Oven-Roasted Chick Peas

Name: Oven-Roasted Chick Peas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 30 ounces canned chick peas ((garbanzo beans)); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning (or other spice blend of your choice)

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Inside: Learn the secret trick to irresistibly crunchy roasted chickpeas that stay crispy for days, why you shouldn’t skip it, and the variety of seasonings for them.

When you’re craving a perfectly crispy snack packed with flavor and surprisingly healthy, these oven-roasted chickpeas will become your new go-to fave. With just three simple ingredients, they’re the perfect addition to salads, charcuterie boards, or as a deliciously crunchy cocktail nibble—you can’t stop eating them.

Crispy oven-roasted chickpeas are a delicious snacking alternative to chips and crackers and they go great with a glass of wine, beer or cocktails. My husband calls them “bar snacks,” and he can devour a whole bowl in one sitting.

We season the garbanzo beans with a touch of vegetable oil and a zippy Creole spice blend. Roasting them in a very hot oven gives them a crispy outside, but the real secret to getting crunchy chickpeas with an audible crackle lies in the skins.

Removing the thin skins from the beans allows them to get much crunchier than if you leave the skins on. I made them both ways and the difference was clear.

The batch with the skins was chewier and had slight (if any) crackle, while the naked beans had a crispy texture—so crunchy that I could audibly detect when my husband sneaked a handful to munch.

The method takes a little longer, but the difference is obvious–and worth it if your goal is crispy chickpeas.

Why this recipe works:

Incredibly Crispy: Most homemade roasted garbanzo bean recipes come out more chewy than crispy, but this recipe gives you an audible crunch.
Simple Ingredients: All you need are chickpeas, olive oil, and seasoning—nothing complicated.
Versatile Snack or Topping: Enjoy them as a healthy snack, toss them on salads for extra texture, or sprinkle over soups for a satisfying crunch.
Protein-Packed: Chickpeas are rich in protein, fiber, and essential nutrients for a guilt-free bite.
Naturally Vegan: All the ingredients are plant based.
Economical–For about $3, you can make a batch of crispy roasted chickpeas for an easy, on-the-gp snack.

Ingredients:

Canned Chickpeas–a.k.a. garbanzo beans or ceci. This nutty, creamy legume is economical–depending on your grocer, a can costs .75 to $1.09. I got these on BOGO.
Vegetable Oil–or other neutral oil, such as canola, grapeseed or avocado oil.
Seasoning Blend–I use my Creole Seasoning mix, but you can use your favorite spice blend. If your spice blend is sodium-free, you may need to add ½ teaspoon of iodized salt.

Step-by-step instructions:

Transfer the beans to a mesh strainer and rinse well with cool water. Shake the strainer to remove excess liquid.

2. Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and use another paper towel or clean dish towel to dry the liquid from the beans.

3. Slip the skins off of each of the chick peas. I know it sounds like a tedious job, but the skins slip off easily by slightly pressing on the rounded end of the bean. The pointed end will break the skin and shrug it off.

4. The beans in the image (top left) are those with the skins still attached, the discarded garbanzo bean skins in the center, and the “naked” beans in the top right.

It took about 10 minutes to remove all the skins from the beans, so it was not too bad and well worth it for the crispy results.

5. Remove and discard the skins; the reason for removing them is that a faint amount of excess moisture lies between the skin and the garbanzo bean. It’s not much, but it is enough to impact how crunchy (or not) your oven-roasted chickpeas will get. So, if crunch is essential, don’t skip this step.

6. Transfer the chickpeas to a medium mixing bowl, drizzle them with oil and toss them with a silicone spatula until they’re well coated, then sprinkle on the seasoning blend and toss very well so the beans are evenly covered with the spices.

7. Heat a half sheet pan in a preheated 400° oven for 4-5 minutes. Place chickpeas on the hot pan and spread them into an even layer. Roast for 15 minutes, then use a spatula to readjust them on the baking sheet and continue to bake for 15 minutes more.

Let the roasted chickpeas cool on the pan to room temperature.

Pro-Tips:

I know a lot of people will think I’m looney toons for individually peeling the chickpeas, but having conducted a test with three separate batches, one peeled, one not and one batch divided to store sealed in an airtight container, another in a glass jar with a lid and a third left in a wide-shallow bowl at room temperature, I can honestly say that the method you follow will directly impact the crunchiness. Therefore:

Take the time to peel the chickpeas. It makes all the difference.
Preheat the baking sheet in the hot oven before adding the chickpeas to give them an instant sizzle and start the crisping.
Taste your seasoning blend before adding it to the beans. If it has salt included, you won’t need to add more, but if it’s a sodium-free blend, add ½ teaspoon.
To make cleanup easier, line the sheet pan with parchment paper before roasting chickpeas.

Swaps and Variations:

You can use just about any spice blend that you like in this roasted chickpeas recipe. Try it with BBQ rub, or Kansas City rib rub
Make your own smoky-spicy mix by blending ½ teaspoon each of salt, cumin, onion powder and smoked paprika. Add ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper and ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne. Use two teaspoons of the spice blend to season the garbanzo beans.
Other savory spices to try are chipotle powder, chili powder or sweet or spicy curry powder. A smidge of cayenne pepper (about ⅛ teaspoon) will add a spicy kick.
For an herb seasoning, use 1 teaspoon of sea salt, ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and ½ teaspoon each of freshly chopped thyme, rosemary and oregano plus ½ teaspoon of crushed fennel seed.
This recipe scales easily: For each 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans, use one tablespoon of neutral oil and one teaspoon of spice blend. You can use this to make a small or a bigger batch for a crowd.

comparing skinned and skin-on garbanzo beans. — The roasted garbanzo beans with the skin (above left) are chewy, the ones are the right are crunchy to the point that other people will hear you chewing them.

FAQs

Why are my roasted chickpeas not crunchy?

If you haven’t removed the skins, they simply won’t be crunchy. If you have removed the skins and they’re still not crunchy, toast them a bit longer in the oven (maybe 5 minutes) and let them cool to room temperature.

How to stop oven-roasted chickpeas from going soft?

Moisture is the enemy, so storing the roasted garbanzo beans at room temperature without sealing them in a jar or other airtight container is the key. Just laying a piece of paper towel over the top of the shallow wide bowl (to keep away any foreign particles) does wonders for keeping them crunchy.

Storage:

This might seem counterintuitive, but don’t store the oven-roasted chickpeas in a jar, resealable plastic baggies or plastic containers. It can promote moisture and make them less crisp.
Instead, store them at room temperature in a wide shallow bowl and lay a paper towel over the top. The air circulation will help them stay crunchy for several days (unless you live in a very humid environment).
Do not refrigerate.

Reheating:

If your chickpeas lose some crispness after a few days, you can reheat them on a sheet pan at 375° for 5-8 minutes, then let them cool again to room temperature.

Freezing:

Oven-Roasted chickpeas don’t freeze well because they won’t maintain their crisp texture.

More healthy snacks you’ll love:

Crispy roasted chickpeas in a white bowl.

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