Are you ready for another almost-no-cook summer dinner? Yeah, me too. I love these Spiced Chickpea Tostadas not only because they are they light, cool, and refreshing, but they are the perfect “sweep the kitchen” recipe. You can add whatever you want to your tostadas, based on what you have on hand, so get creative and use up those leftovers! I’ve got some great ideas for substitutions and add-ons below. And don’t worry, if trying to eat a tostada without having the whole thing crumble into a pile of toppings onto your plate sounds too obnoxious, you can totally just make these into tacos instead. ;) 

And a quick special note about the prices listed below. I bought almost all of the ingredients for these tostadas (everything except sour cream and radishes) at Aldi, and if you know Aldi, you know their prices are extremely low. If you can’t get prices like this, don’t fret. You can still make some super cheap tostadas by swapping out some of the more expensive ingredients that I used for some of the substitution ideas I have listed below.

Spiced Chickpea Tostadas

Swaps and Add-Ons

As I mentioned above, tostadas are a great way to use up leftovers in your fridge. Here are some other toppings that will go really well with these spiced chickpeas: refried beans, shredded lettuce, diced tomato or pico de gallo, cheese, jalapeños (pickled or fresh), pickled carrots, pickled red onions, roasted corn, grilled zucchini, or shredded cabbage.

Radish: I don’t buy radishes often because they’re not my favorite, but when they’re sliced paper thin they provide the PERFECT fresh crisp crunch on these tostadas. I only used three radishes for the whole batch of tostadas though, which presents the problem of the remaining 2/3 of the bunch. I plan to slice up more to add to salads throughout the week and then I plan to pickle the rest using the same method that I used for my pickled carrots. If you don’t want to use radish on your tostadas, I highly suggest using some other fresh crunchy vegetable in its place to lighten things up. I would either slice some carrots paper thin or add a layer of shredded lettuce or cabbage. Just as with the radish, you want whatever vegetable you use to be sliced or shredded very finely.

I don’t suggest skipping the lime crema, though. That stuff is magic and the tangy and creamy flavor is the PERFECT contrast to the spiced chickpeas. If you can’t have dairy, all I can suggest is trying to find a non-dairy sour cream substitute, although I can’t guarantee how that will taste.

Step by Step Photos

Make the lime crema first, so the flavors have a little time to blend. Zest one lime and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Add about 1 tsp of the zest and 1 Tbsp of the juice to an 8 oz. container of sour cream, along with one small clove of minced garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir to combine and set aside.

To make the spiced chickpeas, rinse and drain one 15oz. can of chickpeas. Add 1 Tbsp oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once hot, add the chickpeas and 1/2 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and a little freshly cracked pepper. Stir and cook the chickpeas in the oil and spices for about five minutes, or until you begin to see and hear them gently pop. 

Wash and VERY THINLY slice three radishes. Pull a handful of cilantro leaves from their stems.

Now it’s just time to assemble! Smear a thin layer of guacamole on each tostada…

Add a scoop of the spiced chickpeas and a few slices of radish…

And finally, add a drizzle or dollop of lime crema and some of the fresh cilantro. Now EAT! :D

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