Easy Roasted Chickpeas

Quick and easy oven roasted chickpeas make a delicious snack to serve with drinks or as an indulgence while watching TV. Ditch the crisps or chips and learn how to roast chickpeas for a flavour-packed, guilt-free snack with this amazingly easy recipe.

Oven roasted chickpeas

These crispy chickpeas are so easy to make at home and will become your new favourite salted snack. Whether you want something different to serve at a party or a snack to munch on in front of your favourite movie, these little balls of flavour are the answer.

Crispy, crunchy and delicious, oven roasted chickpeas would be dangerously moreish if they weren’t full of the good stuff. Happily, they are packed with protein and low in fat and carbohydrates, so you don’t need to feel guilty about grazing.

This roasted chickpea snack recipe really couldn’t be any easier, so just follow my step-by-step instructions and say hello to your new favourite nibble.

Why make roast chickpeas?

• They’re delicious and different
• They’re incredibly easy
• Home roasted chickpeas are so much better for you than commercial snacks.

Roasted chickpeas – ingredients

• Chickpeas – I usually use canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• Olive oil – good quality extra virgin for flavour

• Spices – my favourite is a smoked paprika, but choose your favourite. Scroll down for more ideas

• Sea salt – for flavour and some extra crunch.

How to make roasted chickpeas – recipe step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can to make this recipe perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step One – First, heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas Mark 4. Then rinse and drain the chickpeas.

For the best crispy roasted chickpeas, they need to be as dry as possible.

Water gets trapped between the skin and the chickpea, so it is best to remove at least some of the skins.

Drop the drained chickpeas into a large bowl of water, and rub between your hands. Give the water a swirl and the skins will float to the surface. Skim them off and then repeat the process twice.

Drain the chickpeas again and give the strainer a shake. Then dry by gently rubbing in a tea towel. Pick out any loose skins and discard.

Step Two – Tip the dried chickpeas out onto a baking tray that is large enough to hold them in a single layer. Use more than one tray if you need to. Add the olive oil and spices. Then give it all a good shake to coat the chickpeas well.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip

There is no need to use a bowl to mix the spices in. You save on an oily bowl to wash up by doing it in the baking tray.

Step Three – Pop the chickpeas in the oven to cook for 20–30 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, take them out and give them a good shake to make sure they cook evenly.

Step Four – The chickpeas are done when they are golden and crispy on the outside but still slightly soft in the middle. Some may have popped, but that is fine.

Remove from the oven, add any garlic powder or dried herbs and give them a good mix. Then tip out onto a sheet of kitchen paper to cool and absorb any excess oil.

Serving suggestion

These crispy roasted chickpeas are delicious served warm as a snack with drinks. Alternatively, you can use them in place of croutons on homemade soups and salads, and as a final flourish on mezze dishes such as hummus.

Tips for the best oven roasted chickpeas

For this recipe, you want the chickpeas to be as dry as possible before you roast them, so that they crisp up quickly. I strongly recommend removing the skins as described above and patting them dry before you start. It makes a huge difference.

Not all chickpeas are the same. You want big fat soft ones for this roasted chickpea recipe. Experiment to find your favourite brand. I keep two types in my pantry: harder smaller ones to cook with, and softer ones for salads and hummus.

Don’t stint on the olive oil. It will help them crisp up and add a delicious flavour, but don’t drown them either. They’ll still be less oily than crisps.

Roasting for a shorter time in a hotter oven is better than longer at a lower temperature. This was a revelation for me, as I used to cook them low and slow. My chickpeas were crisp, but could also be bullet hard.

Spices can be added at the outset and you can vary them as you choose. However, if you want to add dried herbs, or powdered garlic, you should add them at the end of roasting, not the start. They burn easily and garlic tastes especially horrid when burnt.

Variations

There are so many flavour variations, that once you know how to roast chickpeas with this recipe, you are only limited by your imagination, or contents of your spice cupboard.

• Garlic powder and thyme or other herbs. Add these ten minutes from the end of cooking rather than at the start, to prevent burning.

• Chilli powder – as hot as you like.

• Fajita spice blend – for a Mexican meal.

• Basic mild curry powder – add about ten minutes from the end of cooking and give the pan a good shake to coat the chickpeas. This is especially good when served before curry night with a beer!

• Harissa, or other Middle Eastern spice blends. Some, like ras el hanout, dukkah or za’atar contain herbs and seeds that can easily burn, so add these towards the end of cooking or toss them in at the end.

• Try berberé, an Africa spice blend, for an unusual twist to your roasted chickpea snack. 

Storage

These roasted chickpeas really are best served fresh and warm from the oven. They are so moreish that you are unlikely to have many left, but they will keep for a few days in a jar, once they are cool.

Store at room temperature. Don’t put them in the fridge.

FAQS

More easy snack recipes

• Homemade Tortilla Chips – made from wraps, oven baked for a healthier snack, and ideal for dipping.

• Melba toast – homemade is so much better – the ultimate one ingredient recipe.

• Baked Camembert – this recipe makes the best baked Camembert, so get ready to dive into some delicious melted cheese.

More recipes using chickpeas

• Vegetable Paella – lightly spiced and packed with vegetables and Spanish flavours.

• Easy Chickpea Curry – this easy vegetarian curry can be on the table in less than 25 minutes and is perfect for batch cooking.

• Leftover Turkey Tagine – Warming spices and ready in about 35 minutes. Perfect for leftover turkey.

• More easy chickpea recipes.

Update notes – originally published May 2007, updated with new method, images and hints and tips October 2021.