Crispy Roasted Chickpeas (Oven and Air Fryer Recipe)

Roasted chickpeas are a tasty last-minute snack that can be made in about half an hour with only 3 simple ingredients: canned garbanzo beans, extra virgin olive oil and your favorite spice blend.

Roasted chickpeas have always been one of my daughters’ favorite snacks. I love that they ask me to make such nutritious snacks, and that they’re so quick and easy to make.

This easy recipe calls for taco seasoning, but a great thing about roasting chickpeas is that they can be seasoned so many ways! You can use your favorite spice mix or check below the recipe for more ideas.

Best of all, you can roast garbanzo beans in an oven or air fryer for a quick snack the whole family will love. Before you reach for a bag of potato chips at the grocery store, try making this savory snack next time.

Ingredients

• 2 cans of garbanzo beans
• 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning (get my taco seasoning recipe)

Equipment

• Can opener
• Strainer
• Measuring spoons
• Medium mixing bowl
• Mixing spoon
• Large rimmed baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Spatula
• Serving bowl

By the Numbers: How to Roast Chickpeas

Follow these simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make the best roasted chickpeas.

Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare ingredients

The first thing you want to do is preheat your oven or air fryer to 425°F (or the highest temperature your air fryer goes to) because this recipe comes together really quickly.

While the oven is pre-heating, it’s time to get started by gathering your ingredients for Roasted Chickpeas:

• 2 cans of garbanzo beans
• 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning (or seasoning of your choice; see below for more ideas)
• 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

Step 2: Rinse Your Garbanzo Beans

Once you have your ingredients together, open up both cans of your garbanzo beans and dump them into a fine mesh strainer or other colander.

Rinse the chickpeas really well under running water until there is no more foam forming. Foamy beans don’t taste great. When they stop foaming, drain really well… you don’t want them wet.

Pat the garbanzo beans with a paper or kitchen towel to remove any excess moisture after pouring the beans into a large mixing bowl to get them nice and dry (this helps keep them crispy).

Step 3: Coat the Garbanzo Beans in Olive Oil

Measure out your 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and gently pour it over the chickpeas in your mixing bowl. Gently stir until the beans are evenly coated with the oil.

Lightly coating your chickpeas in olive oil before roasting will help crisp them up. I don’t recommend omitting the oil.

Step 4: Season the Chickpeas

Next, measure out your 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and spoon it evenly over the chickpeas. Gently mix until all of the beans have a nice even coat of spices on them and there are no spice clumps.

Step 5: Spread Seasoned Chickpeas onto Prepared Pan

Take a sheet pan and line it with parchment paper. I like to cut a sheet that fits perfectly into my pans.

I don’t like to use a silicone mat when making this recipe because I find that they don’t allow the garbanzo beans to crisp up as much as I’d like.

Next, dump the seasoned chickpeas out onto the pan. Make sure they’re spread out into a single layer so they cook evenly and there’s enough room for airflow around them.

If you want to use your air fryer instead of the oven, you can just go ahead and pour the chickpeas right into the air fryer basket. Some air fryers cook more quickly than others, so keep an eye on the time.

Step 6: Roast Your Chickpeas

Roast the chickpeas for 15 minutes, then open your oven or air fryer. Flip and stir the beans with a spatula, making sure when you’re done that they’ve been mixed, but they’re still spread out in a single layer so they get nice and crisp when you put the pan back in the oven.

After you’ve stirred them well, place the chickpeas back in the oven or air fryer to roast for about 15 more minutes.

Check them regularly towards the end as some ovens cook faster (or slower) than others.

After 15 minutes, taste and see if they’re to your desired crispiness. If not, put them back in to roast for a bit longer.

If they’re crunchier than you’d like, make a note so next time you can cook them for a bit less time.

Step 7: Serve & Enjoy Your Roasted Chickpeas

Once you’re happy with the texture, you can gently pour the Roasted Chickpeas into a serving bowl for a delicious and easy snack the whole family will love.

Tips for Roasting Chickpeas

Answers to all of your questions about making roasted chickpeas, including tips and substitution ideas.

What do roasted garbanzo beans taste like?

While I’ve had people tell me that they look kind of like corn nuts, they have a different texture than you might be expecting.

There isn’t too much moisture left at the end of baking when you dry roast beans. That’s why they have a crispy texture on the outside but are still slightly soft on the inside.

They make the perfect snack when you want finger foods. My kids love eating them on any given day and I’ve found they can also make a great game-day snack.

Other seasoning options

Besides my homemade taco seasoning, here are some of our other favorites:

1. Curry powder for an Indian flavor.
2. Cajun seasoning for a spicy snack.
3. Jamaican jerk seasoning for a flavorful twist.
4. Lemon juice with fresh herbs sprinkled on at the end.

You can use pretty much any homemade seasoning or spice mix the same way, depending upon your family’s tastes.

Sweet version

If you’re looking for a sweet chickpea snack, try adding a little bit of honey during the last 5 minutes of baking.

You can also mix up cinnamon and sugar to use as your spice mix for a sweet treat like in this recipe over at Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Substitute dried chickpeas

If you want to use dried chickpeas, you’ll have to cook them first. I like to pressure cook mine in the Instant Pot for 40 minutes on High Pressure (see more tips about making beans in the Instant Pot).

After they’re fully cooked, you simply drain them and follow the directions above for using canned beans after that.

How to eat crispy chickpeas

We typically eat this delicious snack all on its own out of a bowl immediately after they come out of the oven. We truly never have leftovers because they get gobbled up so quickly.

They’re also great as a salad topper in place of croutons for those of us who are gluten free (and anyone else too).

Storage tips

It’s really difficult to keep roasted chickpeas crispy past the first day. We typically only make as much as we plan to eat in one day.

If you want to store them, I recommend storing them at room temperature on the counter in a container covered with a tea towel or paper towel (just to keep bugs out) for no longer than 2-3 days.

When you put them in an airtight container, they tend to lose their crisp very quickly. When you put them in the fridge, the same thing happens.

Ways to make them even crunchier

One final thing you can try to make them super crunchy is to remove all of the thin skins from the beans while you’re rinsing them in the sink. It’s an extra step, but it helps to make them a bit crunchier when you remove this protective layer first.

Air fryer option

You can make this recipe in your air fryer as well as the oven. Just keep in mind that many air fryers only go up to 400° F, which is totally fine for this recipe. I find air fryers tend to cook a bit faster than ovens anyhow, but you may need to add some cook time to get them crispy.

More snack recommendations.

If you want more tasty snack ideas, try some of these recipes:

• Gluten Free Chex Mix
• Instant Pot Hummus
• Zucchini Chips

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