Fried Chickpeas in the Air Frier

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These high fiber fried chickpeas are the perfect snack to satisfy your next craving for crunch. This budget friendly snack can be seasoned to be sweet, savory, salty, or a mix of all three.

Ingredients for Fried Chickpeas

• One can of chickpeas. If you didn’t know, chickpeas are garbanzo beans. Their names are interchangeable.
• Olive, canola, or avocado oil
• Seasonings/spices

As a dietitian I recommend no salt or reduced sodium options so that you can be in charge of the amount of salt you want to add. For all canned beans, regardless of sodium content, I also recommend you drain and rinse them using a colander before consumption.

Under the variations sections I will share a variety of spice combinations you can try!

Learn How to Make It

Step One: Prepare the Chickpeas

The first step is to drain and rinse the canned chickpeas using water and a colander. Then, let them dry while the air fryer heats up. They can be laid out on a paper towel or wax paper to air dry or you can pat them lightly with paper towel.

In a small bowl, toss the chickpeas with a tablespoon of oil and the seasonings. Stir them and make sure they are mixed well.

Step Two: Air Fry

Once the air fryer has reached 390 degrees Fahrenheit, add the chickpeas directly to the basket. Spread them out across the entire basket and try to have them in a single layer. This means they are not on top of each other.

Allow them to cook for eight to twelve minutes but check and mix them around every two to four. You may hear some popping but I would encourage you to stay near and keep your nose keen for the smell of burning.

I like them really crunchy, but you can take them out sooner if you want them slightly soft still. Allow them to cool and enjoy this crunchy, high fiber snack!

Canned verses Dried Chickpeas

Certainly you can take this a step further and cook your own chickpeas. There are a couple of different ways to do this. They can be cooked on the stove top, in the slow cooker or in a pressure cooker.

One cup of dried chickpeas will yield three cups of cooked chickpeas. This will easily save you even more money because dried beans are cheaper than canned. It just depends on the amount of time you want to spend cooking.

Can you Freeze Chickpeas

Absolutely! It’s really simple and if you opt to cook your own chickpeas you may be wondering how you’re going to eat through that many before they go bad. Chickpeas are ready to eat right from the can but they can also be frozen.

If you’re using canned chickpeas and you aren’t going to finish the can, dry them on paper towel after draining and rinsing them. Put them in a freezer bag like these Stasher bags (my favorite!) or a Ziplock. Freeze for up to three months.

Can you Freeze Cooked Chickpeas

What if you had dried chickpeas and cooked them yourself? The freezing method is the same. Dry them on paper towel and add them to a freezer safe bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months.

Thawing Frozen Chickpeas

Freezing chickpeas is a fantastic way to reduce wasting them. The best way to thaw them when you’re ready to use them is to put them in the fridge overnight. However, if i’m adding them to a hot soup or casserole, I often plop them in directly from the freezer.

If you want to add frozen chickpeas from the freezer to a salad on the same day, run them under cold water until thawed. This will only take a few minutes.

Storage

Once they are cooled down, air fried chickpeas can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature. They can stay good for four to five days but the longer they stay sealed, the more likely their texture will change to chewy instead of crunch. If you opt to put them in the fridge or freezer, they will have a chewier texture once you eat them.

Variations

This is the fun part! There are a ton of different ways to make flavored chickpeas. Let your inner foodie experiment or try any of my favorite five combinations below.

• Pumpkin Spice Chickpeas: 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
• Ranch Chickpeas: 1-2 tbsp of a ranch seasoning packet
• BBQ Chickpeas: Omit the oil and just toss chickpeas with 1-2 tbsp of your favorite dry rub BBQ seasoning. Don’t have one? Try this combination:
  • 1/4 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (IF you like it spicy)
• Buffalo Chickpeas: Omit the oil and toss with a tablespoon. of buffalo sauce
• Cajun Chickpeas: Use 1-2 tbsp of a pre-made cajun seasoning or make your own using this combination:
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp thyme
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp salt

How to Incorporate Fried Chickpeas in your Day

There’s lots of ways! You might enjoy them on their own, added to trail mix with nuts and dry cereal. I recently added them to a bowl of this Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup.

These could also be added to a bowl of oatmeal alongside sautéed apples. Lastly, you could toss them with some greens, squash, rice, and a dressing and you’ll have a delicious fall harvest bowl.

How would you add them into your day? Let me know in the comments below.