Crispy roasted chickpeas are a great way to transform those tinned chickpeas at the back of your cupboard into a tasty healthy savoury snack. They make delicious nibbles with a drink, or use them as crunchy chickpea croutons on your soups and salads.
What you'll love about the recipe
- If you like chickpeas, you'll love this crunchy roasted version. They are an irresistible salty snack (I couldn't stop nibbling them when I was photographing this recipe!)
- Crispy chickpea croutons are a healthy, higher protein alternative to croutons as a topping for soups and salads
- Quick and easy to make, using just store cupboard ingredients
- Crispy roasted chickpeas are vegan and gluten free
- Chickpeas are packed with health benefits. Like all pulses they are high in fibre. The soluble fibre that they contain is particularly good at feeding the healthy bacteria in your gut, which results in better digestion. It is also great at helping to control your blood sugar levels which can prevent conditions such as diabetes. Fibre also keeps you fuller for longer.
Chickpeas are also a great source of vitamins and minerals such as folic acid. For vegetarians in particular, they are a useful source of plant protein and iron.
Ingredients
You'll need cooked chickpeas (or garbanzo beans as they are also known) to make these crispy roasted chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are already cooked, so they are ideal.
If you prefer, you could use dried chickpeas, but you will need to soak and cook them first. Soak them in plenty of cold water overnight. Rinse and add fresh water, bring to the boil and simmer for around an hour. When cooked, they should be tender.
You can also cook chickpeas in the slow cooker, they take around 3-4 hours on medium and you won't need to soak them.
Olive oil, or another healthy cooking oil. You could also use a flavoured oil.
Seasoning and spices. Like all salty snacks, the seasoning is what makes these so irresistible. I used a ready mixed curry powder for these crispy roasted chickpeas, but you could also make you own blend or just use a single favourite ground spice such as cumin. If you'd like them a bit spicier, use some smoked paprika or chilli powder.
If you are using them as chickpea croutons, choose a seasoning that complements your soup or salad.
How to make crispy roasted chickpeas
Roasting chickpeas is an incredibly simple recipe, and the prep takes just minutes!
Drain the can of chickpeas. It's important that they are dry so that they can crisp up. The easiest way to dry the chickpeas thoroughly is in the oven! Just pop them on a baking tray for 5 minutes - you can even do this whilst the oven is coming up to temperature.
Meanwhile, mix the olive oil, spices and a good pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.
Then add the oven dried chickpeas. Give them a good shake or stir so that they are evenly coated.
Then pop the chickpeas back on the tray and roast for 25 minutes. Shake or turn the tray partway through cooking to ensure they brown and crisp up evenly.
Expert tips
If you are cooking dried chickpeas, cook a whole bag to make it worthwhile. They freeze brilliantly, so you can pack them up into convenient portions, ready to use for roasting or making this simple hummus recipe, or hummus with wild garlic.
Serving and storage
These crispy roasted chickpeas are delicious freshly cooked, and because they've been oven dried, they'll also stay crunchy for a few days. Store in an airtight container.
If they are on view, you'll find you want to nibble them all day! They make a lovely healthy salty snack to serve with drinks.
I also really like using them as gluten free chickpea croutons to add crunch and a little extra protein to soups, and salads such as coleslaw and Waldorf.
And if you are serving hummus, add some crispy roasted chickpeas alongside.
Frequently asked questions
It's important that the chickpeas are fully dry before they are coated in oil. The easiest way to do this is to oven dry them whilst the oven is coming up to temperature. Just 5 minutes and the chickpeas will be perfectly dry. You can then roast them with oil and seasoning and you'll have perfect crispy roasted chickpeas:)
Yes! Roasted chickpeas are still rich in fibre and are a good source of vegan protein. However, if you are on a low sodium diet, make sure that you use a low sodium salt, or simply use flavoursome spices to season your chickpeas.
No, life's too short!! And it's really not necessary. A few of the skins may split whilst they are roasting, but it really doesn't matter. And if you remove the skins from the chickpeas, you'll also be removing some of the healthy fibre and nutrients.
Other healthy savoury snacks
You might also enjoy these oven roasted pumpkin seeds. Or try these spinach and lentil parcels or wholemeal crackers.
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Recipe
Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 400 g canned chickpeas drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (170 fan).
- Drain the chickpeas. Tip onto a baking tray and pop in the oven for 5 minutes whilst it's preheating. This will dry the chickpeas thoroughly so that they crisp up better.400 g canned chickpeas
- Meanwhile, mix the olive oil, seasoning and spices in a bowl. Add the oven dried chickpeas and stir to mix. Tip the coated chickpeas back onto the baking tray.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon mild curry powder, salt and pepper to taste
- Roast for 25 mins, stirring a couple of times during cooking.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Samira says
Yeh, chickpeas that really do go crispy!!! These are a great success, thank you for the recipe.