Make these crispy oil-free roasted chickpeas as a protein-packed and fun snack! Coated with spicy chili and lime flavors, they are so satisfying and great party food.
Nothing better than a bowl of crunchy and savory snacks during a good movie, right? These oil-free roasted chickpeas are perfect for occasions like that.
They are pretty much fat-free, high in protein and fiber and super flavorful! And if you don’t have chickpeas, just make roasted black beans or roasted fava beans.
After homemade oil-free hummus and oil-free tortilla chips, this is our latest favorite healthy snack.
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Use the leftover chickpea liquid to make some chocolate tofu mousse or any of these 30+ aquafaba recipes and enjoy all of the deliciousness plants have to offer!
Not only can you enjoy oil-free roasted chickpeas as a snack, but they also make for lovely salad toppings.
For more high-protein treats, check out our edible cookie dough, chocolate chickpea ice cream or our collection of 30+ high-protein vegan snacks.
Recipe overview
- Super easy to make
- Lots of coating options
- Perfect for meal prep
- High in protein & low in fat
- Delicious good-for-you snack
- Crunchy vegan bowls topping
This flavorful snack is even heart-healthy and weight loss-approved. All you need to have at home are a can (or two!) of chickpeas, baking sheet, bowl and some spices.
How to make oil-free roasted chickpeas
Start by preheating your oven and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Drain & dry your chickpeas
In order to make crispy oil-free roasted chickpeas, it’s important to pat your cooked chickpeas really dry at first.
Then, arrange them in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet and dry-roast them for 25 minutes.
Coating time
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for your coating. Our recipe uses lime juice, paprika, chili, cumin, garlic and salt.
Together with some leftover chickpea liquid, these spices make for a flavorful oil-free marinade! Add your dry-roasted chickpeas to the bowl and mix them until they are well evenly coated with the chili lime mixture.
Roast to perfection
Arrange your coated chickpeas in a single layer on your baking sheet again and roast for 15 more minutes until they are wonderfully golden and crispy!
Remove the baking sheet and let the oil-free roasted chickpeas cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying with your friends or family, during movie night or when serving at a party!
Tips for this recipe
Storage suggestions
You can eat your oil-free roasted chickpeas right away when they are still warm or let them cool for 30-60 minutes so they become firmer.
This protein-packed snack can be enjoyed for about 4-5 days when stored in a lidded container at room temperature. It’s important that you don’t use an airtight one!
Different coatings
Instead of aquafaba, you can use soy sauce, coconut aminos or hot sauce. Lime juice can be replaced with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar!
We also love coatings like dried thyme, smoked paprika, curry powder, mustard powder, garam masala, oregano, cinnamon and nutritional yeast (hello, cheesy roasted chickpeas!).
Achieve the right texture
Every oven is different, so you might need to turn your baking sheet in the oven for your chickpeas to roast evenly after 20 minutes.
During the last 10 minutes of roasting, it’s possible that some chickpeas might burn — it’s best to stay nearby and keep an eye out during this stage.
Speaking of burning, your spicy coating is much more likely to burn when you add it right in the beginning. This is why we dry-roast the chickpeas first!
More easy vegan snacks
- Oil-Free Veggie Chips
- Peanut Butter Bliss Balls
- Strawberry White Bean Smoothie
- Sugar-Free Vegan Flapjacks
- Savory Pecan Stuffed Dates
Did you try our oil-free roasted chickpeas and like them? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below, we’d love to know! Don’t forget to Pin this recipe here and share it with your friends.
Ingredients
- 2 15- oz cans cooked chickpeas 480 g drained weight
- 2 tablespoons chickpea liquid
- 2 teaspoons chili flakes
- ½ lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drain the chickpeas, saving 2 tbsp of their liquid (aquafaba) and transfer them into a clean towel. Pat them until they are really dry, removing any shells that have loosened in the process.
- Arrange the dry chickpeas in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet and place it in the oven.
- Bake for 25 minutes while whisking together the 2 tablespoons of chickpea liquid, lime juice, chili flakes, paprika, cumin, garlic and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Once the 25 minutes have elapsed, add the half-roasted chickpeas to the coating in the bowl and mix well.
- Now, place them back on the baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 15 more minutes, until crispy and golden.
- Remove the baking sheet and let the chickpeas cool for at least 10 minutes before eating!
Notes
- You can add the coating to the unbaked chickpeas to decrease the hands-on time but they are more likely to burn that way.
- Oil-free roasted chickpeas can be stored in a sealed container (not airtight!) at room temperature for around 5 days.
- Watch your chickpeas in the oven towards the end so that they don’t burn.
The flavor of the spice blend + aquafaba + lime juice topping was perfect. However, I think I’d use a bit less salt when I make them again, just based on personal preference.
They didn’t turn out as crispy as I’d hoped, perhaps I’d taken them out of the oven too early or didn’t have the heat high enough. That isn’t going to deter me from making these again and again. Perfect to add on top of dishes for a little extra texture, fiber, and protein. Thanks for sharing!
These would have been good, but they were way too salty! I wish I went with my gut and didn’t add as much as written. Next time I’d cut it down to 1/2 tsp, and even that still sounds like a lot to me. 2 tsp is way too much!