Oven roasted chickpeas are healthy, savoury, easy to make, flavourful, vegan and delicious. These crunchy chickpeas can be served as an appetizer with your favourite seasoning, eaten as a crunchy snack, used as a salad topping or added to a soup.
I learned to eat and appreciate chickpeas which are also known as garbanzos or garbanzo beans when I was living in Spain years ago as they’re used a lot in Spanish cuisine. I still really love eating and cooking with chickpeas and have noticed that lately it has become more popular to do so, and probably because the chick pea is a legume which is high in fibre and protein and is also a good source of vitamins and nutrients. The most known use for chickpeas is hummus and falafel, for which they are a key ingredient.
Did you know that chickpeas are very versatile and can be used in so many different dishes and combine very well with various other vegetables as well as meats?
I always have at least one or more cans of chickpeas in my pantry. They are precooked and immediately ready to use. I add them to stews or curries, make a salad with tomatoes, cucumber and onions, or I eat them just like that, out of the can. They have a mild nutty flavour and a soft bean-like texture. Admittedly, not everyone is a fan of this texture and that’s why roasting them is a great solution. It provides a nice crispy crunch from the outside and a soft creamy texture from the inside.
How to roast chickpeas
This recipe comes together really easy. I have used canned chickpeas for this recipe. For the chickpeas to be roasted to a nice crunch, be sure to follow these tips:
- Drain and rinse: Always drain the water from the can and rinse properly under cold running water in a colander.
- Dry very well: To make the chickpeas crunchy, they need to be dry. So after rinsing, let them drain properly (a couple of minutes) in the colander and tap them dry with some paper towel or a clean dishtowel.
- Dry out in the oven: First we will further dry out the chickpeas in the oven. In a baking tray, lay the chickpeas in a single layer, without adding any oil or seasoning. Roast in a preheated oven at 400°F or 200°C for 15 minutes. Shake the tray a couple of times to get them evenly dry.
- Add olive oil and seasoning: Take the tray out of the oven after 15 minutes and add olive oil and seasoning. Toss well to coat evenly.
- Roast in the oven: Place the baking tray back in the oven and roast for another 15-20 minutes until the chickpeas are golden brown and are nice and crispy.
- Cool down: Allow to cool down for a couple of minutes before serving.
Crispy chickpeas seasoning
Seasoning is the fun part of this crunchy roasted chickpea recipe. The combinations and variations are endless. You can let your imagination run wild and combine different spices each time you make this recipe depending on how you plan to serve them and with what kind of dish or cuisine.
Season with salt and olive oil and enjoy the nutty flavour of the chickpea itself. Use one flavour or make a blend of different spices and combine ground cumin, paprika, pimentón (smoked paprika), curry powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper or Ras el hanout (a Northern African spice mix) with herbs like dried thyme, oregano, basil and rosemary.
Use the spices you like and make them as hot or mild as you wish. Play with flavours and discover your favourite healthy snack.
Why are my roasted chickpeas not crunchy?
The first time I made crunchy chickpeas I thought, just place them in the oven for 30 minutes, put oil and spices and done. How wrong I was! They came out golden brown but still soft. So, here are my tips and tricks to make nice and crispy chickpeas:
Dry the chickpeas well before roasting: Either dry them well in a clean kitchen towel, or dry roast the chickpeas in the oven before applying the oil and seasoning. Dry roasting works best for me. After rinsing, I lay them in single layer on a baking tray and place them in the oven for 15-20 minutes, and I shake the tray regularly.
Remove the thin skins: You can remove the thin skins around the peas before roasting because the skin can still hold some moisture. Remove them by gently rubbing the kitchen towel over the chickpeas.
Apply oil and seasoning when dry: When they chickpea still holds some moisture and you apply olive oil I find they won’t crisp up that easy unless you leave them in the oven quite a long time. So only apply oil when they are really dry.
What also works best for me and doesn’t take a lot of time is after rinsing and draining the water, I slightly pat them dry with some paper towel and dry roast in the oven. It’s less work and they will dry out completely. Apply olive oil and seasoning and place them back in the oven to get them crunchy. Depending on your oven this will take another 15-20 minutes.
How to store roasted chickpeas
Honestly? I don’t know. They never last longer than a day when I’m around. I keep nibbling them when walking past, they are so good. I also never make a large batch, only what I need for that day. They will lose their crispiness after a day, which is why they were roasted in the first place. If you must store them, use an open container or jar to keep them crunchy as long as possible.
How to use them
Eat them as a healthy snack with your favourite seasoning or serve them in a nice bowl as an appetizer at a dinner party, your guests will love them. You can for example have various bowls each with their own seasoning, from plain salt and garlic to really spicy with a good pinch of cayenne pepper.
Use them as a topping in various salads, stews or even as a healthy replacement for croutons in soups. Here are various recipe examples where you can use roasted chickpeas:
- Gorgonzola and pear salad with pecans (replace the pecans with roasted garbanzo beans)
- Roasted chestnut and mushroom soup
- Spanish chorizo and chickpea stew (add them as a topping before serving)
- As croutons in this Spanish gazpacho soup
- Chicken pita pockets
- Belgian endive salad with apple and ham
Crispy oven roasted chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (or 250 grams) cooked chickpeas (1 can) drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Optional ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika or pimentón
- ¼ teaspoon paprika powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390°F or 200°C.
- Drain the water from the chickpeas and rinse under cold running water in a colander. Drain properly in the colander. Tap them dry with a clean dishtowel or some paper towel.
- Lay the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking tray without adding seasoning and oil. Put the tray in the middle of the oven and leave to dry roast for 15 minutes. Shake the tray regularly to dry the peas evenly.
- Take the tray after 15 minutes out of the oven. Add olive oil and seasoning and toss well to coat evenly. Place the tray back in the oven and leave to roast for 15-20 minutes until the chickpeas are golden brown and crispy.
- Allow to cool down before serving.
Notes
- Serve immediately or store in a container or jar without the lid.
- Either add seasoning when adding the olive oil or at the end of the roasting process. Make sure to add the seasoning when the chickpeas are fresh out of the oven and still hot.
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Love the sound of this recipe! delicious and healthy
I love chickpeas and can’t wait to try these!!!!
I absolutely love roast chick peas. Such an addictive snack!!
A delicious snack made from chickpeas! I love them on a salad or just for noshing! Delish!