A simple 5-step guide on how to make crispy roasted chickpeas in the oven! These crunchy legumes are the perfect healthy snack or addition on top of salads and soups.
I have finally found an irresistible healthy food obsession. Crispy roasted chickpeas in five easy steps! These roasted chickpea delights are so easy to make. Oh man, I can’t stop grabbing a handful from my secret stash when I walk into the kitchen. The best part is I don’t feel that snack guilt, do you know what I mean? Make yourself a big batch because they’re so tasty!
This recipe is customizable, so once you give it a try, you can experiment with different flavor combos. Keep reading for my simple how-to guide for crunchy chickpeas and join in on the fun!
So what’s so special about these tiny edible heart-shaped legumes? Well, my friend, chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In fact, this vegetarian-friendly protein has 15 grams of fiber and 12.5 grams fiber per cup! Now I can’t wait to take my next dip into the hummus bowl! Ok, let’s get into the details.
Step 1: Rinse, drain and dry
Try to get the chickpeas as dry as possible to ensure the crunchiest product. Place them on a towel-lined sheet pan with another towel on top and gently rub to remove the water. The more moisture on the surface means it could take longer to evaporate.
Step 2: Remove the skin
You’ll notice as you apply some friction on the chickpeas, these thin layers of skin easily come off. Eliminate those before roasting. I was a little obsessive and used my fingers to remove ALL of the skins after the initial towel drying. I did this because I noticed some extra moisture trapped beneath the surfaces. You can leave the skins on if you are in a hurry or like that extra crispy layer, personal preference here.
Step 3: Oil and salt
Lightly oil the chickpeas with two tablespoons of any oil you prefer (olive, canola, grapeseed, coconut). Combine the chickpeas with ½ teaspoon salt. I used kosher. You can also add freshly cracked black pepper during this step.
Step 4: Roast at 400°F
You want a high temperature to drive off the moisture from the chickpeas in about 30 to 35 minutes. This yields crispy chickpeas on the outside, with a small amount of the core not completely crisp. This turns out nicely if you plan to eat the chickpeas the same day.
If you’re going for a completely crunchy snack that you can store, take a little bit of extra time to do this extra SECRET step. Turn off the oven and leave the chickpeas to dry longer. I check every 10 minutes and taste in between to check the crispiness progress.
If you continue to roast at high temp, those gorgeous golden peas will burn. So this gentle drying step helps to get those last few drops of moisture out. This took about an extra 30 to 40 minutes, so worth the wait!
Step 5: Season
When the chickpeas are warm and done drying, I like to add a touch of seasonings. Dried spices and herbs can burn if cooked at 400°F. Add these aromatics and flavor enhancers at the very end. I used a mixture of garlic powder, smoked paprika, and chopped fresh rosemary.
I love how the rosemary oils infuse and add aromas to the chickpeas, even more, over time when I store them in a container. This is where you can also try other seasonings to make the chickpeas spicy, sweet, savory or tangy. Get creative! Sugar, cinnamon, ginger, curry, mustard, chili, dried and fresh herbs, truffle oil, are just some suggestions.
Crunch Away!
Now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Since you’ve removed most of the water from the chickpeas, they store very well in an airtight container for weeks! They have been my go-to snack throughout the day, or I’ve been adding them on top of soups or salads like my kale Caesar recipe. If I can add it to a dish, I will!
I would love to hear your flavor combination. Please let me note in the comments section.
More chickpea recipes you might like
Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 30 ounces chickpeas, 2 cans, garbanzo beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons spices, or finely chopped fresh herbs
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon rosemary, chopped fresh
Instructions
- Position baking rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 400°F.
- Drain and rinse chickpeas. Line a baking sheet with a clean dish towel or a thick layer of paper towels. Transfer chickpeas to the sheet pan and distribute evenly.
- Pat the chickpeas with the towels until they are dry to the touch. Air dry for a few minutes if possible. The more moisture removed, the crispier the peas will be.
- Remove any excess skin that comes off. You can use your fingers to remove all of the skin or leave them on.
- Spread the dried chickpeas onto a sheet pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt. Stir with your hands or spoon to evenly coat.
- Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes to distribute. The chickpeas are done when golden brown in color and crunchy on the outside. Taste the chickpeas every 10 minutes so you can gauge for crispiness. The centers may be slightly soft in the middle.
- You can further dry the chickpeas, so they are completely crisp by turning off the oven and letting the pan sit in the warmed oven for another 30 to 40 minutes. The slow drying will make the chickpeas really crunchy! I like to taste every 10 minutes during this process to see when the crunch is just right.
- Sprinkle the desired spices over the warm roasted chickpeas and stir to coat. Eat right away or enjoy as a snack or on top of a salad.
Equipment
Notes
- Customize your own flavor! Add spices and herbs after roasting when the roasted chickpeas are still warm.
- If roasted until completely crisp, chickpeas will last 1 month stored in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
mirchitadka says
lovely blog….well explained and very good recipe……will must try
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you so much!
Ashley Park says
Can you make this recipe with dried chickpeas soaked for 24 hours?
Jessica Gavin says
I would use fully cooked chickpeas for the recipe.
Filipe says
Any suggestions to make them pop less and be less messy? They turned out great but I needed to pick some from the bottom of my oven at the end hahaha
Patti says
I’m so bummed. I just made these and they weren’t in the oven 30 minutes and the majority of them are burnt. I’m going to try again but at a lower temperature. When I opened up the oven to shake them at 20 minutes, they seemed fine. Oh well.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Patti- Thanks for trying the recipe! Just to check, have you calibrated your oven lately or checked to see it wasn’t running hot? Next time I would suggest stopping cooking at 20 minutes if that’s when you see the chickpeas are golden in color and crunchy on the outside. Turn off the oven and let the tray further dry in the warmed oven until they are fully crisp. Keep checking every 10 minutes or so. Let me know if that works better for you!
Betty Bennett says
It’s just me at home. How long can I keep these? Do I need to worry about them getting rancid?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Betty- Great questions! You can keep them in an airtight container for at least a month. If you dry the chickpeas enough so that they are very crispy, that means that you removed enough water to reduce the amount available for spoilage microorganisms to interact and grow. Once the chickpeas don’t take crispy anymore, I would discard them. I’ve always eaten them pretty quickly as a snack or salad topper, so they don’t last long 🙂
Drew says
Hi Jessica,
I’ve been looking for an easy-to-make snack that’s high in protein and I think this will fit the bill. Looking forward to trying this with sprouted chickpeas once I have a little more confidence in the base recipe.
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks amazing Drew! Definitely lots of fun ways you can switch up the flavors. Let me know how the sprouted chickpeas turn out, very curious!
Samantha Anderson says
Hi, first time visiting this site. Really helpful and informative recipes, best I’ve seen thus far well done!
Just wondered can you do this in a halogen oven?
What would be your best tips for doing so if possible?
Jessica Gavin says
Welcome Samantha! Thank you so much 🙂 I do not own a halogen oven, however from my research it seems to be a very efficient cooking unit! With that said, since there is a halogen lamp and circulating fan, it may cook the chickpeas very quickly. Recommendations that I have read suggests to make sure you do the following: 1) Use a metal pan that fits in the unit, so you may or may not have to use less chickpeas depending on the size of your unit, 2) Adjust the temperature down by 50-100 degrees F for non halogen recipes, so try 300F vs 400F to start, 3) For time, I would check every 15 minutes to ensure that the chickpeas do not burn, 4) I leave the chickpeas in the warmed oven (turned off) to complete the drying process, checking every 10 minutes until super crunchy, perhaps this can be done in the halogen oven as well?
This will definitely take some experimentation and I would love to hear how it goes for you!
dario says
what is the secret to get them crunchy mine came out like jaw breakers to hard to chew
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Dario- I usually roast them at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, and then turn off the heat but leave them in there until extra crunchy, about another 30 minutes. Did you happen to taste them in between steps? Aldo just to check, you are using canned chickpeas and not the dried correct?
Sue K says
Mine are in the oven in the final drying out stage. Just to say, I detest garbanzo beans but love hummus. I love to cook & try different things so when I saw a recipe for these, I thought why not? BTW it was not your recipe. I started looking around to see what seasonings people liked to put together & found your recipe. What you had to say about turning the oven off etc. etc. made total sense so I stuck with yours. When I tasted the first ones when I turned the oven off, I thought no I do not like them. Then another 10 minutes passed & I tasted them again. These are pretty good even without seasoning. They will be going along with freshly made rosemary bread with dipping oils & a Southern Banana Pudding to Easter dinner at a friends home. At least 5 of us are definitely foodies although not food snobs. I am sure they will love trying them..
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your feedback Sue! I hope the chickpeas were a hit with your lovely Easter menu 🙂
Kate says
I made these with coconut oil instead of olive oil and curry powder to give it that Masaman curry flair. They turned out so great!
Maylin says
This is awesome! I’m wondering though what the taste will be if I add sugar to make sweet roasted chickpeas. Do you think that’ll be a good idea? How would they taste in homemade granolabars?
Ruth says
I am sooooo going to try this … a work colleague came in with some roasted (but coated) chickpeas today … they were gorgeous but so high in calories due to the coating … this will be a task for this weekend … your recipe may well enlighten Hull (England) if all goes well 🙂
Jessica Gavin says
I can’t wait to hear what you think Ruth! It’s definitely fun to experiment with different flavors that are healthier 🙂