Go Back

Mole-Spiced Chickpea and Grilled Zucchini Tacos

Mole spiced tacos with charred grilled zucchini and crispy chickpeas—built on warm corn tortillas. Expect a smoky, cocoa-flecked mole spice blend plus a tangy avocado crema and bright pickled red onion.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Mole Spice Blend
  • 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp cocoa powder
  • 0.25 salt
  • 0.25 pepper
Tacos
  • 3 zucchini
  • 2 can (15 oz) chickpeas drained and dried
  • 2.5 tbsp olive oil divided (1.5 tbsp for chickpeas, remaining for zucchini)
  • 8 corn tortillas warmed
Avocado Crema
  • 2 avocados ripe
  • 0.25 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 lime juice of 1
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 0.25 salt
For Serving
  • 1 pickled red onion
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro
  • 0.25 cup cotija cheese
  • 1 lime wedges for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Mix the mole spice blend
  1. Combine ancho chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until evenly mixed.
Crisp the chickpeas
  1. Toss drained and dried chickpeas with 1.5 tablespoons olive oil and half the mole spice blend until coated.
  2. Pan-fry the chickpeas over high heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply crisp and browned at the edges, then set aside.
Char the zucchini
  1. Toss zucchini planks with the remaining olive oil and the remaining mole spice blend until evenly coated.
  2. Grill the zucchini on medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes per side until charred, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
Make the avocado crema
  1. Blend avocados, Greek yogurt, lime juice, garlic, and salt until smooth and pourable.
Assemble and serve
  1. Warm corn tortillas and spoon avocado crema onto each tortilla as a base layer.
  2. Top each tortilla with grilled zucchini and crispy mole-spiced chickpeas.
  3. Finish with pickled red onion, fresh cilantro, and cotija cheese, then serve immediately with lime wedges.

Notes

Pro tip: drying the chickpeas well prevents steaming and helps them crisp fast in the hot pan. Refrigerate leftovers (tacos best assembled fresh) with crema stored in a sealed container up to 3 days; zucchini and chickpeas keep up to 3 days. Freezing is not recommended for the crema, but the chickpeas can be frozen up to 2 months and reheated until hot. For a dairy-free swap, use plain unsweetened coconut yogurt in the crema.