Chickpea is a field crop that is playing an emerging role in the provision of healthy and sustainable plant‐based value‐added ingredients for the food and nutraceutical industries. This paper reviews the characteristics of chickpea (composition, health properties and techno‐functionality) of the chickpea grain which influence its use as a whole food or an ingredient in formulated food. It covers the exploitation of traditional and emerging food processes for conversion of chickpea into value‐added differentiated food ingredients. The influence of processing on composition, health promoting properties and techno‐functionality of chickpea are discussed. The opportunities for tailoring chickpea ingredients to facilitate their incorporation in traditional food applications and in the expanding plant‐based meat alternative and dairy alternative markets are highlighted. The review includes an assessment of the possible uses of byproducts of chickpea processing, which is necessary for building a more sustainable future for chickpea. Recommendations for future research to build a sustainable chickpea value‐added ingredient industry are provided.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.