15 Minute Chickpea Gyros
These chickpea gyros with homemade tzatziki sauce are ready in just 15 minutes! You only need a few fresh vegetables and a handful of pantry staples to get dinner on the table in minutes.
I’m so excited about these chickpea gyros. Alex and I both love roasted chickpeas, but it can take up to 45 minutes to get them crispy in the oven. This pan-frying method only requires a bit of olive oil but you still get deliciously crispy chickpeas in a fraction of the time!
How to Make Crispy Chickpeas on the Stovetop
Be sure to rinse, drain, and dry the canned chickpeas before adding them to the pan. I just rinse and drain them in the can then spread them out on a few paper towels to absorb any extra moisture. This will ensure your chickpeas get perfectly crispy!
In a large skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and chickpeas and stir until the chickpeas are well coated with the olive oil.
Immediately add the garlic powder, thyme, oregano, paprika. Continue to cook on medium-high heat for 9-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are golden brown.
The Best Pita for Chickpea Gyros
You can use white or whole wheat pitas or use mini naan for an even softer wrap. Alternatively, you could use pita pockets and stuff all the ingredients inside. Whole wheat pitas tend to be a bit drier than their white counterparts, so it helps to warm them before you add the filling to avoid cracking the pita. You can either put them in the toaster for a minute or two or pop them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Chickpea Gyro Substitution Tips
- You can buy pre-made tzatziki sauce if you prefer, but it only takes a few minutes to make it with Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, and cucumber.
- If you’d like to keep these vegan, you can either use a vegan Greek yogurt or smear each pita with a few tablespoons of hummus instead.
- If you hate red onions or you’re out of tomatoes, don’t stress. The toppings can be customized however you like it. I do recommend using 2-3 crunchy vegetables. You could even toss in some shredded romaine if you have it in the fridge!
How to Make Chickpeas in the Air Fryer
If you don’t want to make the chickpeas on the stove, you can also make them in the air fryer. It’s quick and easy and you only need a tiny bit of oil for crispy chickpeas!
Looking for other ways to use chickpeas? Check out this post for tons of ideas!
Print15 Minute Chickpea Gyros
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 gyros 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
Description
These chickpea gyros with homemade tzatziki sauce are ready in just 15 minutes! You only need a few fresh vegetables and a handful of pantry staples to get dinner on the table in minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and dried
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons 2% or full fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ small cucumber
- 1 small Roma tomato, sliced
- 1 tablespoon diced red onion
- 2 whole wheat pitas
Instructions
- In a large skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and chickpeas and stir until the chickpeas are well coated with the olive oil.
- Immediately add the garlic powder, thyme, oregano, paprika. Continue to cook on medium-high heat for 9-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are golden brown.
- While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare your toppings.
- To make the tzatziki sauce, stir together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and remaining olive oil.
- Grate one tablespoon of cucumber into the Greek yogurt mixture and stir to combine.
- Slice the remaining cucumber into thin rounds.
- Once the chickpeas are cooked, assemble each pita with the tzatziki sauce, topped with cucumber slices, tomato slices, and diced red onion.
- Add the warm chickpeas and serve immediately.
You can double this recipe to serve four people, but be sure to use a skillet that is large enough that your chickpeas can cook in a single layer. This will ensure that they get nice and crispy!
I love that these pitas have 17g of protein, which means they’ll keep you full until your next meal! If you’re making these for dinner, you could serve these with pita chips and hummus, a small side salad, or a few roasted vegetables. The possibilities are endless!
Looking for more 15-minute dinner ideas? Try one of these recipes!
I love Liz’s recipes for a lot of reasons, but especially because when she says it’ll take ~15 minutes, it actually only takes ~15 minutes! We loved this meal and will definitely be adding it to the rotation!
Thanks Liz!!!
Made this for the family and it was a hit!
What a wonderful take on gyros and who says that vegetarian food can’t be packed with protein?! I love this healthier meat free option – so delicious!!
These are fantastic! I’m obsessed with all things chickpea right now, so this really hit the spot for me!
I love how simple recipes come to life. This looks absolutely yum and healthy too. Loving the goodness it has, perfect for dinner
This is so good. I usually have meat in my gyros, but the chickpeas are so good I totally didn’t miss the meat. 🙂
This is definitely a new favorite!!! The smokiness of the chickpeas, the crisp veggies, and the creamy sauce is to die for. I am SO happy I stumbled upon this recipe. Thank you so so much for sharing!!
I didn’t have cucumber, so I just left it out. For the sauce I did greek yogurt, lemon, a little bit of garlic powder, and some salt. It turned out perfectly!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Emily! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment!
Omg what a great idea! This looks so good!
Thanks so much, Heather!
What a fun idea! I like the idea of the vegetarian take on these and so easy too.
This looks like gyro perfection! I’m always disappointed by vegetarian gyros I get at restaurants, yours looks way better.