Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas (Vegan)

These vegan buffalo chickpea quesadillas are filled with chickpeas cooked in buffalo sauce and cashew cheese, and they’re served with healthy avocado green goddess dipping sauce. Served as an appetizer or a main, they’re the type of vegan comfort food that everyone goes wild for!

I have been so lazy this weekend! I haven’t felt like doing much of anything. Even cooking doesn’t have its usual appeal. I think we are officially in the dog days of summer, and my gosh, my energy has not been at its normal level. (I think several weeks of Shaun T’s epic Insanity workouts also have something to do with it!) I slept through an epic thunderstorm last night, and didn’t manage to haul myself out of bed until 10 this morning. I’m just now finishing my last sips of coffee, and it’s noon where I live! It’s a huge departure from how disciplined my routine was in my late teens and early twenties–I used to get up at 5 am on Sunday mornings to go for my weekly long run–and how I seem to have swung to the opposite extreme now. Maybe I’m just catching up on lost R&R and taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy slow, lazy weekend mornings for a few more years. Hopefully I’m not turning into a lazy lump! 

My brother and sister in law came over for dinner last night, and we made my buffalo chickpea wraps. That reminded me to share this buffalo chickpea quesadilla recipe that I came up with a couple of months ago. These quesadillas have the same chickpea base as the wraps, but they’re also filled with cashew cheese instead of cashew ranch, and are served with avocado green goddess dipping sauce. My intrepid taste testers (also known as my parents) couldn’t get enough of them! 

As a hot sauce addict, I love anything that’s been doused in Frank’s Original cayenne pepper sauce. It has the perfect level of heat and salt without lighting your mouth on fire. While I eat almost exclusively organic, I haven’t been able to find an organic hot sauce that I really like as much as good old Frank’s. So that is the hot sauce that I recommend using in this recipe. Anything else could be too hot. Plus, Frank’s has that classic buffalo flavour (I think it’s the hot sauce most commonly used in buffalo chicken and cauliflower wings at restaurants). I know that Frank’s is widely available at grocery stores in North America; unfortunately, I don’t know of a similar product in other parts of the world. 

how to make buffalo chickpea quesadillas 

1. Step one is to soak your cashews. I like to soak them in boiling water for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This helps soften them for blending and makes them easier to digest. 
2. Next, prepare the buffalo chickpeas. Warm some oil in a skillet and add diced onion, minced garlic, and a small pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes, and then add chickpeas and hot sauce. Cook for a few more minutes, and lightly mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher. 
3. Once the cashews have soaked for at least 45 minutes, make the cashew cheese. I like to use a food processor for this, though a high speed blender (Vitamix or Blendtec) might work–it will just take a while to get it nice and smooth, since this cheese doesn’t call for much added liquid. Add drained cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, light miso, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. 
4. Assemble the quesadillas. Divide the chickpeas between 4 large flour tortillas and dollop with cashew cheese. Fold over and bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. (Sometimes, I lightly brush the outsides with olive oil before baking to make them nice and crispy, but this is optional.)
5. While the quesadillas are in the oven, make the green goddess sauce! Add avocado, hemp, celery, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, water, garlic, salt, pepper, and cilantro to a blender and blend until smooth. 
6. Slice the quesadillas into triangles and serve with the green goddess sauce. 

What to serve with these quesadillas

• If you’re serving these as a main dish, I’d recommend adding a side salad to round out the meal. If you own the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks, any of the cabbage slaws pair perfectly. This kale slaw recipe goes particularly well, since it’s light, tangy, and citrusy. 
• A bottle of locally produced craft beer beside these quesadillas makes them extra special. Just saying. 🙂

allergy substitutions

• If you have a nut allergy, you can use this tofu cream cheese spread in place of the cashew cheese, or you can use your favourite store-bought nut-free vegan cheese. 
• If you cannot eat gluten, use gluten-free tortillas. Food For Life Baking Company (also known as Ezekiel) makes tasty and pliable brown rice tortillas. Or just wrap everything up in a blanched collard leaf instead of making quesadillas. 

If you love buffalo chickpeas, try these recipes, too!

• Buffalo Chickpea Burgers with Garlic Dill Ranch (Vegan)
• Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Wraps with Cashew Ranch
• Buffalo Cauliflower Salad with Creamy Tahini Ranch Dressing

Well, folks, that’s about all I have to say about these buffalo chickpea quesadillas! I hope you’re having a great weekend and staying safe and healthy. If you make this recipe, leave a comment and rating below, and if you post a photo to Instagram, tag me @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen so that I can feature it in my stories! 

Hope you enjoy! 

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Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas (Vegan)

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5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

These vegan buffalo chickpea quesadillas are filled with chickpeas cooked in buffalo sauce and cashew cheese, and they’re served with healthy avocado green goddess dipping sauce. Served as an appetizer or a main, they’re the type of vegan comfort food that everyone goes wild for!

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Ingredients

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Buffalo Chickpeas

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• Pinch each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas
• ⅓ cup Frank’s original cayenne pepper hot sauce

Cashew Cheese

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked and drained
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp white miso or chickpea miso
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ½ tsp fine sea salt

Avocado Green Goddess Sauce

• ½ a medium ripe avocado
• ½ cup hemp hearts (also called hulled hemp seeds)
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice
• ½ cup water
• 1 medium garlic clove
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup cilantro

For Assembling

• 4 large whole grain flour tortillas, gluten-free if necessary

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Instructions

1. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of sea salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the pepper, chickpeas, and hot sauce. Cook for a few more minutes, until the hot sauce has been absorbed and the chickpeas are lightly browned. Lightly mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher, if desired. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside.
2. Make the cashew cheese: Add the cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, miso, apple cider vinegar, and salt to a food processor. Process until nice and smooth, pausing to scrape down sides as needed. Transfer into a container.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay the tortillas out on two baking sheets, lined with parchment paper if desired. Divide the chickpeas between the tortillas, spreading them over one half of each tortilla, as shown in the photo. Dollop with a few spoonfuls of the cashew cheese and fold over.
4. If desired, lightly brush the outsides of the tortillas with olive oil to enhance browning and overall crispiness.
5. Bake for 16-20 minutes, flipping halfway through to ensure even browning.
6. Meanwhile, while the quesadillas are in the oven, make the green goddess sauce. Place the avocado, hemp, celery, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, water, garlic, salt, pepper, and cilantro in an upright blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer into a jar or container.
7. Slice the quesadillas into triangles and serve the sauce on the side.

Notes

Cashews need to be soaked beforehand. Soak them in boiling water for 45 minutes to 1 hour, then drain and proceed with the recipe.

If you can’t find miso to use in the cashew cheese, tamari, soy sauce, or coconut aminos can be substituted.

Make sure that the hot sauce you use isn’t too spicy. I recommend Frank’s Original.

If you don’t like cilantro, use parsley instead.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Supper, Lunch
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American