Need a delicious, healthy protein-rich snack? Crispy Roasted Chickpeas are easy to make, fun to eat, and great for topping salads, soups, and bowls. Vegan and Gluten-free.
Here is one of my favorite chickpea recipes! As a chef, I’m always looking for new, fun ways to turn simple ingredients into something my whole family will crave. These roasted chickpeas have become a favorite snack around here. Not only are they cleaner and healthier than packaged versions, but they’re also naturally vegan and gluten-free.
They have such a delicious, satisfying crunch that makes them perfect on their own for healthy snacking, or use as a topping for salads, soups, and grain bowls.
We feature chickpeas a lot on the blog – they are so versatile in the kitchen, providing healthy fiber, nutrients (copper!), and protein. After we batchmake chickpeas from scratch (see our guide on how to cook dry chickpeas) I like to set some aside for this roasted version- it is one of the easiest ways to enjoy them-made with just three ingredients and endlessly customizable with your favorite seasonings.
Roasted Chickpeas Ingredients
- Chickpeas: While this is super quick and easy with canned chickpeas, they’re even more delicious when cooked from scratch.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Helps crisp up the chickpeas, giving them a crunchy texture. You can also try using avocado or coconut oil.
- Salt: Enhances flavor, making these a crave-worthy snack!
- Optional seasonings: Any combination of smoked paprika, garlic powder or onion powder, cumin, coriander, sumac, and chili powder adds a kick of flavor. Add cayenne pepper for even more heat, or for a sweet snack, try cinnamon with a pinch of sugar!
Fun Variations
Try these seasoning blends for some fun, flavored roasted chickpeas!
- Herbs de Provence
- Ras el Hanout
- Zaatar Spice Recipe
- Homemade Yellow Curry Powder
- Shawarma Spice
- Berbere
How to Make Roasted Chickpeas
1. Prep the Chickpeas. Place cooked chickpeas in a bowl of water and use your hands to gently rub them, loosening the skins. Once the skins have floated to the top, pour them out, then repeat the process until most of the skins are removed.
Drain them in a colander, then spread the chickpeas out in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Gently pat and lightly rub to dry, then pick out any remaining peels.
2. Dry them out. Transfer chickpeas to a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350F and place the chickpeas in the oven while it warms up (this helps remove any remaining moisture and dry the chickpeas fully). Once the oven reaches temperature, remove the pan and drizzle or spray it with olive oil.
3. Roast the chickpeas. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast for 45 minutes, rotating and stirring every 15 minutes. When done, the chickpeas should be dry, crispy, and lightly toasted. If they are not ready after 45 minutes, turn off the oven, crack the door, and leave for another 5-10 minutes. They will crisp up a bit more even after they are removed from the oven.
4. Season. Toss and shake the chickpeas with desired seasonings while they are still warm. Keep uncovered on the counter at room temperature for a day, then seal the remaining chickpeas in an airtight container.
Tips for the best Roasted Chickpeas
- Remove the skins: Don’t skip this step! Removing as much of the peels as possible results in extra crispy chickpeas. Placing them in a bowl of water and rubbing gently with your hands will help the skins float to the top. Then gently drying with a towel can remove the remaining ones.
- Make sure the chickpeas are completely dry: Once you’ve patted and rubbed them dry, placing them in the oven before seasoning helps fully remove any remaining moisture. Dry chickpeas help the seasonings stick!
- Parchment paper: It’s up to you whether or not you use parchment paper, but sometimes the chickpeas crisp up better without it.
- Season after roasting: Lightly coat the chickpeas in oil before roasting, but wait to season them until after they are done, while they are still warm. This yields the boldest flavor!
Storing Roasted Chickpeas
Store at room temperature, uncovered, for a day. Then store the remaining ingredients in an airtight container. The chickpeas will keep for up to 3 days. They are at their best when freshly baked, but will maintain their crispy texture for 2-3 days.
Ways to Use Roasted Chickpeas
- Sprinkle over salads like our Tempeh Salad, Rainbow Salad, Mediterranean Swiss Chard Salad, or Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad
- Use as a crunchy topping for soups, like Carrot Ginger Soup, Curried Cauliflower Soup, or Roasted Kuri Squash Soup
- Add to bowls, like our Crispy Mediterranean Chickpea Bowl, Moroccan Cauliflower Chickpea Bowl, Falafel Bowl, or Indian Cauliflower, Chickpea & Tofu Bowls
- Tuck into tacos or wraps, like Middle Eastern Salad Tacos or Halloumi Wrap
FAQs
Remove the skins and completely dry the chickpeas, then roast them at 350F for 45 minutes, rotating and stirring the pan every 15 minutes.
Yes, it is an essential step to dry the chickpeas completely before roasting. They won’t crisp up if there is any moisture. Pat and rub dry, then place them on a baking sheet in the oven while it preheats to make sure they are completely dry.
Roasted chickpeas are still delicious with just olive oil and salt, you can season with a spice blend to create different flavors. Smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, sumac, and chili powder are some of our favorite spices on chickpeas.
The chickpeas will appear dry and golden. They should be crispy and lightly toasted. You can taste test one to make sure! Keep in mind, they will continue to crisp up after being removed from the oven.
Wait to add the seasoning blend until after they are removed from the oven, while they are still warm.
Enjoy this easy roasted chickpea recipe-it’s the perfect healthy snack! 💛 Tonia
After you try this recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
More Chickpea Recipes You Might Like
Roasted Chickpeas Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 2 1/2 cup 1x
- Category: Appetizer, snacks, vegan condiment
- Method: Baking, Roasting
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Kosher, Vegan
Description
Need a delicious, healthy protein snack? Crispy Roasted Chickpeas to the rescue. Easy to make, fun to eat, and good for you! Vegan and Gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3 cups chickpeas (2- 15 ounce cans)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or try coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Optional: smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, sumac, chili powder
Instructions
- Remove the skins. Place cooked chickpeas in a bowl of water and gently rub to loosen the skins, the skins will float to the top. Pour off water, dumping the skins off the top and repeat the process until most of the skins are removed.
- Dry the chickpeas. Drain in a colander and spread the chickpeas out on a towel, gently pat and lightly rub to dry and pick out any remaining peels. Place the chickpeas on your baking sheet (you can use parchment, but it tends to crisp better without) and place it in the oven as it preheats to 350°F to help dry them out.
- Drizzle. Once the oven comes to temperature, drizzle them or spray with olive oil.
- Bake. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, rotating and stirring every 15 minutes. Keep cooking if needed, they should be dry, crispy, and lightly toasted. If they need just a bit longer, turn the oven off , crack the door and leave them another 5 to 10 minutes. Keep in mind they will crisp up a bit more when out of the oven.
- Season. Toss with seasonings while still warm. Store on the counter at room temperature, uncovered, for a day. If there are any left after this, seal in an airtight container. They are at their finest when freshly baked, but will stay crisp for a day or two.
Try these seasoning blends for some fun flavored roasted chickpeas! Herbs de Provence, Ras el Hanout, Zaatar Spice Recipe, Homemade Yellow Curry Powder, Shawarma spice, Berbere
Notes
Dry chickpeas are the key to crisp chickpeas. If they seem extra moist place the sheet pan uncovered in the fridge before preheating the oven.
Storage: Once the chickpeas are cool, store them on the counter at room temperature, sealed in an airtight container for 2-3 days. The chickpeas are at their best when freshly baked. They'll crisp up again when reheated.
To reheat, cook in the air fryer at 300F for 4 minutes or in the oven at 325F for 4-6 minutes.
To make in the Air Fryer: set to 375°F bake for 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket frequently until crispy and golden.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 540.4 mg
- Fat: 4.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.3 g
- Fiber: 5.3 g
- Protein: 5.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
