Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas - one bite is delightfully crispy with a slightly tender inside, the next bite gives a loud satisfying crunch, then fingers must be licked to get all the salty goodness off. Repeat. You're welcome.
Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are one of my all-time favourite easy salty snacks. There are many recipes for roasted chickpeas floating around but from my recipe testing, many of those recipes resulted in squishy, mushy, or burnt chickpeas, and not crispy crunchy. I'm ALL about the crispy crunchy.
After a lot of recipe testing, I discovered the key to crispy crunchy was to dry roast the chickpeas first so they have a chance to get crispy and then season them at the last minute. Boom! Works every time.
This recipe isn't actually new to It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken. I originally posted it a long, long time ago in my very first year of blogging way back in 2013. See the original ugly old picture ↑↑↑.
Back in the good ol' days when I had zero knowledge of food photography and zero knowledge of recipe writing. I used a phone to take pictures, under regular kitchen lights, on the kitchen floor. I had no ingredient measurements of any kind, and only gave a vague idea of what to actually do as "instructions". My how things have changed. ...I mean, well... I still take my pictures on my kitchen floor, but floor food is "professional", right?
Have any of you been following along since then? Let me know in the comments.
But some of those old "recipes" are still my go-to's, like this one, so it was time these chickpeas got a little facelift. (And by little, I mean some serious surgery to make this crusty old recipe into sparkling tempting deliciousness).
Ahhh there we go. So much better.
These little dudes aren't just for snacking either, they also make for a super yummy crunchy salad topper. Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are best eaten fresh, as they can get a little soft when stored, but don't worry, I promise you will have no problem polishing them off immediately.
To make Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas:
Spread the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet. It's ok if they are still a bit wet, they will dry out in the oven. Bake 30 minutes, stopping to shake the pan every now and then.
*Make sure you do shake the pan once or twice when the chickpeas are baking, this helps them dry out properly and get crispy.
BONUS TIP: save that aquafaba (the liquid leftover in the can of chickpeas) and use it to make vegan meringues, vegan marshmallow fluff, or vegan confetti cake.
Remove the chickpeas from the oven and carefully add the hot chickpeas to a bowl along with the olive oil, chili powder, thyme, and salt. Toss well to coat the chickpeas evenly.
Spread the seasoned chickpeas back onto the baking sheet and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before enjoying. You can snack on them still warm, or completely cooled.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
(click stars to vote)
Crispy Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
Servings:
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Ingredients
- 1 19oz can chickpeas,, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- OVEN: Preheat your oven to 375F (190C).AIR-FRYER: Preheat your air-fryer to 350F (180C).
- OVEN: Spread the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet. It's ok if they are still a bit wet, they will dry out in the oven. Bake 30 minutes, stopping to shake the pan every now and then. *Make sure you do shake the pan once or twice when the chickpeas are baking, this helps them dry out properly and get crispy.AIR-FRYER: Add the chickpeas to the air-fryer. It's ok if they are still a bit wet, they will dry out in the oven. Bake 20 minutes, stopping to shake the pan every now and then. *Make sure you do shake the pan once or twice when the chickpeas are baking, this helps them dry out properly and get crispy.Remove the chickpeas and carefully add the hot chickpeas to a bowl along with the olive oil, chili powder, thyme, and salt. Toss well to coat the chickpeas evenly.
- OVEN: Spread the seasoned chickpeas back onto the baking sheet and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden and crispy.AIR-FRYER: return the chickpeas to the air-fryer and cook another 8 - 12 minutes untiil they are golden and crispy.You can snack on them still warm, or completely cooled.
Notes
Nutrition
Max says
These are delicious but chickpeas make me soo gassy and its the painful kind of gas do you think if i remove the skin it will help so I get less gassy? Will they still be crunchy?
Sam Turnbull says
I've never tried removing the skins but I think it should work well. Make sure you rinse the chickpeas really well before using them, most of the gassiness comes from the bean water. You can also try getting an enzyme such as Bean-zyme to help your body out until it gets more used to eating lots of beans.
Phyllis M. says
I am not vegan and I discovered chickpeas late in life along with how good they are for one's health...my goodness, I didn't know what I was missing! And then I came across your recipe for dry roasting first and then seasoning and then popping back in the oven for a bit and I agree with you and everybody else... these are insanely crunchy and impossibly delicious! Thanks so much for sharing
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's wonderful, Phyllis! Glad you enjoy chickpeas and this recipe so much 🙂
Rita says
So good and super crunchy trying to get my family away from unhealthy food and this is so good as a subsitute for chocolate or something like that
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! So happy you enjoyed them, Rita 🙂
Teresa Kopel says
Sounds so wonderful!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you!
Jesse says
Seasoning the chickpeas before the last 15 minutes in the oven is such a pro tip! If you want an amazing seasoning that nothing else I've tried even comes close to; 1 tbsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce, 1 tbsp Worcestershire, then garlic powder, onion powder and Lowry's seasoning salt to taste. Stick into a paste and then toss your chickpeas in this before putting back in the oven. Hope you enjoy!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Jesse 🙂 Just a heads up for anyone reading, Worcestershire isn't usually vegan as it contains fish, but you can buy vegan Worcestershire on Amazon. 🙂
Jesse says
Thanks for mentioning that, I am pescatarian myself so fish is OK! The tamarind is definitely the flavour you want though 🙂
Trish says
SO much better than Gordon Ramsay’s crispy chickpea recipe!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Bahahaha! I told you!!!! Glad they worked for you 🙂
Lilly says
These are sooooo addictive! Once I start munching on them, I can't seem to stop...delicious! Thank you, Sam 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, I know right? I tend to polish off the entire batch in one sitting!
Sam says
SO CRUNCHY!!! I will definitely be making these again.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Tricia says
Samantha,
I LOVE that you mentioned using these on salad, clever girl! I miss croutons so much and these scrumptious little morsels will be even more satisfying since I know they are a healthier choice, hooray! I have been following you since the very beginning of IDTLC and I always smile when I see a new e-mail. I feel so proud and happy for you, you have come so far and nobody out there deserves success more than you do. Thanks for working so hard to keep all of us healthy, and just as importantly, SATISFIED. I have never tried a recipe of yours that wasn't simple and delicious. Eating healthy is so much more enjoyable when you don't feel like you are compromising or missing out! Keep it coming! I can't get enough!
Cheers to your success!
Sam Turnbull says
Tricia!! What a lovely comment, you are so sweet 🙂 Love that you smile when you see my emails, and even happier that you have enjoyed every recipe of mine that you have tried! Yes, the chickpeas are great on a salad as croutons, but in case you were interested I do have a bread crouton recipe in my cookbook as well. Thanks so much for your kind words, they put some extra pep in my step today. 😀
Ivy says
Yum! Soaked two pounds of dried chickpeas overnight and roasted half of them with the spices in the recipe and the other half with salt and smoked paprika. I had to up the second roast time to 18 minutes to get them all crunchy - 10-15 minutes was not enough in my oven. As soon as my husband gets home, these are going to be gone in a flash.
Sam Turnbull says
That is the problem with these chickpeas, it seems no matter how many I make they are always gone instantly! Haha
Erin says
These look yummy!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you 🙂
Susan says
These look amazing! Do you remove the skins from the chickpeas first, or just rinse and go? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Just rinse and go! No need to remove the skins 🙂
Crazy cook says
Aha! Now I know why other attempts were disappointing. Baked them first and then did seasoning. Delicious.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, glad I could help! 🙂
Fred says
Any recommendation on preparing if you eat oil free?
Sam Turnbull says
I'm assuming you mean if you don't eat oil (since the recipe already contains oil). I would just skip adding the oil. You would want to take the chickpeas out sooner as they will get too dry, and you might want to use a bit of lemon juice or other liquid to help the spices stick. Enjoy!
Andrea says
The receipe is sooo yummy! Delicious!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it 😀
Lisa Wilson says
I've been using this recipe often since I discovered it! So yummy thank you!!!
Sam says
So happy you love it Lisa 🙂
Ronda says
Oh my god. I just made these and they are soo good. I made 3 cans and I don't know if they're going to last the week. I did change up the spices a little but great recipe/instructions. I did line the pans with foil, and I'm glad I did because cleaning the pan would have been rough. Great recipe, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Sam says
Aren't they addictive!? So happy you loved them Ronda!
gracia says
Hola, se utiliza los garbanzos ya precocidos o hidratados del dìa anterior cuando no es en lata. Entiendo que no estàn totalmente secos (deshidratados) cuando se colocan en el horno. Gracias.
Hello , chickpeas already cooked or hydrated previous day is used when it is not canned . I understand that there are completely dry ( dehydrated ) when placed in the oven. Thank you.
Sam says
Hi gracia,
I'm not sure I understand the question, but I will do my best to answer it. You use cooked chickpeas, toss them with the seasoning, and then put them into oven. The oven dries them out so they get crunchy. Hope that helps!
Caitlyn says
How long do you expect that these can last in a sealed container?
Sam says
They should be fine for about a week. Make sure you keep them dry, if it is humid they might get soggy. 🙂
missemh says
Have you tried this with chickpeas that you've prepared yourself instead of out of the can?
Sam says
Hi Missemh,
No I haven't but as long as the chickpeas are completely cooked, it should work just fine. Enjoy!
Vegan Grammie Annir says
Hey Samantha, I always love the idea of roasted chickpeas and I have tried the a couple of times-they are never crunchy, just shrivelled up. Do you have any pointers for me?
Samantha Turnbull says
Hi! Welcome to my blog! Did you try my recipe for the crunchy chickpeas? There are some other recipes out out there, but my technique of dry roasting them before adding oil and spices gets them crunchy every time!