Spoon in a bowl of Harissa Marinated Chickpeas

After experimenting with chickpeas in the Instant Pot, we had an abundance of chickpeas on our hands and plenty of ideas for what to do with them. The best, however? Harissa marinated chickpeas!

Think tender chickpeas marinated in a mixture of garlic, lemon, smoked paprika, and spicy harissa sauce.

Just 8 ingredients, 10 minutes, and 1 bowl required! Let us show you how it’s done!

Spoons and dishes or salt, lemon juice, maple syrup, paprika, olive oil, garlic, harissa paste, and dry chickpeas

The main ingredients for this recipe are (we bet you can guess it!): chickpeas + harissa.

For chickpeas, our preferred method is cooking them in the Instant Pot. Here’s why:

Speeds cooking time – compared to cooking beans on the stovetop, the Instant Pot does so in a fraction of the time
More flavorful – compared to canned, we like homemade because you can season the chickpeas before cooking (with onion, garlic, herbs, oil, salt, pepper, etc.)
Less expensive – in our calculations, canned beans are about double the price of making beans from scratch
Minimizes exposure to BPA & other materials in can linings

However, we know beans from scratch aren’t always realistic. So canned, drained chickpeas will also work!

Spoon in a bowl of chickpeas with harissa, garlic, and smoked paprika

Harissa is a hot chili paste that originated in Tunisia, North Africa. It’s commonly used as a dip, marinade, or ingredient to add to dishes like stews to add vibrant red color and heat. Chili peppers were originally imported to Tunisia in the 16th century during the Spanish occupation, and shortly thereafter, harissa quickly became a staple part of Tunisian (and Middle Eastern) cuisine (source).

For the harissa paste, you can either make a homemade version like ours or use store-bought. Find a more traditional version here! Just keep in mind that some brands are more concentrated than others. We recommend using a more concentrated one that resembles the consistency of tomato paste rather than sauce. Or, if using a less concentrated harissa sauce, you may need to use more of it.

Using a spoon to stir together chickpeas, harissa paste, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, maple syrup, smoked paprika, and olive oil

When you’re ready to make the harissa chickpeas, simply add the chickpeas and harissa to a mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and garlic for zing, salt for saltiness and flavor, maple syrup to balance the heat, smoked paprika for smokiness, and olive oil for creaminess and an herbal/pepper flavor.

The harissa chickpeas can either be used immediately or, to intensify the flavors, allow them to marinate for 1-2 hours.

Holding a spoon and bowl of harissa chickpeas

We hope you LOVE these harissa chickpeas! They’re:SmokySpicyLemonyGarlickyTenderSatisfying

& Delicious!