Spicy Chickpeas

In this post, I will show you an easy recipe for spicy chickpeas. Are you a fan of spicy, salty, crunchy snacks? I sure am! I love these types of flavors and textures especially when snacking. But since November of 2021, I have been making a concerted effort to eat healthier food, especially with respect to snacks. So I discovered a recipe for roasted spicy chickpeas that is so delicious that you will want to make it TODAY!

If you look online, you will literally see hundreds of recipes for crunchy roasted chickpeas. The seasoning for roasted chickpeas recipes can vary greatly, depending on your taste preferences. This recipe is so delicious because it is a bit spicy, pretty salty, and very crunchy. Check out my yummy spicy chickpea recipe:

In this post...

Recipe for Spicy Chickpeas

Above is a bowl of yummy crispy roasted chickpeas. The color varies from a golden brown to a medium, brown. Every bite is a bit spicy, salty, and crunchy. So delicious!

Ingredients for the Spicy Chickpeas:

Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans. The version I prefer is the boxed ones from Whole Foods because they only contain garbanzo beans. Unfortunately, many other brands contain artificial coloring and additives which aren’t good for your health or metabolism.

Here are two boxes of Organic Garbanzo beans.

So you’ll need:

Two boxes or cans of garbanzo beans
4 Tablespoons of olive oil (Olive oil is a healthy fat to eat as opposed to vegetable oils)
2 teaspoons of Ground Cumin
4 teaspoons of Chili Powder
2 teaspoons of Cayenne Pepper
2 teaspoons of fine Sea Salt

Here are all the ingredients to make spicy chickpeas.

Steps to Make the Spicy Chickpeas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 1: Drain the chickpeas very thoroughly in a strainer.

Here are the raw chickpeas draining in a strainer.

Step 2: Dry the strained chickpeas very thoroughly with several paper towels.

Here are the chickpeas wrapped in a paper towel to get very dry before being roasted.

Here are the raw chickpeas before going in the oven. Their papery jackets are starting to fall off. — (The chickpeas will look like this with some of their papery jackets falling off from the drying process. **Don’t throw these out** as they will make a quick tasty morsel once the pan comes out of the oven.)

Step 3: In a small bowl with a little whisk or small spoon, mix together the olive oil, and all the spices listed above.

It will look like a brown paste. Now carefully drizzle this spice and olive oil paste all over the carefully dried chickpeas. Take a few moments to fully cover all the chickpeas with this seasoning mixture. DO NOT DO THIS WITH BARE HANDS!!! Either use disposable gloves, or a spoon as this spice mixture will REALLY IRRITATE YOUR EYES even many hours later if you are removing your contacts. Be sure to spread the chickpeas into a single layer so they will roast evenly, and not just steam.

Here are the chickpeas after they've been topped with the olive oil and seasoning mix. They are a nice golden brown to medium brown in color.

Step 4: Pop the baking tray of spicy chickpeas into the oven on the middle rack to roast for 40-60 minutes.

When you put the tray in the oven I set the oven’s timer for 40 minutes. But then, I also set my phone timer for 10 minutes. Then every 10 minutes, I stir the pan and mix up the beans so as to avoid the seasoning from burning and to help the beans to brown evenly. I also start tasting the chickpeas at 40 minutes for crunchiness. I like them really crunchy, so it usually takes closer to 60 minutes to get the delicious snack seen below.

These would also be so good in a chickpea buffalo wrap!

Here is a dish of spicy chickpeas in a clear bowl.

Step 5: Enjoy!!!

I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe for spicy chickpeas. It is a healthy, vegan, gluten-free recipe that I absolutely love! Please let me know in the comments below if you do too!

XO,

Dr. Julie

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