This Ecuadorian ceviche de chochos is all the bright, briny punch of ceviche with none of the fish. Creamy lupini beans and paper-thin red onion soak up a tangy citrus marinade, finished with avocado and a fistful of crunchy corn. Ready in 20 minutes, plus a half hour in the fridge.
You probably know ceviche as fish, or shrimp, or octopus, "cooked" in lime juice. That's the version most of us meet first.
But in Ecuador, there's a ceviche that's naturally vegan and always has been, made with lupini beans.
I have always loved ceviche. Back when I ate fish, living in Miami, we would have it as an appetizer and sometimes as the whole meal.
One of the great things about Miami is all the fantastic Latin and Spanish food sharing the same square miles, and ceviche shows up on menus across it all with many variations.
When I serve ceviche at home, I make this naturally vegan Ecuadorian version, and everyone loves it.
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Why I Keep Making This
- It's filling - Lupini beans are one of the highest-protein legumes there is, so a big bowl of this eats like lunch, not a snack.
- No stove - Not one burner. In summer, that matters.
- It's great to make ahead for gatherings. Just add the toppings when serving.
- It travels well - Bring it in a bowl, bring the toppings in a bag, assemble when you get to any gathering.
What Is Ceviche de Chochos?
Ceviche is a family of dishes built around citrus-marinated something, usually cold, usually with onion, and usually with the marinade as a component you eat rather than discard. Seafood is common but not a requirement. The acid firms up the flesh and turns it opaque, which is why people say the lime "cooks" the fish. Every coastal country in Latin America has a version, and they argue about all of them.
Cevichochos takes the same idea and swaps the fish for chochos, the Andean name for lupini beans. The words ceviche and chochos run together, and it's street food in the Ecuadorian highlands, sold from carts in Quito and Ambato in little foam cups, loaded with plantain chips and corn nuts. It is vegan at its core.
The lupini beans are creamy but firm. They marinate really well and there's enough protein in a bowl of this to actually hold you until dinner.
Shopping List
Treat the quantities in the recipe card as a starting point. Ceviche is a taste-and-adjust dish, so add more or less of anything as long as it tastes right to you.
- Lupini beans / Chochos - Get them jarred in brine, not dried. This isn't a convenience shortcut. Dried lupini are genuinely time-intensive to prepare. The jarred ones have already been through that process and they usually come peeled. Lupini have a tough, papery skin, and peeling two and a half cups of beans by hand is not how I want to spend a Saturday. Look for them in Latin markets under "chochos," "tarwi," or "lupini." You can also find them on Amazon.
And if you end up with extra lupini beans, they're the base of my High-Protein Lupini Bean Seitan or High-Protein Low-Carb Lupini Bean Hummus, so some extra never goes to waste.
- Red onion - or shallots, which are milder and slice beautifully thin.
- Oranges and limes - I recommend fresh-squeezed.
- Cilantro - add this at the very end so it stays green.
- Corn nuts - These stand in for tostado, the toasted Andean corn that goes on cevichochos in Ecuador. Real tostado is made from a large-kernel corn called chulpe that's dry-toasted. Corn Nuts are made from similar corn but deep-fried and saltier. It is close enough that nobody will complain, and they're in most major grocery stores in the US. If you have a Latin market nearby, look for maíz tostado, chulpe, or the Peruvian cancha. Any of the three gets you closer to the real thing.
See the printable recipe card for quantities and a full list of ingredients.
All About Lupini Beans
Check out this post to learn more about lupini beans, also known as chochos.
Ways To Change It Up
- No corn nuts? Use popcorn. Ecuadorians call it canguil and serve it on ceviche as often as tostado. Light, salty, and added at the table to keep it crisp.
- Crush your chips over the top. If you've already got plantain or tortilla chips out, a crushed handful does the same job as the corn nuts.
- Change out the lupini beans for edamame, butter beans, or chickpeas.
- Toasted pepitas for a smaller, nuttier crunch that's less starchy.
- Go sweeter and more street-cart by adding a spoonful of ketchup along with the tomato paste. This is genuinely how a lot of carts do it.
- Bulk it out with diced cucumber or bell pepper if you're feeding a crowd and want more crunch in the bowl itself.
Let's Make Ceviche de Chochos
This vegan lupini bean ceviche is super easy to make. See the complete printable recipe card below for the details.
Step 1: Drain and rinse the lupini beans (chochos) and add them to a bowl along with the onion. Cover everything with cold water and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk the orange juice, lime juice, oil, tomato paste, and salt until the paste is fully dissolved.
Step 3: Add the drained lupini beans and onion and mix gently.
Step 4: Gently stir in the sliced tomato so the slices stay intact. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 5: Stir in the chopped cilantro just before serving, then taste and adjust.
Step 6: Spoon into bowls or cups with plenty of the marinade. Top with corn nuts, scatter the cubed avocado over, add hot sauce, and serve with plantain chips on the side.
Regi's Tips
- I use two-thirds cup each of fresh orange juice and lime juice. However, what matters is that the two are roughly equal, and that there's enough liquid for the beans to sit in rather than just get coated. Oranges and limes vary wildly in how much juice they give up, so squeeze away until you get the desired amount.
- For paper-thin onions, use a mandoline. Thick slices stay sharp no matter how long you soak them. I also cut the rings in half after slicing, so nobody ends up pulling a bunch of onion out of their bowl.
- Cold food needs more seasoning, so taste it straight out of the fridge, not while it's sitting on the counter warming up. It may need more salt and lime than you expect.
- Cube the avocado when you serve, not before. It may get brown and get lost in the stirring.
Serving Suggestions
- For street-cart style, use cups, not bowls. Add plenty of marinade, corn nuts piled on top, chips stuck to the side, and hot sauce if desired.
- As an appetizer, use small glasses with a spoon. I love serving them with Trader Joe's plantain chips.
- For lunch, use a bowl and top with avocado and corn nuts. That's it, that's the meal.
- Serve alongside tostones - Crispy fried plantain and cold, acidic ceviche make a great combination.
- Serve with a few other cold dishes like Creamy Cucumber Gazpacho or Easy Watermelon Gazpacho, plus a stack of plantain chips, so people can graze.
Ceviche de Chochos FAQS
If you have a Latin market nearby, look for maíz tostado or Peruvian cancha - that's the toasted Andean corn actually served on cevichochos in Ecuador, and it's the closest thing to the real deal. Otherwise, plain popcorn is the best swap and it's traditional too. Ecuadorians call it canguil and serve it on or alongside ceviche just as often. Crushed plantain chips, roasted chickpeas, or toasted pepitas all work as well. Just don't skip the crunch entirely.
Store it in the fridge, covered, for about three days. Add the cilantro, avocado, and corn nuts fresh each time you serve it - the crunchy toppings go soft fast, and the cilantro fades after a day.
It's just ceviche and chochos squeezed into one word. In Ecuador, cevichochos usually refers to the street-cart version, sold in cups with tostado and plantain chips piled on top, while ceviche de chochos is the more general name for the dish. They're the same thing.
Yes. Make the base up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge - the beans soak up more marinade, and the onion mellows overnight. Hold back the cilantro, avocado, hot sauce, and corn nuts, and add those just before serving.
More Vegan Latin & Spanish Appetizers
Drop a comment and tell me how this ceviche de chochos turned out! Was it love at first bite, surprisingly edible, or a full-on yuck? And if my directions helped (or didn't), please let me know so I can keep improving these recipes for you. Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for inspiration.
Recipe Card
Ceviche de Chochos (Ecuadorian Lupini Bean Ceviche)
Equipment
- Mandoline optional
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups lupini beans aka chochos - in brine, not dry - drained and rinsed
- 1 small red onion or 2 large shallots; thinly sliced
- 1 tomato or two roma tomatoes; thinly sliced or diced
- ⅔ cup fresh orange juice
- ⅔ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 hass avocado cubed or sliced for garnish
- ½ cup corn nuts
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- hot sauce
- plantain chips or tortilla chips
Instructions
- Soak & rinse: Slice the red onion paper-thin. Drain and rinse the lupini beans, then add them to a bowl along with the onion. Cover everything with cold water and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Drain into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water, tossing with your hands.
- Make the marinade: While the onions and beans soak, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, oil, tomato paste, and salt in a large bowl until the tomato paste fully dissolves and the marinade turns a pale coral.
- Combine & chill: Add the drained lupini beans and onion along with the sliced tomato. Stir gently so the tomato slices stay intact. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes - an hour is better, overnight is better still.
- Season & finish: Stir in the chopped cilantro just before serving so it stays green. Taste and adjust.
- Serve & top: Spoon into bowls or cups with plenty of the marinade. Top with corn nuts, scatter the cubed avocado over, sprinkle with hot sauce, and serve with plantain or tortilla chips on the side for scooping.
Regi Pearce says
If you’ve never tried lupini beans (chochos) before, this ceviche is a delicious place to start! They have the perfect firm, slightly chewy texture for ceviche and soak up all those bright citrusy flavors. I love to serve it at gatherings.