The most addictive spicy crunchy roasted chickpeas recipe – almost too good to be healthy

These spicy crunchy roasted chickpeas will become your favourite snack. They sure are mine!

Chickpeas are so underrated. They’re rich in protein, fiber, and even count as one of your 5-a-day. They’re also called garbanzo beans, which means they’re a type of legume. They’re vegan by default, but vegans and non-vegans alike will love them!

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They’re so versatile too that they can be enjoyed by themselves as a protein source in curries and stir-fries and be modified in endless ways to create delicious foods such as: falafel, hummus, veggie burgers, and more. The water, which is called aquafaba, in the can be used to make a vegan mousse. Aquafaba is easily made by whisking the water left in the can and is a popular vegan replacement for egg whites.

My favourite way to enjoy chickpeas is as a spicy snack. Some even use slightly blended chickpeas to make a vegan alternative to tuna! Personally, I’ve yet to make a chickpea “tuna” sandwich I love, but when that day comes, I’ll be sharing it with you!

Spicy crunchy roasted chickpeas are such an addictive snack, and they make a welcome change from popcorn. They’re also a lot healthier than other options like microwave popcorn or chips and dip. That said, sometimes you just want chips & dip, and that’s fine too.

Chickpeas are also a source of folate (vitamin B9), iron, phosphorus, copper, and manganese.

The spices in this recipe are also loaded with nutritional goodness. Did you know the myth that vampires hate garlic comes from the fact that it purifies your blood? Tumeric is a big superfood at the moment because of it’s anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant properties! Spice up your pantry here! Sometimes I sprinkle a little saffron on these, but it’s not a requirment. Saffron is expensive but worth it. I prefer to add saffron to rice dishes or blend it with my favourite herbal tea.

This recipe is all you need to make the best savoury chickpeas ever!

What You Need:

• 1 15oz can of chickpeas
• 1 tsp of chilli powder
• ½ tsp of cumin
• ½ tsp of paprika
• ½ tsp of garlic powder
• ½ tsp of turmeric
• ½ tsp of salt
• ¼ tsp of cajun seasoning
• ¼ tsp of black pepper
• ½ – 1 tbs of olive oil

Spice ratios can be modified for your own taste, put in extra chilli for super spicy chickpeas or less if you’re looking for something mild yet savoury. If you don’t have any of these spices, they still come out great.

Prep time: -5 min. Cook time: 30-35 min Wait time: 10 min

Total: 50 min max.

Method

• Preheat oven to 200°C (392°F)
• Cover baking pan with olive oil, or any oil of choice. Alternatively, use baking paper.
• Rinse chickpeas in cold water, and dry
• Bake chickpeas for 15min
• Mix the spices in a small bowl and add the oil
• Remove chickpeas and the spice & olive oil mix
• Bake for another 10 minutes
• Take out chickpeas and stir
• Put back in oven for another 5-10 minutes
• Let chickpeas cool in the oven when it’s turned off (this helps them harden and get crispy)

These can be inconvenient to make because they need to be taken in and out of the oven a few times, you also can’t eat them straight away because they need time to cool. Cooling in the oven is a very important step because they won’t come out crunchy otherwise.

Sometimes I double the oil and spice ratio and add in a second can of chickpeas just so I feel like I got the value out of the time that goes in.

Believe me, when I say these are addictive, I easily finish off half a can by myself in one sitting. Which is another good reason, to make a big batch of these because they’ll be gone almost immediately!

Nutritional Breakdown

These taste like they should be bad for you, but somehow they’re not. Even if they were “unhealthy”, there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself every now and then! This snack is low in calories, saturated fat, and has trace amounts of sugar! Meanwhile, it’s a delicious way to get some more fibre and protein into your day.

	Per 15oz/425G	PER 50G SERVING	PER 100G
Energy	1652.68k / 395cal	194.4J / 46cal	388.8J/92cal
Fat	18.9g	2.2g	4.4g
Saturates	2.7g	0.3g	0.6g
Carbohydrate	32.6g	3.97g	7.94g
Sugars	0.8g	0.09g	0.18g
Fibre	16.6g	1.9g	3.8g
Protein	16.2g	1.9g	3.8g
Salt	2.7g	0.3g	0.6g

Enjoy these by themselves, or use them to add some crunch and flavour to a salad or buddha bowl.

Have you ever tried spicy crunchy roasted chickpeas? I see some many different flavours of crunchy chickpeas, from sweet cinnamon, sweet chilli, and BBQ. This combo is by far my favourite, and I much prefer how home-cooked chickpeas come out to the ready-made crunchy chickpea snacks in stores. What’s your favourite way to enjoy chickpeas?