Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

 

If you like crunchy snacks, you will love my crunchy roasted chickpeas. This is a simple four-ingredient recipe. To make the chickpeas crunchy, it is important to pat them dry as much as possible, and to remove the outer layer of chickpea skins before roasting them in the oven. By removing the skin, the extra moisture from inside the chickpeas can easily be dried out when roasting them in the oven. The thought of removing chickpea skins maybe daunting; however, it is simple and easy. To remove the skin, the first step is to toss the chickpeas in a colander after rinsing them with cold water. You will notice some skins will start to come off. After that, line a baking sheet with paper towels and place the washed chickpeas on top of the paper towels. Place another layer of paper towel on top of the chickpeas and gently roll the chickpeas back and forth. The rolling motion will allow more skins to come off the chickpeas. You can also pick up a chickpea and rub it in between your thumb and index finger to take off the skin. Either way, the skins will come off easily and quickly. Discard the skins. Do this while you are waiting for the oven to preheat.

To make my chickpeas crunchy, first, roast them plain in the oven for 20 minutes, then take them out and coat with seasonings. I use oil, mixed seasoning powders and salt. You can customize your own flavors such as garlic or onion powder or dried spices. After you season the chickpeas, place them back onto the baking sheet and bake for another 12 minutes. If you bake them 8-10 minutes, the chickpeas will be crispy outside and chewy inside. If you want a crispy and crunchy texture throughout the chickpeas, baking them for 12 minutes is a must. Let them cool completely before eating. Did you know they make great croutons as well?! This is a definitely a healthy, crunchy and high protein snack for the whole family.

 

Prep Time: 10 minutess // Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total: 45 minutes // Serving: 1 1/2 cups

 
 

Ingredients:

  • 1 can chickpeas (15.5 oz), drained

  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon seasoning blend (Trader Joe 21 Seasoning Salute)

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

  2. Rinse canned chickpeas under cold water in a colander

  3. Line a baking sheet with a clean cloth or paper towels and place the rinsed chickpeas on top of the cloth or paper towels

  4. Place another cloth or paper towels on top of the chickpeas

  5. Roll the chickpeas back and forth gently between the paper towels. This will allow the outer skins to come off the chickpeas

  6. Discard chickpea skins

  7. Spread the pat dried chickpeas on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 425 degrees

  8. Take out the chickpeas from the oven after 20 minutes and place in a bowl

  9. Add oil, seasonings and salt to roasted chickpeas and mix well

  10. Place the chickpeas back to the baking sheet and bake for another 12 minutes at 425 degrees

  11. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before serving

  12. Serve them as snacks or croutons

Variations:

  • For savory flavor: Add different dried herbs or spices such as dried basil, chili powder, or red pepper flakes

  • For sweet flavors; replace the seasoning blend with sugar and ground cinnamon