These Chickpea Avocado Bhel Cups are jam packed with flavors from the chutneys, papdi, and spiced chickpeas! These bite-sized cups are easy to put together vegetarian appetizer for holiday gatherings.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 20
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Cuisine: Indian Fusion

Ingredients

For the chickpeas

  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 & ½ cups chickpeas (boiled or [adjustable]15 oz [/adjustable] can of chickpeas)
  • ½ teaspoon chaat masala
  • ¼ teaspoon kala namak
  • ⅛ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

For the bhel

  • 60 phyllo shells (I used Athens brand)
  • 3 & ½- 4 cups bhel mix (use your favorite store-bought bhel mix, I have used Deep brand here)
  • ¾ cup onions (chopped)
  • ½ cup tomatoes (chopped & de-seeded)
  • 2 small avocados (cubed)
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala
  • ½ teaspoon kala namak
  • ½ teaspoon dry garlic chutney (optional, I used store-bought)
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro chutney
  • 1 & ½ tablespoons sweet tamarind chutney
  • 1-2 green chili (chopped, only if you like spicy food, I did not add it)

Method

  1. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a pan on medium heat. Then add the boiled chickpeas to it along with chaat masala, kala namak and Kashmiri red chili powder. Sauté the chickpeas with spices for couple of minutes and them remove pan from heat and set aside.
  2. Arrange phyllo shells on a large baking sheet and bake at 325 F degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Since we will need 60 shells for this recipe, you will need to do this in batches. Once baked, remove the shells from oven and let them cool down.
  3. While the shells are baking, make the bhel. To a large pot, add your favorite Bhel mix. I like Deep brand bhel mix but use any you like. To that add the sauteed chickpeas, chopped onions, tomatoes, and the cubed avocados. Mix with a spatula to combine everything.
  4. Add the chaat masala, kala namak, garlic chutney, cilantro chutney and tamarind chutney. Mix everything until combined. You can also add chopped green chilies if you like spicy bhel.
  5. Fill the baked phyllo cups with the prepared bhel mix. Top with sev, cilantro and pomegranate. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.