If your kids love a big crunch, I have the perfect homemade snack! Roasted Chickpeas also known as Garbanzo beans. Chickpeas are such a versatile legume/bean and can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used as a main dish, cracker, topper, side dish, or in our case a tasty snack. If you are looking for a simple, healthy snack that are roasted to perfection and flavored, I have you covered. They are a great on-the-go snack or even a movie night treat, but I warn you, they are crunchy, so you’ll need to turn up the surround sound.
Tell me about it:
- A simple crunchy snack, great for lunch box add-ins, after school snack or movie night treat.
- Full of fiber and great source of plant-based protein.
- Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans are readily available, you can find them in grocery stores or even convenient stores.
- You can use canned chickpeas or dry. The benefit to canned chickpeas is that it’s convenient but if you have the time, the dry ones are said to be healthier. In either case, this recipe will come out delicious.
What you need:
- Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans (either canned or dry). If you are working with dry chickpeas, pre-soak 2 cups in water overnight. Cook pre-soaked chickpeas until they are soft and tender, this takes about 30 minutes. Sieve after cooking and once cool, dry them using paper towel or a clean kitchen towel. If using canned chickpeas, rinse under cold water and dry them.
- Olive oil is used to coat the bean for roasting, you want just the right amount of oil to avoid burning or over soaking and being greasy.
- Seasoning of choice. What is fun about this snack is that you can choose whatever flavors your family is craving, from maple syrup to spicy cumin and everything in between.
Sample Flavors:
- Sea salt and pepper
- Maple cinnamon
- Garlic garlic salt
- Cumin
- Cajun
- teriyaki with sesame seeds
- Honey
- Chipotle lime
Steps:
Pre-heat oven to 375°C.
Prepare your chickpeas for roasting. If you are using canned or cooked, be sure to fully dry chickpeas before placing them on oven tray.
Spread your chickpeas on a lined baking sheet, make sure they are not overcrowded on the tray and get them into the oven. After about 10 minutes, check in and shuffle the tray slightly so the chickpeas can get toasty on all sides, bake for another 15 minutes.
The next part of the recipe is up to you, you can build any flavor profile your family loves! I’ve suggested our top two flavors.
For a sweet snack, you will need maple syrup, cinnamon and a dash of vanilla extract.
For a savory snack, you will need kosher salt, paprika and black pepper. You can add other herbs and spices such as dried oregano, garlic powder, cumin or if you want some kick, a dash of cayenne pepper. Surprisingly my kids love a bit of spice, but I’d err on the side of caution when introducing a spicy like cayenne pepper.
No matter the flavoring you go for, take your roasted chickpeas out of the oven and put in a large bowl.
Coast your chickpeas well and put them back into the oven for 5-7 minutes so that flavor gets baked on.
Once out of the oven, let them sit in the tray until cooled. This process takes them to the next level of crunch!
If there are leftovers, you can store roasted chickpeas in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. Just remember that the peas need to be fully cooled before sealed to avoid sogginess.
Please share any comments and rate this recipe. I would love to answer questions or hear variations you create – the flavor opportunities are endless, and I hope you have a blast experimenting delicious bold flavors.
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Crunchy Roasted Chickpea Snack
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Crunchy roasted chickpeas are the tastiest and crunchiest snack out there. The flavor opportunities are endless when it comes to these perfectly crunchy pearls of goodness.
Ingredients
- 2 cans (398ml/can) of chickpeas or 2.5 cups of pre-cooked chickpeas
- 2 tbs olive oil
Savory:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Sweet:
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°C. Dry canned or pre-cooked chickpeas using a clean dish towel or paper towels (they need to be fully dry in order to get the crunch).
- Coat chickpeas in olive oil and place on lined baking tray.
- Bake for 25 minutes checking in on them 2-3 times and shuffling tray to get all sides toasted.
- Mix your flavoring in a separate bowl. For the sweet: add maple syrup, vanilla extract and cinnamon and stir until well combined. For savory: add olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Set aside.
- Remove chickpeas from oven and place in a bowl – coat your chickpeas in the flavor profile you choose.
- Return to oven and cook for another 5-7 minutes so that flavor is really soaked and baked through.
- Remove from oven, let cool. It’s ready to enjoy.
Notes
- You can use an air fryer for a quicker cooking result – turn air fryer to 390°C for 15 minutes checking in at the 10-minute mark and to shuffle it. Be sure not to over crowed fryer.
- You can store cooked chickpeas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Snack
