Since y’all seem to love my stuffed sweet potatoes and my Indian recipes, I figured you’d enjoy this hybrid mashup of Tandoori Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes!
Some traditional Indian recipes can feel a little daunting if you’re new at cooking or not familiar with Indian cuisine, so these tandoori sweet potatoes are a good place for beginners to start. You get the spicy, aromatic Indian flavors you love but in an approachable way. They’re easy enough to whip up on a weeknight and versatile enough for a savory, hearty breakfast.
Why you’re going to like this recipe
Simple ingredients. The main ingredients in this recipe are sweet potatoes, chickpeas, cilantro, and spices, i.e., ingredients that you can find virtually at any grocery store and that you might already have in your pantry/fridge.
Gourmet but easy. Aromatic Indian flavors meet sweet potatoes in this easy yet gourmet vegan dinner. You’ll feel fancy but the recipes and cooking techniques are really quite simple.
Weeknight friendly. Despite feeling gourmet, this meal is easy enough to prepare on a weeknight if you know how to multitask. Bake your sweet potatoes on one sheet pan in the oven, then add the chickpeas on a separate pan. While those are baking up, make the cilantro sauce (takes 10 minutes or less, including prep time) and the raita (takes 5 to 10 minutes). To save more time, bake the sweet potatoes ahead of time.
I’ll actually use these stuffed sweet potatoes in a meal prep – you can have them for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Ingredient Rundown
Sweet Potatoes.
Obviously we need sweet potatoes for this stuffed sweet potato recipe! The recipe calls for four large sweet potatoes.
Tandoori Roasted Chickpeas
All you need is a can of chickpeas, oil, salt, and some basic Indian spices to make these Tandoori-spiced chickpeas. If you have your own Tandoori spice blend such as this, feel free to use that instead! And, of course, you can always use chickpeas cooked from scratch.
The chickpeas get coated in a bit of oil and the Tandoori spice blend, then roasted in the oven until they’re crispy and crunchy. Roasting gives the chickpeas a lovely texture and brings some contrast to the soft, tender, baked sweet potatoes.
NOTE: If your appetite or your family member’s appetite runs on the bigger side, I recommend doubling the Tandoori Roasted Chickpeas (or making 1 1/2 times the amount).
Cilantro Sauce
This cilantro sauce is made with just a few ingredients and takes 10 minutes or less to make, prep time included. But you’d never know because this sauce is *so* flavorful.
Simply sauté some garlic, fresh ginger, and jalapeño pepper in some oil for a minute or two; then add ground coriander and cumin for just 30 seconds. Transfer the spiced oil mixture to a blender with lots of fresh cilantro, water, and lime juice until it’s saucy.
If you don’t use all of the sauce in this recipe, store leftovers in an airtight jar in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. The green color might brown a bit, but the taste should still be good.
How to Make Vegan Raita (Indian Yogurt Dip)
Oftentimes, Indian food can be really spicy, and that’s where the raita comes in handy. It’s an Indian yogurt dip and it provides a welcoming cooling contrast to all the spices. It’s often mildly spiced and has cucumber and fresh mint/cilantro folded into it.
Obviously, traditional raita is made with cow’s milk yogurt and isn’t vegan, but you can easily make it vegan using plant-based yogurt. My preference is coconut yogurt – I think it has the neutral yet tangy flavor you’re looking for in yogurt – but another plant-based yogurt such as almond, soy, or cashew-based yogurt should work fine too. Just be sure to buy an unsweetened plain variety!
If you want to read a little bit more about raita, you can check out the full blog post here.
Tips for making this recipe
To make this a quicker dinner, bake/roast your sweet potatoes ahead of time. Baked/roasted sweet potatoes will stay good in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.
Or, if you are baking your sweet potatoes on the day of eating, place them on a single baking sheet on one oven rack. That way, you can roast the chickpeas on another oven rack at the same time. Simultaneously cooking the sweet potatoes and chickpeas will help cut down on the cook time.
Depending on their size, the sweet potatoes should take anywhere from 45 to 55 minutes in the oven at 425°F (218°C). The Tandoori chickpeas take 20 minutes to roast, so you can add the chickpeas after approximately 30 minutes of baking the sweet potatoes.
You can also prepare the raita in advance. It will stay good in the fridge for a few days. If you don’t have every single ingredient for the raita, it’ll still work out so don’t be intimidated :)
When making the cilantro sauce, make sure you move quickly and stir frequently to prevent the garlic and ground spices from burning.
How to Serve Tandoori Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
I also like to top these Tandoori Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with some fresh chopped veggies, such as chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, or sliced cucumbers. These types of chopped raw vegetables are commonly served on the side of warm, spicy Indian dishes to bring some freshness and acidity to balance out the meal. You could also serve a tomato-cucumber-red onion salad on the side.
More Easy Indian Recipes to Try!
- Learn how to make an authentic, Restaurant-Style Indian Dal Tadka! It’s really very simple.
- Have an Instant Pot? Try this Indian Spiced Sweet Potato Soup. It’s hearty, healthy, and so easy.
- Love palak paneer/saag paneer? Try my vegan spin on it. It’s gourmet but easy!
- And I can’t forget about this fan favorite Red Lentil Curry! Indulgent creamy goodness.
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please rate and review the recipe below!
Tandoori Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- Tandoori Roasted Chickpeas (recipe below)
- Cilantro Sauce (recipe below)
- Vegan Raita (recipe below or here)
- For serving: freshly chopped veggies, diced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, and/or sliced cucumber and lemon or lime wedges
Tandoori Roasted Chickpeas*
- 1 (15-ounce / 440g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil, such as grapeseed oil or avocado oil
- 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Tandoori spice blend**
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- Scant 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- Pinch or two cayenne pepper (or Indian red chili powder) (add more if you like it spicy)
Instructions
- Bake your sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Lightly slash or prick the sweet potatoes several times with a sharp knife to allow for even ventilation. Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet (line with parchment paper for easy cleanup). Bake for 45-55 minutes (depending on size), or until the potatoes are fork tender and don’t give any resistance.1. NOTE: you can also roast/bake the sweet potatoes up to a few days in advance.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the Tandoori Roasted Chickpeas. Stir together the ingredients for the Tandoori spice mix in a large bowl. Add the the drained chickpeas, along with the oil and salt, and toss well to coat the chickpeas evenly with the spice mix.
- Transfer the chickpeas to a rimmed baking sheet (line with parchment paper for easy cleanup) and spread them out. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown and blistered in some spots. If you can, give the pan a shake and a toss halfway through cooking.1. NOTE: To time things efficiently, add the the chickpeas to the oven when there’s about 20 minutes left of cooking on the sweet potatoes (will vary based on the size of your sweet potatoes).
- Assemble the sweet potatoes. Cut a slit in the top of each baked but don't cut all the way through so the potato stays together. Stuff with the Tandoori Roasted Chickpeas and any fresh veggies you’re using (tomatoes, onions, cucumber). Add a few spoons of the Vegan Raita, drizzle on the Cilantro Sauce, and serve with a wedge of lime or lemon.
Notes
- If your appetite or your family member’s appetite runs on the bigger side, I recommend either doubling the Tandoori Roasted Chickpeas or making 1 1/2 times the amount.
- You can substitute a store-bought tandoori spice blend such as this or this. If your blend has salt, you’ll want to reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe.
Cilantro Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or neutral-flavored oil of choice)
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2- inch (~1.25 cm) knob ginger, thinly sliced or julienned
- 1/2 of a jalapeño pepper, sliced into rounds
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 heaping cup (~18g) fresh cilantro leaves and thin stems only; discard tough stems as they will make the sauce bitter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
- Water, as needed
Instructions
- In a small skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño pepper and cook for 60-90 seconds, stirring frequently, until garlic starts to turn golden. Then add the ground coriander, cumin, and salt. Cook for 30 seconds, tossing frequently to combine and to prevent burning. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the spiced oil mixture to a food processor (or small-capacity blender). Add the cilantro and lime juice. Blend until the mixture starts together. Now add in a little water (no more than 1/3 cup or 80 mL)--the exact amount of water needed will depend on the quality and type of food processor or blender.Blend until a sauce starts to come together. Taste for seasonings. If it's a little bitter, add more salt or lime juice and a pinch of sugar, as needed.
Vegan Raita (Indian Yogurt Dip)
Ingredients
- 1/4 of a medium cucumber (unpeeled)
- 1 cup (225g) unsweetened nondairy yogurt (I prefer coconut yogurt)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1- inch piece fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Juice of 1⁄2 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper or Indian red chili powder (Indian chili powder is NOT the same thing as regular chili powder; it’s pure chili powder and is much spicier)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Grate the cucumber using a box grater. Wrap the grated cucumber in several layers of paper towels or in a clean dish towel and squeeze thoroughly to press out as much water as you can.
- Add the grated cucumber to a bowl with the nondairy yogurt. Add in the remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
I followed the recipe exactly and each component of this dish had so much flavor! I honestly thought a meal of just chickpeas and sweet potato wouldn’t be enough but this was super filling and satisfying. The cilantro sauce is excellent and is going to my new “go to” nourish bowl sauce.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Michelle! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
served at a family gathering with several vegetarians, it was a big hit especially the cilantro sauce. which we also used on potatos samosas.
Hi Jan, we’re thrilled to hear you and the family enjoyed this recipe! Using the cilantro sauce on samosas sounds like a great idea!
Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!