One-Pot Spiced Rice and Chickpeas
Easy, made in one pot, and full of flavor, One-Pot Spiced Rice and Chickpeas is the perfect weeknight comfort food. This 30-minute recipe makes a great side dish or hearty base to rice bowls!
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If you’re looking for an easy, flavorful recipe where everything is made in one pot, One-Pot Spiced Rice and Chickpeas is it!
Chickpeas cook with toasted long-grain rice, spices, and broth for a delicious, healthy dish.
This recipe has Middle Eastern/Mediterranean influences from spices like turmeric, cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, coriander, and Aleppo pepper.
I use Aleppo pepper because it complements the warm spices, but it also adds a touch of heat for those that like a little spice.
This Spiced Rice & Chickpeas is great because it’s super versatile – perfect base for rice bowls, a complete side dish, or part of a vegetarian meal!
Chickpea Avocado Salad and Lemony Greek Chickpeas are 2 more delicious chickpea recipes!
Ingredients needed for this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Long-grain white rice
- Canned chickpeas
- Olive oil
- Broth
- Seasonings – turmeric, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, Aleppo pepper, coriander, sea salt, pepper, bay leaf
- Cilantro (garnish)
📍This is just a summary. The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How to serve rice & chickpeas
- This makes a great side dish to your favorite proteins.
- Perfect base to rice bowls – top with your favorite veggies and sauce (chimichurri would be delish!)
- Great addition to your meal-prep menu.
💡 Tips & Tricks
- Spice level: Aleppo pepper has a mild-medium heat level. If needed, you could replace it with cayenne, but you may want to use less since it’s hotter.
- Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas for convenience, however, dried chickpeas could be used. You would need to pre-soak and cook 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas beforehand.
- Cilantro adds a fresh, bright flavor to the warm notes in this recipe. If you don’t like cilantro, you could replace it with fresh parsley – not a perfect substitute, but it will add freshness.
Looking for more side dishes? Here are some favorites:
- Savory Chicken Rice
- Lemony Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Garlic Sesame Green Beans
- Crispy Za’atar Roasted Potatoes
You can find this recipe and more in my 20+ Chickpea Recipes collection!
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One-Pot Spiced Rice and Chickpeas
Equipment
- saucepan with lid
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 15 ounce can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- chopped cilantro to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and rice to a saucepan (one that you can put a lid on later) and cook on med/med-high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.
- Once the rice has started to turn golden, add all of the spices. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the chickpeas, bay leaf, and broth to the rice, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Give it a stir, put the lid on, and reduce heat to low/medium-low so that it simmers. Set a timer for 18 minutes.
- After 18 minutes, turn off heat and leave the lid on. Let the rice sit undisturbed for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork. Garnish with chopped cilantro when serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Aleppo pepper gives this dish a mild heat. Omit it if you are adverse to spicy foods. I linked to the one I used to develop this recipe.
- This makes about 6-8 side dish servings or 3-4 servings if used as the base of a rice bowl entrée.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge and use within 4 days.
- You can freeze this in freezer-safe containers for 3-6 months, but the texture of the rice may change when reheated.
Easy, delicious, and made in one pot. This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights!