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Vegan Pita Sandwich with pesto and roasted chickpeas

These vegan BBQ roasted chickpea sandwiches feature a delicious luxe creamy and quick homemade walnut pesto, garlic flavors, and crunchy salad. Pile all the deliciousness inside fluffy warm pita bread and you’re ready to dig into a super tasty vegan sandwich that doubles as lunch and dinner.
Course Lunch, Vegan Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword vegan
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 sandwiches
Author Simone - Munchyesta.com

Ingredients

  • 4 Pitas or a pack of sandwich toast
  • 4-6 large tbsp Vegan Pesto
  • 1 19oz can Chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • ½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • ½ tsp Onion Powder
  • 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • ½ tsp Salt

Homemade walnut pesto

  • 1 cup Walnuts
  • cup Pine Nuts
  • 6-8 Oil packed Sundried Tomato halves
  • 1 clove Garlic minced
  • 1 bunch Fresh Basil equal to 1 cup packed basil or 60 basil sprigs
  • ¼ cup Olive Oil
  • Juice from ½ Lemon or juice from 2 limes
  • ½ tsp Salt more if needed
  • Pinch of Pepper

Instructions

Making chickpeas in air fryer

  • Heat your air fryer to 390F (200 Celsius).
  • Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas to a bowl and season with olive oil and spices. Toss to coat the chickpeas in the seasoning.
  • Next, pour all the chickpeas into the air fryer basket. Cook for 12-15 minutes (shake the basket a couple of times throughout cooking for best results).
  • Once the chickpeas are golden and crispy on the outside, remove them from the air fryer. Let them cool a little before eating.
    Season with extra salt if needed and enjoy.

How to make chickpeas in a frying pan

  • Heat olive oil in a frying pan and transfer the drained chickpeas to the hot pan. Season with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. 
  • Mix everything so the chickpeas are completely coated in spices and let them cook at medium-high heat while stirring occasionally for 7-10 minutes or until the chickpeas are golden and lightly crispy on the outside in places. 
    Remove from the heat and set aside.

How to make homemade vegan red pesto

  • Heat a small non-stick frying pan and add the walnuts and pine nuts. Toast the nuts for a few minutes while stirring occasionally. When the nuts are golden brown, remove them from the heat.
  • Pour the toasted nuts into a blender along with the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, and seasoning. Blend until everything is combined into a pesto. You may need to scrape the sides down a few times to make sure everything is blended.
  • Pour the pesto into a clean jar with a lid and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Making the pita sandwich

  • Cut open the fluffy warm pita and spread a generous spoonful of pesto inside it. Fill the pita with all your favorite sandwich fillings (crunchy salad, juicy tomato slices, fresh cucumber slices etc.)
  • Use a spoon to generously stuff your pita sandwich with roasted BBQ chickpeas and finish with a little extra pesto.
    Enjoy.