Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are so very delicious and full of goodness too!
Instead of reaching for packet of chips or eating all the home baking ‘because it’s there’ this lockdown, I’m trying to get creative. Did you know chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans? They are packed with magnesium, B6 and B9 (folic acid).
I bought a big bag of dried chickpeas before lockdown, in case of emergency…and a snack emergency it is!
Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are delicious snacks on their own and taste delicious sprinkled on salads.
Preparing Dried Chickpeas
When working with dried chickpeas you’ll need to soak them first before cooking. With no particular measurements in mind, cover dried chickpeas with a generous amount of water in a bowl, cover and leave to soak for 8 hours or overnight. Given that dried chickpeas will treble in size once fully rehydrated, be sure to allow for expansion and enough water to be absorbed.
Once they’ve soaked, drain and dry them thoroughly. I use a sieve to remove most of the residual water, then lay the rehydrated chickpeas on a clean tea towel and dab the top of them with another. As the chickpeas dry, pick off the skins that may come away and discard. Chickpeas will need to be dried (ie: surface water removed) first otherwise they won’t crisp up in the oven.
You don’t need to pre-cook the chickpeas before roasting them but they do need to be rehydrated.
Roasting Chickpeas
The roasting process is very simple. I like to work with them in 10 minute blocks. Prepared chickpeas are laid out in a single layer on baking paper and baked ‘naked’ to help remove as much moisture as possible (this helps them to get crispy and crunchy); coated with olive oil and salt then baked again; sprinkled with extra seasoning and tossed then baked again to help the spices infuse.
You can use drained chickpeas in a can too if you don’t have dried chickpeas in your pantry. Be sure to wash them to remove the brine, then pat dry before roasting.
Extra Flavourings
There are so many delicious flavourings that are perfect to give this crunchy snack extra punch. You can stick with one flavour (such as Lemon Pepper or Garam Masala) or combine several flavours (such as Onion or Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, ground Cumin, Ginger, Chilli and Coriander). You can even add citrus zest for a bit of zing. Play with your favourite flavours!
I’ve even been inspired to try Sugar and Cinnamon which was a nice subtly-sweet variation with the nutty chickpea flavour still prominent.
Storing Roasted Chickpeas
I would recommend you make 2 cups at a time of your favourite flavour. Two cups fit nicely in a single layer on the oven tray then baking and can easily be eaten in a couple of days (depending on how popular they are in the household)! Best eaten freshly roasted (as they can start to get chewy after a few days), once cooled keep them in an air tight container but not in the fridge.
Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of rehydrated chickpeas
- 1 Tbsp of olive oil
- salt
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C and prepare an oven tray lined with baking paper.
- Spread a single layer of thoroughly dried rehydrated chickpeas on the baking paper (see preparation notes) and bake for 10 minutes to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Remove from oven then drizzle over olive oil and generously season with salt. Stir or ‘massage’ the chickpeas with the oil and seasoning to ensure the chickpeas a fully coated. Return to oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and toss to ensure the oil is redistributed and nothing is burning! Sprinkle your choice of extra, combine well, then return baking tray to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes or until crunchy.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool on the tray then enjoy!
