This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
I’m excited to announce the pre-order of my cookbook, SWEET POTATO SOUL. Purchase your copy today at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indie Bound, or iBooks.
Healthy comfort food to the rescue! This teriyaki chickpea recipe is like easy, insanely delicious, vegan Panda Express!
This totally takes me back to my childhood. Every time I’d go to the mall, I’d hit up Panda Express (or an indie version) in the food court and order teriyaki. It was a sweet salty flavor explosion in my mouth. Y’all know what I’m talking about! I’d get the combo meal and ask for teriyaki for both of my “entrees” 😂
Well, as you know, I have long ago quit my habit of eating Panda Express at the mall. I have not, however, outgrown my love of teriyaki.
To satisfy my teriyaki cravings, while still maintaining a well-balanced vegan diet of minimally processed food, I decided to play around with making teriyaki sauce with dates instead of sugar. On first try I was in love. It’s surprisingly easy to replace highly processed cane sugar with dates. And the dates add to the sauce’s richness.
To make this version of vegan Panda Express healthier, I added broccoli, carrots, and red pepper, and served it over brown rice. To replace the animal flesh I used protein- & fiber-rich chickpeas. The finished dish is colorful, filling, crazy delicious, and good for you! It’s the perfect back-to-school lunch or weeknight dinner.
If you’re looking for more clean and delicious back-to-school recipes, don’t miss my other vegan Panda Express recipe—Orange Chickpeas!! And I recently shared a detailed back-t0-school meal prep guide plus recipes.
Vegan Panda Express Teriyaki Chickpeas
Ingredients
Date Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 6 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (other types of dates are fine)
- 1/3 cup water plus 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Stir-fry
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed or coconut oil OR do a water sauté with 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup red onion, or 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped or julienned
- 1 carrot, chopped or julienned
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, equivalent to 1 can drained and rinsed
- 1 crown of broccoli, florets diced
- 2 cups cooked brown rice, 1 cup uncooked
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, raw or toasted
- 1-2 fresh limes, quartered
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Date Teriyaki Sauce
- Warm oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Then add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for about 1 minute, or until the garlic starts to turn golden (be careful not to burn it).
- Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and dates. Stir well, and simmer for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Mix the arrowroot or cornstarch with 1/3 cup of water, and stir well to remove any chunks.
- Pour the mixture into the simmering sauce, and stir slowly as it begins to thicken.
- Once it begins to thicken, remove it from the heat, and allow the sauce to cool until it's safe to blend.
- Transfer the sauce to a blender, and blend until smooth.
Stir-fry
- Warm the oil or water in wok or skillet on medium heat.
- Add the onions, and sauté for about 1 minute, or until it starts to turn translucent.
- Add the red pepper, and carrots, cover, and cook another 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the broccoli, chickpeas, and date teriyaki sauce, and continue to cook covered for another 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have reached your desired doneness.
- Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds, fresh cilantro and lime juice.
Making julienne carrots used to drive me mad. Then, I got a mandoline and a small, sharp paring knife.
Adding mushrooms took it to a whole new level.
And breaking down the broccoli florettes helps them get tender faster.
Like this one, especially since I can prep the ingredients, go about my business, and whip this up later on.
Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Oh yeah!! Hope you love it!!
That’s fantastic, Michelle!! I hope you enjoy 🙂
I never tried tempah. Im excited to see how it turns out.
I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Panda Express used to be my FAVORITE fast food joint. Orange chicken, Mongolian beef, chow mein, teriyaki chicken, chicken and green beans, beef and broccoli, honey walnut shrimp, pretty much everything were my loves! I definitely like adding some vegan-friendly teriyaki sauce on my veggies and tofu, but I never bothered to try making my own teriyaki sauce! I always thought you needed agave or even maple syrup to make it. Apparently with your recipe, I can use dates! Who knew? These chickpeas look absolutely incredible!
Im must be doing something wrong. The sauce is very salty to me. I tried soy sauce and coconut aminos. Any suggestions?
Sure, true using less soy sauce and/or adding more water 🙂 Also, were your chickpeas already salted? I will make a note in the recipe to use unsalted chickpeas because they can be too salty for this dish.