General Tso’s Chickpeas & Veggies

A quick n' easy gluten-free and plant-based take on the classic! This simple stir fry gives you the delicious flavor of General Tso's and is entirely customizable to what ever veggies you love or have on hand.

gluten free stir fry General Tso's Chickpeas #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygfamily.com
General Tso’s Chickpeas & Veggies

Fresh, Flavorful, Satisfying and a Fan Favorite!

New! I added a cooking video to this page so you could see just how simple it is to make this gluten-free General Tso’s Chickpeas and Veggies.

If you’re new to this website, at the bottom of every recipe page is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions.

Enjoy!

Original post…

General Tso’s Chickpeas and Veggies is one of our go-to dinners.

It is quick (ready in 30 minutes), easy, adaptable (switch up the veggies or even add chicken) and beyond delicious.

Waaaaayyy better than takeout!

Most people think of General Tso’s as a deep fried dish but if you add the General Tso’s sauce to stir fried veggies or chicken or chickpeas, you get the same delicious flavor only healthier.

And it is so quick and easy!

And you can even make the sauce ahead and cut the veggies ahead so that all you have to do it a quick stir fry when ready to eat.

It’s no wonder we eat some version of this several times a month!

gluten free stir fry general tso's chickpeas and veggies #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

Let’s start with the sauce.

This General Tso’s sauce is adapted from Pinch of Yum and is delish! It’s a little sweet, a little spicy and so yummy.

It is made with 9 ingredients and comes together quickly, so I recommend gathering your ingredients before starting….

You’ll need:

sesame oil,

garlic

ginger

vegetable broth

gluten-free tamari or soy sauce

rice wine vinegar

sugar

plain tomato paste

and cornstarch.

General Tso's Sauce #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

It comes together quickly so it’s important to have all your ingredients measured out.

First saute the garlic and ginger, then add in the rest of the ingredients, whisk well and let simmer and thicken (just 5 minutes).

I usually make this first and let it simmer while I prep the veggies.

You could also make it ahead of time. It will thicken when it cools, but thin up again when heated up.

Now to the stir fry!

You could make this with any of your favorite veggies but this time we made it with broccoli, red pepper and chickpeas (+ chicken for the boys).

Then the only other things you need are the General Tso’s sauce, scallions, garlic and some rice!

gluten free stir fry General Tso's Chickpeas #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygfamily.com
All you need… feel free to switch up the veggies! Or even add chicken!

And the actual stir-frying of the vegetables is also very quick!

First you saute some garlic and green onions.

Then, starting with your longest cooking vegetables, stir fry them one at a time or add them into the pan together as I did here (keeping them separate or mixing together — your choice).

Add in the chickpeas last, as they just need to warm a bit.

Then when the veggies are tender, add in the sauce and stir from a few minutes longer so the vegetables and chickpeas absorb all the flavor!

General Tso's Chickpeas & Veggies #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

Like all our recipes, this one is very customizable —

You can substitute chicken for chickpeas or as we do in our house – make chicken AND chickpeas!

And you can stir fry the veggies separate as in the main photo or mix it all together like this,

gluten free stir fry general tso's chickpeas and veggies #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

And if you love the General Tso’s sauce as much as we do, you can make it and switch up the veggies depending on what you have in the house and your preferences.

Here I made it with sauteed cauliflower, snow peas and bok choy…

general tso's chickpeas veggies gluten free #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

Here are the quantities I used for these veggies in place of the broccoli and peppers:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
1-2 cups snow peas, trimmed
5- 6 baby bok choy, ends trimmed, cut lengthwise

For more details on how I made the version with cauliflower, snow peas and bok choy, click here.

Any way, it is delicious!

Hope you love it as much as we do!

PIN it!

gluten free stir fry general tso's chickpeas and veggies #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.com

 

PIN it!

gluten free stir fry general tso's chickpeas and veggies #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes www.healthygffamily.comScroll down for recipe and leave a comment if you try.

Recipe

 

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4.86 from 14 votes

General Tso's Chickpeas & Veggies

A healthier and delicious take on the classic deep fried dish -- plus it's gluten-free and plant-based! Sautéed veggies, chickpeas or even chicken stir fried with a General Tso's sauce. A quick and easy weekday meal.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dinner, Veggies
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan
Keyword: quick gluten-free dinner recipe, gluten-free general tsos stir fry, gluten-free stir fry recipe, general tso's chickpeas
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

General Tso's Sauce (adapted from Pinch of Yum)

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 knob of ginger, grated
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • ½ cup gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
  • cup rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup sugar Note: Lately we have been cutting back to 3 tablespoons but cutting back more changes the flavor.
  • 2 tablespoons gluten-free plain tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1-2 tablespoons of cold water (for a thinner sauce, use 1 tablespoon corn starch)

Stir fry Veggies (for cauliflower, snow pea and bok choy option, see above - below the photo, for quantities)

  • 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 2 -3 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 head of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
  • 2 small red bell peppers, cored and sliced or diced
  • 2-3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts divided
  • Toasted sesame seeds optional for serving
  • Optional: chicken breast cut into 1-2 inch pieces

Prepared brown rice, white rice or quinoa for serving

    Instructions

    General Tso's Sauce

    • In a small saucepan, heat the sesame oil over medium low heat.
    • Add the ginger and garlic and stir fry for a minute or two, until fragrant
    • Add remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Set aside.
    • Note: Sauce will thicken when it cools, then thin up again when heated.

    Veggie Stir Fry

    • In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add 2-3 tbsp oil and heat until shimmering but not burning. Add white parts of onions and some of the green parts, and saute a minute or two until just tender. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
    • Add peppers and saute 3-4 minutes until starting to get tender. Add broccoli, cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Cook longer for softer vegetables.
    • Add a few spoonfuls of General Tso's sauce to the sauteed vegetables and stir to combine. Heat 2-3 minutes until warm if the sauce isn't already warm.
    • Spoon vegetables into a bowl and set aside.
    • Add chickpeas to the same saute pan and over medium heat, saute 2-3 minutes to warm. Spoon General Tso's Sauce onto the chickpeas, stir to combine, let simmer a few minutes and serve. The longer the chickpeas simmer with the sauce, the more they absorb the flavor.
    • Serve chickpeas and veggies over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and additional green parts of onion if desired.

    OPTION: In place of chickpeas you could saute chicken but cook the chicken first, then add in the peppers and broccoli.

      Notes

      NOTE: to keep the veggies and chickpeas separate in this photo, I was careful to keep them separated in the saute pan while cooking.  Other times we mix it all together, it's personal preference. 
      Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

       

      39 thoughts on “General Tso’s Chickpeas & Veggies

      1. This was excellent, thank you! I was out of tomato paste, so I used three tablespoons of plain tomato sauce, and used the two tablespoons of corn starch to accommodate the thinner texture of sauce vs. paste. Worked great!

      2. This was really excellent, thank you! I was out of tomato paste, so I used three tablespoons of plain tomato sauce, and used the two tablespoons of corn starch to accommodate the thinner texture of sauce vs. paste. Worked great!

      3. 5 stars
        I’ve made this twice now, with tempeh as the protein. Super, super good. I’ll try with the chickpeas sometime 🙂

      4. 5 stars
        I had this recipe saved for a month or so, had the ingredients and still didn’t make. Finally, tonight I made it and Omg this was great! My picky 9 year old wanted to know when and where I heard about this recipe lol. The only part I didn’t follow was adding 3 more tablespoons of sesame oil as it is an extremely strong taste and I also wanted to cut back on calories ( I used vegetable broth). My only regret was not doubling up the recipe. We will definitely eat this one again!

      5. 5 stars
        This was amazing! The best dish I have ever made! I added some red pepper flakes because I like the heat, and I put over quinoa for more protein. I will definitely make again! Anyone ever freeze it?

      6. 5 stars
        This was delicious. I can’t believe that I made this too! I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce which made me nervous but it came out perfect! so happy to be getting some meatless meals in!

      7. 5 stars
        I love this recipe so much. I am in quarantine as I write this and during this time nothing gives me comfort more than a bowl of this yummy food full of veggies and goodness. Simple and nourishing!

      8. 5 stars
        This recipe was incredible! The sauce was so delish and I made a double batch and froze half – Karen will let you know how it goes. Used what I had in the house which was peppers, yellow squash, roasted asparagus and the chickpeas. SO SO delish! If you like some heat, Sriracha sauce or Sambal Oelek would be great added in the sauce!

      9. 5 stars
        Made this for dinner tonight. Tastes great! My hubby walked into the kitchen saying “Wow, that smells great”!

      10. This sounds delicious, just one question, is the sesame oil plain sesame oil or Toasted sesame oil. Can’t wait to try this.

      11. 5 stars
        This recipe is BOMB! It was ALOT of sauce for my taste so I used 2 cans of 15oz beans and I’m excited for leftovers:) Thank you!!!

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