing the chickpeas with the baba ganoush was super fluffy and satisfying. I served it with the roasted sweet potatoes and cilantro and all of it in one bite was magic :) Can’t wait to make this again.
Kayla says
This may be a stupid question, but how do you cook the chickpeas?
Hi! If you are using a can they are already cooked, so no need to cook them! If you are using dried chickpeas then follow the instructions on the package!
Carolyn says
I used a marrow, lurking in the triffid like courgette patch…….yum…..thank you
Rebecca says
This recipe was simple and delicious!! The babaganoush was really easy to make also. I made it with roasted sweet potatoes and had some extra babaganoush on the side! Ate it for dinner but could be breakfast as well if you like savoury breakfast! Hit another one out of the park, Minimalist Baker!
Becky says
I made this and served it over arugula and topped with mango and avocado. It was delicious! Thanks for the easy meal idea.
Brianna Blacklock says
Just tried out this recipe and it is fantastic. I was a little worried when sampling the chickpea mixture before cooking & adding the baba g (kept wanting to add some sweetness) , but once everything was tossed together it was spot on! Served alongside brown rice and sweet potato. Would be great inside a wrap or on toast as well!
Kristin Baker says
Fantastic! Thank you for such a unique and wonderfully satisfying recipe Dana. :)
Stephanie says
Just made this for dinner. I did add a bit too much baba ganoush because I wasn’t measuring, but still turned out super delicious. The smokey eggplant flavour goes so well in this! Will make again.
Anne Boyd says
I made this last weekend, and to be honest didn’t love the scramble (baba was great!), however, my fam really liked it (so may just be me), but I don’t see it replacing tofu scramble as our regular. However, I had leftover scramble and baba and the next day had that on a toasted sandwich with all the toppings and it was FANTASTIC!! So making again this week, it will be a regular alternative with the chickpea salad sandwich. Thanks for the recipe!
Julia @ Happy Foods Tube says
I love chickpea dishes and this one looks just perfect to me. I have never tried baba ganoush but the recipe looks pretty straight forward so going to try it. You think I can omit tahini?
Cassie says
I love this idea so much! I can imagine how delicious every vegetable tasted with each bite!
stanp says
Have to do some minor substitutes due to carb and sugar restrictions ( no potatoes) but everything else is great….nice spice combo….baba gonush is a real fav of mine !
Betsy says
I heartily agree with the above comment! I live in North Africa and can’t say enough good things about your site and recipes…thank you, thank you, thank you!
I just want to suggest a shortcut with the eggplant. My Egyptian friend who taught me how to make baba ganoush would just poke two holes in a whole eggplant and stick them whole into the oven to roast for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size). When they are cooled, you can slice them open and just scoop out the innards.
Excited to try this!
Karla Segale says
PS
I am an absolute DEVOTÉE to Minimalist Baker! I live in France and have a hard time finding things like red or green curry paste, or baba ganoush. Fortunately, there’s YOU! I have tried many, many of your recipes in my French household and they have all been a HIT!
Thank you, Dana, for doing your part for Franco-American relations! You’re a culinary ROCK STAR!!!
Karla Segale says
I went a little too heavy on the salt, and ended up adding some coconut milk to the chickpea mixture before serving. I served over toasted, gluten-free bread. Delicious and filling!
Chloe says
Interesting, I’m excited to try this! When I think of a chickpea scramble I tend to think equal parts chickpea flour and water, a little salt, black salt, nooch, and turmeric cooked like a pancake on one side then broken up like eggs. This is a great way to use up those sometimes annoying aquafaba side products ??
Trixilie & Bea says
This is mouthwatering…. we want it :) We have a lot of white beans. What do you think, can we use them instead of the chickpeas? Did you try it with other peas/beans?
I think that would be tasty! Not quite the same texture (more buttery), but I think it’d still work!
Casey the College Celiac says
Never thought of making a chickpea scramble! Bet this would be delicious for dinner stuffed in a sweet/potato!
Brianna says
Can you suggest a substitution for baba ganoush? Eggplant is a migraine trigger for me. So are eggs, which means I’m thrilled to find an egg substitute!
Hmm, maybe try hummus!
Natalie says
This look super tasty (and hearty)! Every once in a while I make “scrambled” eggs with chickpea flour and it’s pretty good! It’s great with a bunch of veggies :)
Chiara says
Happened to have all the ingredients on hand today so I tried it for lunch. It was good. Very satisfying and filling. The recipe makes more baba ganoush than required, but this isn’t a bad thing. I’m not sure I would compare it to scrambled eggs, but more like a dry curry/ dal type dish.
Thanks for sharing!
Jini Aroon says
Thank you Dana…This is brilliamt combining chickpeas and eggplant for a lighter texture! Definitely gojng to yrybit on my vegetarian friends…
DO IT
Nathalie says
Just started following you, just tried a few of your recipes, just bought your book…so far it’s all been amazing!
So great! xoxo
Jessie Snyder says
This is BRILLIANT. Adding the baba is so unique but when I think about it, makes perfect sense! Cannot wait to try this out sometime. You are so inspiring girl.
xoxo! You inspire ME! Hope you give this one a try!
Shelly says
I wonder how hummus would work in this as a sub for the baba? I’m gonna try it!
I tried it and it’s not *quite* as good (texture/flavor-wise), but still tasty!
Tes says
YES!!!! I’ve been looking for a good egg-less/tofu-less scramble for a while now. Can’t wait to try it out this weekend!
Hope you love it, Tes!
Aayushi says
Literally just made a tofu scramble for dinner which was delish!! But definitely going to try this when I don’t have it!! Looks amazing
Lindsay @ Hot Mess, Cool Day says
This looks so good! We love chickpeas in our house and we’ve never had anything like this!
sarah says
This looks great! I recently started making quiches with chickpea flour – would love to see a scramble recipe or quiche recipe using that too! I actually used your hashbrown crust idea and it was delicious!
Yes! Have been experimenting with chickpea flour. Will share some new recipes soon!
Dana C says
Can’t wait for that!
Karlie says
This looks amazing! Cant wait to make it this Saturday for brunch! Thanks Dana <3