Each ingredient is important in a recipe. If you exclude one ingredient, you will end up affecting the taste of the final dish. But sometimes, people don’t want a certain ingredient in their dish either due to food allergy or taste preferences.
In such a situation, instead of cooking a dish without an ingredient, the best option is to find a substitute that you like. With a substitute, you can make the dish as close to the original as possible.
Garbanzo Beans are famous for making delicious dishes such as salad, soup, hummus, curry, and pasta. They are used in Asian, Arabic, and English dishes. Without them, many dishes would be incomplete.
However, some people who do not prefer having garbanzo beans look for other alternatives for it. So today, we are going to find those substitutes for you.
What Do Garbanzo Beans Taste Like?
Garbanzo Beans are available in two types that include Desi and Kabuli. Garbanzo beans are commonly known as chickpeas.
The Desi seeds of garbanzo beans are smaller with dark color and rough texture. They are majorly grown in Mexico and Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, the Kabuli type of garbanzo bean has a lighter color along with larger grain size. The kernel of the Kabuli bean has a thinner crust as compared to the Desi type.
The Kabuli type of garbanzo beans is grown in Pakistan, Afghanistan, North America, Chile, and Europe. Their harvesting period is in midsummer or late fall.
Garbanzo beans have a stronger taste than cannellini beans. However, they are very versatile and can be eaten either fresh or dried. Sometimes you can get tired of the strong taste of garbanzo beans.
You may even begin to dislike the scent of Garbanzo bean. That is the time when you will look for an alternative or substitute of garbanzo beans to make all the recipes that you love.
6 Great Garbanzo Bean Substitute You Can Use
Everyone has their personal preferences that dictate their food choices. If you don’t like chickpeas, that’s okay. You can use a substitute so you can continue to enjoy delicious soups, pasta, and curry.
But since chickpeas are used in so many different recipes, it is worth remembering that not all substitutes will be ideal for every dish.
Based on the taste of a substitute, you can decide for yourself whether it is the right choice for a certain recipe or you need another option.
Here are the most common substitutes of garbanzo beans:
- Lentils
Lentils are found in the lenticular shape and they belong to the legume family. Their name lentils typically relate to their lenticular shape.
These legumes are one of the oldest sources of food because they have been consumed for more than 9000 years.
There are different types of lentils available and one common type is black lentils. The other types of lentils are red lentils, yellow-brown lentils, yellow lentils, green lentils, etc.
They are very similar to garbanzo beans and have a strong scent as well.
However, lentils have a better aroma as compared to garbanzo beans. Most Asian countries like India prefer eating lentils more than garbanzo beans.
Replacing garbanzo beans with lentils can be a good idea because lentils are a good source of protein and can be very healthy for vegetarians.
Lentils are also very tasty and can be perfect for making soup and curry. In fact, once you try lentils, you might not want to go back to garbanzo beans ever.
Lentils can add the perfect flavor to any dish. Regardless of the recipe you are making, lentils will make a good addition to it.
- Northern Beans
Northern beans are larger in size than Navy beans. However, northern beans are smaller than cannellini and have a nutty flavor. Northern beans are lighter in taste as compared to the garbanzo beans.
Therefore, if you do not like the strong taste of garbanzo beans, you can use northern beans as a good replacement. They are very healthy and provide a variety of nutritional benefits.
If you prefer a stronger taste in your dish, then northern beans are not the right choice for you. Although they have nutritional benefits, most beans are high in nutrient count.
So, you can go for an alternative if you don’t want to use northern beans in a recipe.
- Kidney Beans
Kidney beans belong to the family of peas that are native to Mexico and Central America. These beans also have a fatty taste which is very similar to garbanzo beans however the taste is not very strong.
Kidney beans have some toxins that turn into healthy ingredients when they are cooked for eating.
There are a variety of kidney beans available in different colors and textures. You can find colors like black, white, red, dotted, purple, and striped.
Again, it depends on the recipe you are making. If it is not something that can go well with kidney beans, you should look for an alternative. If you have a favorite bean, then you can use that in your recipe as a substitute of garbanzo bean.
If mixing a substitute with the recipe does not get you the taste you wanted, you can try out the other names from this list and see if they work out for you.
- Roasted Edamame
These beans are found in Japan and have a very mild and delicious taste. They are also high in nutritional values because they have a high number of minerals, vitamins, proteins, fiber, and fats in them.
These beans also have different health benefits. They keep your intestines healthy and prevent cancer. They are also good for your skin.
They are very similar to Vietnamese soybeans and need quick harvest before they get too old. They should get picked up in the morning so that they remain green.
They can be eaten in the raw form or you can boil them as well.
If they are not harvested quickly, edamame beans can become bitter. If you add them in a dish, they can also affect the taste of other ingredients.
So, if you want to use them as a substitute of garbanzo beans, buy them from an expert.
- Split Peas
Split Peas grow best in semi-tropical regions and their fruit gets harvested when it reaches maturity. At maturity the seeds of split peas become very soft and green, acquiring complete sweetness.
Split Peas are also harvested when they turn into dried beans.
Due to their sweetness, they can be added to a number of different ingredients.
If you make soup with split peas instead of garbanzo beans, your guests will surely ask you to tell them the secret behind the special taste.
- Cannellini Beans
They are one of the best substitutes for garbanzo beans as they have a high amount of protein along with carbs and fiber.
They taste naturally sweet similar to garbanzo beans and are perfect for making vegetable-based soups.
Cannellini beans can also be added to other recipes that use garbanzo beans as an ingredient. Their sweet taste will enhance the flavor of any dish you put them in.
Conclusion:
When you pick the right substitute, it can do wonders for your dish. Sometimes, a substitute even tastes better than the original ingredient. But you should have basic knowledge of cooking and how different ingredients work.
This knowledge will help you decide which substitute to use in a dish. Ingredients can enhance the taste of a dish only if they go well together.
All the aforementioned substitutes of garbanzo bean have equally great tastes with unique flavors and various nutritional benefits. You better not wait to add these delicious beans to your daily recipes.
Once you try a recipe with these substitutes of garbanzo beans, you will never again worry about the availability of an ingredient.