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:
PRINT
PIN
COMMENT
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
Elanna Foley says
Tried so many recipes before this one that just wouldn't work,
THIS ONE WORKED SO WELL!! I'm so happy I found this site.
(I did end up cooking for about an extra ten minutes, but I think my oven is off a little, I need to buy a thermometer)
You did a great job!
Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Elanna! Thrilled you enjoyed it 🙂
Bobbi J Sommer says
Since I'm averse to overly spicy foods I made this recipe with smoked paprika instead of the chili powder and it was a great snack!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful, so happy you enjoyed 🙂
Lainey says
I love roasted chickpeas and have a batch of your recipe in the oven right now. I was hoping to take them with me on a Backcountry trip to be a good source of protein and fiber in our meals and I'm wondering if you have any idea how long they will keep at warm temperatures if they are sealed in a ziplock bag? We live in a very dry environment so I'm not really worried about humidity.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Lainey, I would image they should keep for up to 3 days but they will soften the longer you keep them Enjoy!
Amanda says
Update: I cooked my chickpeas for an additional time ...20 mins at 400 degrees F. Much better, and crispier... 🙂
Amanda says
Followed as written and not crispy at all. My oven is working fine. Just made banana bread. 🙁
Me A says
Baked mine 15-20 mins longer than recommend and they weren't the slightest bit crunchy....highly disappointed.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Me A, did you dry roast them first without any seasoning on them?
Me A says
Yes I sure did! Followed the recipe off here exactly apart from adding on extra roasting time
Sam Turnbull says
Hmm that's odd. If they didn't come out dry from the first dry roast, then I would check that your oven is the correct temperature. It's pretty common for ovens to be off, and you can pick up an oven thermometer fairly cheaply. If I were to cook them as long as you did they would have come out burnt in my oven. Hope that helps!
Kerrie Marshall says
So, I just found this recipe and you, Sam, just today, whilst craving crispy chickpeas. I have very high hopes for this recipe. They just went in the oven...I'll get back with a review later! Totally psyched for these damn crispy chickpeas!! !! !!!
But, I've looked through some of your content and want to say thanks for being so enthusiastic and approachable. I'm a wannabe vegan and working my way towards. We need more like you leading the way. Keep it up. And thanks! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Aww you're most welcome, Kerrie!! I hope you enjoy the chickpeas and many more recipes 🙂
Ms G says
This is an awesome recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
So thrilled you enjoyed it, Ms G 🙂
Bob says
Hi,
We prefer them to be softer. If I skip the first roasting step, should that work?
Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
Yes that should work fine. Just remove them from the oven when they have reached desired texture.
Samia says
Me, too. I am not a youngster and the ol' teeth can't tolerate hard 'n' crunchy anything. I am going to take a crack at making softer version. Thanks. By the way, I like the name "It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken".
Jill says
These turned out amazing - thank you! To make them even more flavorful, I added 1/2 tsp. onion powder and 1/2 tsp. paprika. For spice, cayenne pepper.
Brigitte says
SAM , another great snack but if you use salted can chickpeas you basically don’t need salt. I had 15 oz unsalted chickpeas and I usually always half the salt when making a new recipe . This time I followed the recipe !! For me it was to salty. So if you are salt sensitive don’t use it if they already salted . I just opened another can baked it add it to the second batch than baked it for the remained time .
Thanks .
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed them, Brigitte 🙂
Michael says
Sam,
Shouldn't we save the chickpea juice from the can, which I understand is now called aquafaba? Also, do you have any recipes yet, or any in the works, that use aquafaba? I saw a chocolate chip cookie recipe on a vegan blog site that said aquafaba was the best egg replacer to get moist cookies, out of many others that the blog writer had tried.
Sam Turnbull says
You can absolutely save the aquafaba to use in other recipes. Personally, I am not a fan of the results when used in cookies, but I do have vegan meringues, vegan marshmallow fluff, and vegan confetti cake that call for aquafaba. Enjoy!
Michael says
Thank you Sam!
Veronica Walter says
Just made these. They were absolutely simple to make + tasted amazing. With a recipe like this who needs potato chips? 🙂 PS - I also added a bit more salt to mine. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you loved them, Veronica 🙂
Jackie says
I made these for Super Bowl Sunday. They were a hit. Thank you for sharing it with us. Happy snacking!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Jackie 🙂
Sarah says
Wow! Delicious! I added what I thought was a goodly amount of seasoning, and found I needed quite a bit more. Did one batch with olive oil and pink salt, and another with cumin and cayenne. The kids LOVED them! Great way to add protein, and they think it’s simply a great snack!
Sam Turnbull says
That's so awesome! Thrilled you enjoy this snack so much, Sarah 🙂
Binna says
Hi Sam, I am using your recipe and just wanted to let you know your instructions were very easy to follow. Thank you for posting this. BTW I love your red lipstick! Binna
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Binna! So happy you love my recipes 🙂
Sarah says
Do you have to peel the outer skin from the tinned chickpeas before baking them?
Sam Turnbull says
Nope!
Suze says
Scrolled a long way down to add my 5 stars!! Wow, doesn’t really matter what flavor combo you decide on at the end, the trick is to bake first, then add oil and season. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Suze!! Thanks for the 5 stars 🙂
Janet says
Thank you!! Just made them. They’re actually too hot to eat yet but I’m eating them anyway! Love em!!!!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hah! Careful!! 🙂
Will says
I just made these and they're really crunchy - not quite "corn nuts" crunchy, but almost! These are now going to be one of the things I make on a regular basis for appetizers for guests, to go along with the usual cheese/cracker/olive/charcuterie.
I would also note that I made these from dried beans, cooked in an instant pot. At under $0.20 an ounce for dried beans, this is a very affordable snack to make, and the instant pot does a great job of cooking them from dried to cooked in about 40 minutes total.
Sam Turnbull says
That's awesome!! So very happy you love the recipe so much 🙂