This Oil-Free Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla is the perfect quick and easy vegan meal. It's made with wholesome and clean ingredients and only takes about 10 minutes to make. They are perfect for a healthy lunch, game day, or game night! These vegan buffalo chickpea quesadillas are sure to be a fan favorite!
It's no secret that I love anything and everything Buffalo flavored. After realizing how good buffalo chickpeas were in my Buffalo Cauliflower Salad, I knew it was time to create some more vegan buffalo chickpea recipes!
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- Ingredients For This Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla Recipe:
- How To Make These Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas:
- Substitutions
- Variations
- What You Will Need To Make These Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas:
- Storage:
- Top Tip:
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Related Vegan Buffalo Recipes::
- Oil-Free Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas
- Food Safety
- Recipes To Enjoy With This Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla:
Ingredients For This Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla Recipe:
These Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas are great because they only require a few simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. This easy recipe is perfect for foodies of all levels!
Buffalo Chickpea Filling:
- Chickpeas - You can either use canned chickpeas or dried chickpeas. I recommend making your own chickpeas from dried chickpeas because more of the nutrients and good bacteria stay intact.
- Vegan Cream Cheese - Any vegan cream cheese will work for this recipe. However, I recommend using the Kite Hill brand because it is completely oil-free and made with simple ingredients. It also has the best cream cheese flavor in my opinion.
- Large Gluten-Free Tortillas - Any large tortilla of choice will work for this recipe. I've linked my go-to!
Oil-Free Vegan Buffalo Sauce:
- Plant-Based Hot Sauce - I recommended using a hot sauce that is made with wholesome and health-promoting ingredients. My go-to brand is Red Clay hot sauce. You can however use any traditional hot sauce such as Frank's Red hot sauce. You can adjust the heat to create a spicy buffalo sauce.
- Garlic Powder - Adds essential flavor to the homemade buffalo sauce.
- Onion Powder - Adds essential flavor to the homemade buffalo sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - It's important to choose a hot sauce that is vinegar based. However, I like to add a little bit of additional vinegar to my homemade buffalo sauce, because I think it balances out the heaviness of the cashew butter. You can also use lemon juice.
- Raw Cashew Butter - Since this recipe is oil-free, the sauce does not contain vegan butter. I try to limit my vegan butter usage as little as possible, because it is high in fat, and low in nutrients. Instead, I use raw cashew butter to achieve that perfect creamy and buttery flavor while also adding nutrients like protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals. I always buy my raw cashew butter from Wilderness Poets in bulk, because it can be quite expensive and I found this to be the most affordable option. As always, you can use my code: "VEGAN10" for $10 off.
- Nutritional Yeast - This helps to add that perfect cheesy flavor. Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that is often used as a cheese substitute in vegan recipes. It's full of vitamins and protein, and tastes amazing!
Vegan Ranch Dip:
- Raw Cashew Butter - This is the base of this vegan ranch dip. It makes it thick and creamy and is super healthy. You can substitute soaked raw cashews if needed. Simply double the measurements.
- Miso Paste - This is what will give the vegan ranch the perfect tangy flavor.
- Garlic Powder - Adds essential flavor to the recipe.
- Onion Powder - Add essential flavor to the recipe.
- Fresh Dill -One of the most important ingredients for achieving the perfect vegan ranch flavor is fresh dill. It's a dominant flavor in traditional ranch dressing. I recommended using fresh instead of dried because it is much more flavorful.
- Fresh Parsley - Not quite as important as dill, however, parsley is essential in any ranch dressing.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - Since most ranch dressing recipes are added with mayonnaise and sour cream, apple cider is necessary to achieve that classic flavor. You can also use lemon juice.
- Fresh Chives - The most important ingredient when creating a ranch sauce. Chives are the most dominant flavor, and I therefore strongly recommend using fresh chives.
- Nutritional Yeast - I like adding nutritional yeast to my dairy-free sauces because it helps to give them that classic dairy flavor.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make These Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas:
This Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla only takes a few quick and easy steps to make.
1. Begin by pre-heating a large skillet to medium heat. If the skillet is not non-stick, I recommend melting a bit of oil such as olive oil or vegan butter to prevent sticking.
2. Mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher (you can also pulse them in a food processor).
3. Make the buffalo sauce by combining all the ingredients together in a high speed blender and blending until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour the buffalo sauce over the mashed chickpeas and mix. Spread a layer of vegan cream cheese on a tortilla and place about ā cup of buffalo chickpeas on top. Cover with a second tortilla and press to flatten.
5. Once the skillet has reached medium-high heat, place the quesadillas on the skillet and cook until golden brown. Flip and repeat cooking until both sides are golden brown.
6. Make the vegan ranch by combining all ingredients except the fresh herbs in a high speed blender and blending until smooth and creamy. Once smooth, finely chop the herbs and add them to the sauce. Pulse a few times.
7. Serve immediately with sliced green onions!
Hint: You can also make these quesadillas in an air fryer. You can only cook them one at a time, however. If you plan to make these in an air fryer cook for 5-7 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
Substitutions
There are plenty of quick and easy substitutions that can be made to this recipe.
- Beans - If you don't want to use chickpeas, you can use any type of bean such as cannellini beans, black beans, or white beans.
- Buffalo Sauce - If you don't have time to make the homemade buffalo sauce, you can use traditional sauce. Make sure to carefully look at the ingredients and make sure you are choosing a vegan and plant-based sauce.
- Nut-Free - If you want/need to make the buffalo sauce allergen friendly, you can use sunflower butter, or soaked sunflower seeds!
Variations
There are so many delicious variations of this recipe you can easily try. Here are some of my favorites!
- Jackfruit - Use young jackfruit instead of chickpeas for the perfect chicken-like texture
- Veggie- add your favorite veggies such as bell pepper, and red onion, or greens like kale and spinach.
- Cheesy - add your favorite vegan cheese to the quesadilla for the perfect cheesy buffalo quesadilla. My favorite is Violife just like cheddar shreds.
- Buffalo Chickpea Wrap - You can easily turn this filling into a delicious buffalo chickpea wrap, or buffalo chickpea salad sandwich.
What You Will Need To Make These Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas:
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. This Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla is super easy because you probably already own everything you need to make it.
- Skillet - You can use any skillet, electric griddle, or large pan.
- Medium Bowl - You will need a bowl to make the chickpea filling.
- High Speed Blender - Any blender will work. I recommend investing in a quality blender as it saves so much time.
Storage:
It's important to properly store these Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas to avoid soggy quesadillas. you can either store the buffalo chickpea filling separately, or store the quesadillas in air tight containers and reheat them on a griddle. I wouldn't recommend reheating them in the microwave, because this will leave you with a soggy quesadilla.
Top Tip:
It's best to use large flour tortillas. You can use gluten-free, or grain-free, but make sure they are large. The quesadillas can be cut into serving-size portions.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Chickpeas are a fantastic addition to any diet. They're high in protein and fiber and full of nutrients. Chickpeas are great for weight loss and weight management because they keep you full for longer.
Traditional buffalo sauce is not healthy. Therefore I prefer to make my own. Traditional sauce is made for buffalo wings and is loaded with animal products, preservatives, and artificial flavorings. However, it is very easy to make a homemade oil-free buffalo sauce that is healthy!
Related Vegan Buffalo Recipes::
Looking for other recipes like this Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla? Try these:
If you try this Oil-Free Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla recipe, Iād really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Iād also really appreciate a recipe card rating! Thank you for supporting The All Natural Vegan!
Oil-Free Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas
Equipment
- 1 Skillet or electric griddle
Ingredients
For The Quesadilla:
- 4 gluten-free tortillas
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 8oz package vegan cream cheese
For The Buffalo Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon raw cashew butter
- 1 5 oz bottle plant based hot sauce
- Ā½ teaspoon miso paste
- Ā½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For The Plant Based Ranch Dip:
- Ā¼ cup raw cashew butter
- 3 tablespoon plant based milk
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- ā cup fresh chives
- Ā¼ cup fresh dill
- Ā¼ cup fresh parsley
Instructions
- Begin by pre-heating a large skillet to medium heat. If the skillet is not non-stick, I recommend melting a bit of oil such as olive oil or vegan butter to prevent sticking.
- Mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher (you can also pulse them in a food processor).
- Make the buffalo sauce by combining all the ingredients together in a high speed blender and blending until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the buffalo sauce over the mashed chickpeas and mix. Spread a layer of vegan cream cheese on a tortilla and place about ā cup of buffalo chickpeas on top. Cover with a second tortilla and press to flatten.
- Once the skillet has reached medium-high heat, place the quesadillas on the skillet and cook until golden brown. Flip and repeat cooking until both sides are golden brown.
- Make the vegan ranch by combining all ingredients except the fresh herbs in a high speed blender and blending until smooth and creamy. Once smooth, finely chop the herbs and add them to the sauce. Pulse a few times.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Food Safety
It's always important to practice good food safety in the kitchen.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 Ā°F (74 Ā°C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Recipes To Enjoy With This Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla:
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla:
Holly
These quesadillas are amazing! A bit of work but sooo worth it!
tianna
this sounds delicious love all the different flavors in this quesadilla
Jenn
Oh yum! What a creative recipe!
Gina Abernathy
I am all about these 10 minute (fast meals) when getting dinner on the table is a must. This is a delicious and tasty recipe and one my family enjoys.
Jess
Love that this is oil free!!
Nancy
I love love love this Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas. So simple to make but so flavourful