Chickpea Kale Stir Fry
on Dec 06, 2019, Updated Jul 24, 2024
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This vegan chickpea kale stir fry with creamy miso peanut sauce is easy to make and can be paired with rice, noodles or roasted sweet potato for a complete meal.
You will love this simple but flavourful chickpea and kale stir fry drizzled with the most delicious, creamy peanut miso sauce.
The kale stir fry is savoury and smoky thanks to smoked paprika and chipotle powder, and the miso dressing is the perfect balance of sweet, salty, tangy and umami.
The recipe comes together in just 20 minutes and can be enjoyed on its own or served over roasted sweet potatoes, rice or noodles. It can also be paired with tofu or tempeh for extra protein!
You can also just make the miso stir fry sauce and use it for other stir fries, noodles, rice, dipping and more. Enjoy this tasty meal any night of the week!
Recipe Highlights
- Vegan and gluten-free.
- A versatile sauce you can use for other dishes.
- Quick and easy to make.
- Ready in 20 minutes.
- Great way to eat nutritious chickpeas and kale.
Ingredient Notes
Let’s go over some of the key ingredients that you’ll need to make this easy stir fry (complete list is located in the recipe card at the end):
For the Miso Peanut Sauce
- Peanut Butter. Looks for natural peanut butter with 1 or 2 ingredients, either just peanuts or peanuts and sea salt.
- Miso. The recipe calls for red miso but white or yellow will also work. Red miso has a stronger, saltier flavour.
- Sweetener. The sauce can be sweetened with agave, brown rice syrup or maple syrup. Coconut sugar would also be suitable.
- Vinegar. Vinegar is used to add acidity and help balance the miso and sweetener. Use brown rice vinegar, regular rice vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar. In a pinch, apple cider vinegar will also work.
- Sesame Oil: Used for flavour so don’t swap it for another oil.
- Lemon: You’ll need 1-2 lemons to make the lemon juice.
- Garlic: The sauce calls for 1 clove of garlic but you could substitute 1 tsp garlic powder if needed.
For the Kale Stir Fry
- Onion: You’ll need 1 small red onion though you could substitute white onion, yellow onion or shallot if needed.
- Chickpeas: 1.5 cups is a 15 oz can. Feel free to use a bit more if you want!
- Smoked Paprika: Adds a smoky flavour but regular paprika would also work.
- Chipotle Powder: If you don’t have chipotle powder available you could use chili powder.
- Kale: 1 large bunch of fresh kale or about 6-8 handfuls. I used Tuscan/dinosaur kale but any variety works.
Step-by-Step Photos
Quick Note: Consider what you plan to serve your stir fry over and start cooking that first. White rice, brown rice, quinoa or roasted sweet potato or whole baked sweet potato makes a great choice!
Step 1. Make the miso peanut sauce.
To make the sauce, add everything to a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Set it aside while you make the stir-fry.
You can adjust the miso to taste if you like, adding a little more for more umami flavour. You may also need a bit more water to adjust the consistency to a thick yet pourable dressing.
Step 2. Make the stir fry.
Add the sesame oil, onion, chickpeas, garlic, salt, paprika and chipotle powder (everything but the kale) to a large skillet or wok.
Heat on medium-high heat and stir-fry until the onion is golden brown and the dish is fragrant. Stir it frequently to prevent burning.
Add the kale to the skillet and stir fry while stirring for 2-3 minutes until it’s wilted.
Serve your stir fry over roasted sweet potatoes or something else of your choosing and drizzle with a generous amount of the miso peanut sauce.
Extra miso sauce can be used for roasted vegetables, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes, bowls like this quinoa power bowl, tofu edamame bowl or brown rice bowl, tossed with noodles, drizzled over rice or used as a dipping sauce for tofu or summer rolls.
Serving Options
Try the stir fry and sauce served with:
- a baked sweet potato or roasted sweet potato chunks
- roasted potato
- baked tofu
- pan-fried tofu
- pan-fried tempeh
- white or brown rice, quinoa or another whole grain
- noodles – try soba or lo mein noodles
Storing and Making Ahead
- The miso peanut sauce can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in the fridge in a sealed container.
- The stir-fried kale and chickpeas can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals, mixing between each, or in a pan on the stovetop.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Kale Chickpea Stir-Fry with Miso Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
For the Miso Peanut Sauce
- 1/3 cup natural peanut butter, 85 g
- 1 tbsp red miso, more if needed, 18 g
- Juice from 1 lemon, 2 tbsp [30 ml]
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 10 ml
- 2 tsp agave nectar or brown rice syrup, 13 g
- 2 ½ tbsp chopped scallions, 15 g
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp brown rice vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar, 15 ml
- 1/3 cup water, more if needed, 80 ml
For the Kale Chickpea Stir Fry
- 2 tsp sesame oil, 10 ml
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, 256 g
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced (to taste)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp chipotle powder
- 1 large bunch kale, about 14 oz [397 g], ribs removed, washed and chopped
Optional, For Serving
- roasted or baked sweet potato
- sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- Blend Sauce: To make the drizzle, place the peanut butter, miso, lemon juice, sesame oil, agave, scallions, garlic, vinegar and water in a blender. Blend until perfectly smooth. Adjust the miso to taste, and add more water if needed to get a thick yet pourable dressing. Set aside while preparing the rest of the dish. I like to use a squeeze bottle to serve the drizzle; it makes for a prettier presentation.
- Stir Fry: To make the kale and chickpeas, place the sesame oil, onion, chickpeas, garlic, salt, paprika and chipotle powder in a large skillet. Heat on medium-high and stir-fry until the onion is golden brown and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent scorching. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Serve: Serve with roasted sweet potatoes and drizzle peanut sauce on top. If there are sauce leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It tastes great on tofu bowls, baked potatoes and roasted vegetables.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published November 5, 2017.
The sauce is divine and so versatile…perfect for a buddha bowl.
Ah! I just made this for the 2nd time. My husband is the world’s pickiest eater and he RAVED about it the first time so of course it immediately went into my go-to recipes. This is also crazy simple to make (and the sauce is super versatile so I love having extra in the fridge!)
I use white miso instead of red because I don’t do well with spicy foods, and we use maple syrup instead of agave.
Today I brought leftovers of it to work for lunch and ALL of my coworkers came to ask me what I was eating that smelled so good. 😏
SO DELISH!