I didn't know roasted chickpeas were a thing until recently. I went out for dinner at an amazing farm-to-table restaurant and ordered the roasted half-chicken. Much to my delight, they garnished the chicken with roasted chickpeas. What!??! I just never thought of this. I loved the crunch component this brought to the dish. Loved it. I decided - what the hell - might as well try it! So here we are. These crunchy roasted chickpeas really are a delicious snack and highly customizable.
What are chickpeas? Technically this pea is a bean
Ever eaten hummus? Good. Then you've had chickpeas. Falafel? Same thing - chickpea based. Chickpeas are in the legume family and are popular in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian cooking. They are extremely versatile, high in protein and healthy. Also, according to Wikipedia they have been cultivated for the past 10,000 years, which seems like it must be a typo, right? So yeah, chickpeas have been around a while and will continue to be around. They are soft with a mild flavor and a tender texture. They are used to make hummus, falafel, soups, stir frys, salad topping and sandwiches. I actually have a great Chickpea Veggie Burger w/Homemade Foccacia if you have time to check that out. And finally, with this recipe, I will show you how to roast them and enjoy them as a crunchy snack.
Easy steps for making crunchy roasted chickpeas - 3 ways
Yes, you can buy the bag of dry chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and do an overnight soak, but who's got the time these days? For me, and maybe this is a horrible admission: I always use canned chickpeas. It's so easy and they taste awesome so why the heck not?
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Use whatever spices you want, but here are three ideas
The mechanics of this are the same, but I made three versions: 1. garlic powder and tumeric. 2. onion powder and sumac. 3. harissa powder. I might add here that just olive oil and salt is fantastic as well!
- Empty a can of chickpeas into your kitchen colander to drain the liquid.
- Run water over the chickpeas to wash them a bit - be gentle when handling.
- Shake the colander to free excess water.
- Transfer the chickpeas on a paper towel lined sheet pan and gently push the chickpeas around to dry.
- Take a few more paper towels and place on top of chickpeas. Rub and rotate gently (see how gently is a theme here?) until the chickpeas are as dry as possible. They need to be really dry or they won't get crunchy when cooking.
- Remove the top paper towel. You'll see a lot of the outer shell of the chickpeas have flaked off. Remove and discard those.
- Remove all paper towel from sheet pan and drizzle with a little olive oil and then hit is with a light sprinkling of salt. Toss to coat with your hands.
- Roast in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool a couple of minutes, then toss in spices.
Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas - 3 ways
- Prep Time: 5 minute
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
Description
Looking for a healthier snack option? Try these awesome crunchy roasted chick peas. Highly customizable and totally awesome.
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can of chick peas, unsalted (aka garbanzo beans)
- Olive oil
- Salt
Spice combinations
- Garlic powder & turmeric - a few shakes each
- Onion powder and sumac - a few shakes each
- Harissa powder - a few shakes (or chili powder, cayenne pepper)
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Instructions
- When it’s appropriate, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
- Pour the can of chickpeas into a colander to drain the liquid, then run under water and toss gently to wash. Shake the colander to get as much water out as you can.
- Transfer chickpeas to a paper towel lined sheet pan. Gently roll the chickpeas on the paper towel. Grab more paper towel (you can use clean kitchen towels if you have them) and again – gently – rub the paper towel over the chickpeas. We need them to be a dry as possible.
- Once the chickpeas are dry, you will notice some of the shells have detached. Collect and discard those.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the chick peas… enough to lightly coat them. Then sprinkle a little salt over them as well. I know a lot of people want measurements, but you are smart. This kind of salting is a personal choice… like when you salt your French fries. I can’t imagine I used more than a total of ½ teaspoon on mine. Toss everything to coat and spread out the chickpeas on the sheet pan.
- Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Make sure you shake the pan a few times while they are cooking to shift the chickpeas so they cook evenly and get a good crunch!
- Take out of oven and let cool a couple of minutes. Now add your spices. I did three versions: 1. Garlic powder and turmeric. 2. Onion powder and sumac. 3. Harissa powder (slightly spicy)… if you already have chili powder or cayenne pepper on hand you can use that for the spicy version. Toss the chickpeas to coat in the spices.
- These are best enjoyed right after cooking or within one to two days. For storage – keep uncovered on counter. If you have pets, keep uncovered in the microwave (this is what I do). Covering them will make them soggy and no more crunch. The small ramekins you see in the pictures are how I store them.
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