Oven-Roasted Chickpeas

Ok, I promise this is the last “roasted” anything post for a little while, but these roasted chickpeas did not disappoint and I have to share how good they were!

I like chickpeas in salads and I’ve tried the dried snack versions you can buy at the grocery store, but I wanted to roast them at home where I could control the flavors and ingredients.

I started out with 2 cans of cooked chickpeas. I drained and rinsed the chickpeas before laying them out on a paper-towel covered sheet pan to dry. I used another towel to gently pat them dry. The dryer they are, the easier they will crisp in the oven.

Then in a metal mixing bowl, I combined 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, black pepper, sea salt, and smoked paprika–noticing a theme yet with my seasonings of choice? I mixed all of spices and olive oil together before adding in the chickpeas. Then I tossed them gently until they were all coated.

The chickpeas then went on a parchment-lined baking sheet and into a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven. I roasted these close to an hour giving the pan a shake every 15-20 minutes. I taste tested a few along the way and the flavor was great, but they weren’t crisp the whole way through like I wanted.

After about an hour, I took them out of the oven and the outsides were crispy while the insides seemed “dried out”, but still a little chewy.

I read online that leaving them in the oven (after it’s been turned off and with the door closed) overnight would help crisp them that final stretch.

I decided to give it a try, but in the morning, they were about the same.

So–here’s what I did. I heated up a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. I added the chickpeas to the pan and re-seasoned with garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. I tossed the chickpeas around for 10-15 minutes until they were heated through and they smelled amazing. Then I turned off the stove and let them cool a bit. I tried one, and it was crisp the whole way through!

From now on, I think I’ll oven roast the chickpeas and then finish them off on the frying pan. A great snack, these chickpeas can be stored in an airtight container for a few days and you can refrigerate them, although they may lose some of their crispiness that way.

I knew mine wouldn’t last too long so I left them in a container on the counter and packed them in my lunch for work!