If you’re not already familiar with pulses, they cover a wide range of foods, like chickpeas, dried peas, beans, and lentils. A diet that includes regular servings of pulses not only ups your daily protein intake, but they’re also high in fiber, iron, folate, and potassium. They’re like little superfoods and it’s so easy to incorporate them into your diet. Check out 21 Recipes for Lentil Lovers and our vegan chickpea recipes to get started.
Pulses make great meals because they’re among the least expensive and filling foods out there. Most of the meals are easy to make, too. Cheap, satisfying, easy, and delicious: you can’t go wrong with that!
But, meals aren’t the only place where pulses shine — there’s also snacks! Hummus, anyone? Hummus is delicious and we could eat it every day, but there are a lot more party-appropriate snacks and appetizers that we can make with pulses and we’re here to show you how. Enjoy these 15 pulse-based snacks and appetizers!
1. Curry Lentil Samosas
These Curry Lentil Samosas have all the delicious and savory filling you love, but instead of the typical doughy exterior, this recipe uses rice paper and instead of chickpeas, it’s stuffed with lentils! Brushed lightly with coconut oil and then baked in the oven, it’s a healthier and lighter twist on the traditional Indian favorite.
2. Acarejé: Brazillian Black-Eyed Pea Fritters
Acarajé is a Brazilian street food inspired by African akaras. Popular in Salvador and Olinda, they’re airy and fluffy on the inside and a little crispy on the outside. It’s an absolute must that you eat these while they’re hot — that’s when they’re at their best.
3. Stragalia: Greek Toasted Chickpeas
Stragalia are a delicious, nutritious, totally addictive snack and so simple to make! With coriander and fennel seeds, fresh ground black pepper, sea salt, and garlic, this recipe is the perfect combination of traditional Greek spices. A fantastic on-the-go option for work or school too! The secret to getting crunchy, nutty good bites every time? A very hot oven!
4. Dill Edamame Snack
Edamame pods are a great protein-filled snack that are super fun to eat! This Dill Edamame Snack is brought to the next level with its eclectic mix of herbs including cinnamon powder, cardamom, turmeric, and fresh dill. Simply marinate the edamame pods in this flavorful oil and start snacking!
5. Sweet and Spicy Chocolate Chickpea Crackers
If you’re looking for a sweet snack that’s not too sweet, then these Sweet and Spicy Chocolate Chickpea Crackers are the recipe for you! These chocolatey crackers are sweet from the maple syrup, but a little spicy from the cinnamon and red pepper. They’re a great gluten-free snack to munch on throughout the day, or whenever you’re looking to satisfy a bunch of different cravings at once.
6. Lentil Kale Fritters
These Lentil Kale Fritters are so tasty and light, yet incredibly filling! You can blend the lentils if you prefer a smoother texture but this recipe leaves in whole lentil pieces for a crunch. They are delicious served with a refreshing cilantro mayo dipping sauce.
7. Chickpea Fondue
Fondue is more than just food, it’s a whole dining experience In this Chickpea Fondue, chickpeas take main stage, creating the silky smooth texture for the ooey-gooey dish you know and love. It’s loaded with roasted peppers, warm spices, and nutritional yeast for cheesiness.
8. Moong Dal Vada: Indian Savory Lentil Fritters
There are a lot of different Indian snacks that go by the name vada, a fried savory snack. Moong Dal Vada is a crispy, protein-rich and delicious evening tea time snacks made from whole green lentils and chana dal. For additional flavors, chopped curry leaves or coriander leaves or spinach or shredded carrot can be added to the batter. Serve this vada with coconut chutney or green chutney.
9. Lentil Paté
Healthy snacking has never been easier than with this Lentil Paté. This recipe has but two simple steps and uses just five ingredients – lentils, cashew butter, olive oil, garlic, and onion. This dip is hearty and comforting while still being super nutritious! Spread it on bread, use it as a veggie dip, or just eat it by the spoonful!
10. Mint Chickpea Cornmeal Tart
These Mint Chickpea Cornmeal Tarts are light, crispy, sweet, spicy, aromatic, and basically curry-filled bite-size tarts. This filling is super refreshing, and mouth-watering because of the presence of spices and mint. A dollop of herbed vegan yogurt is the replacement of raita, which you add at the end. This addition makes this entire appetizer so bright and delectable.
11. Spicy Bean Balls With Kale
These tiny Spicy Bean Balls are the perfect pick-me-up snack or appetizer when you crave something simple, savory, but energizing. They are filling, cheesy, soft in texture, and very delicious! These little treats also leave a lot of room for creativity since you can decorate them with a number of things from sweet paprika powder to sesame seeds!
12. Crispy Chickpea Fries
Crunchy on the outside with a fluffy interior, these Crispy Chickpea Fries are absolutely delicious! They’re simple with a slight zest and their shape stays intact through frying for a very snackable dish. Enjoy these as a fun side dish or make a big batch just to munch on.
13. Veggie Loaf Bites
These Veggie Loaf Bites are the perfect savory appetizer or grab-n-go snack. All of the ingredients come together easily in one bowl and then bake in a muffin pan until they are slightly golden on the outside and tender on the inside. You can use any mixture of vegetables, so experiment and discover your favorite flavor combo!
14. Fudgy Cinnamon Chai Protein Bars
These Fudgy Cinnamon Chai Protein Bars are a great source of healthy fats, as well as completely free of refined sugar. They’ll be your new favorite mid-day snack without the sugar rush and it tastes like fudge straight from the candy shop. It’s made from chickpeas and dates that are infused with chai tea leaves. They need to be stored in the freezer to keep them from melting, so they’re a sweet and satisfying treat on a hot day.
15. Amiri Khaman: North Indian Chickpea Squares
Amiri Khaman, a North Indian snack, hails from the western state of Gujarat. It’s made from chana dal, also called split chickpeas, flavored with garlic, ginger, and other spices, and absolutely delicious, nutritious, and easy to make — no baking necessary.
These protein-packed, melt-in-your-mouth squares are excellent to serve as an appetizer with ketchup or sweet tamarind chutney.
Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home
Reducing your meat intake and incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet is known to Support various health benefits, including reducing chronic inflammation, improving heart health, enhancing mental well-being, achieving fitness goals, meeting nutritional needs, managing allergies, and promoting gut health, among others. Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer, and has many side effects.
For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend grabbing our favorite plant-based cookbooks and downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.
Here are some great resources to get you started:
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