March 29, 2017 |

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas: Your New Favorite Snack

They’re better than potato chips or pretzels—seriously.

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If you’re on the hunt for a healthy snack to replace those greasy chips or sugary processed cookies, these roasted chickpeas are the easy homemade treat you’ve been looking for. Like all chickpea recipes, this snack is packed with fiber and protein. Roasting slowly dehydrates the chickpeas, leaving them crispy, crunchy, and satisfying—just like a nut or puffed grain.

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are a common ingredient in the Mediterranean diet and Middle Eastern food. They are also popular among vegetarians and vegans—or anyone looking for a low-fat protein. You likely know them as the essential ingredient in hummus (another great healthy snack) or falafel.

This episode of To Eat With Love, our Mediterranean diet cooking show, shows how to make a crunchy chickpeas that can be eaten straight as a snack, or tossed on top of salad in place of croutons. Although chickpeas can be flavored in a variety of ways, this chickpea recipe uses savory Mediterranean spices like cumin and cayenne. Other popular ways to flavor roasted chickpeas is a chipotle blend (cumin, chili powder, lime juice), curry seasoning, or—to keep things simple—just the classic salt and pepper. You can also do sweet variations, such as cinnamon and sugar chickpeas, or pumpkin pie-spiced roasted chickpeas.

To make these Mediterranean-spiced roasted chickpeas, toss them with cayenne pepper, cumin seeds, and a pinch of salt before baking in the oven. These spiced chickpeas will become even crunchier as they cool, so it’s best to wait a few minutes before diving in to eat them.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) low sodium chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cumin seed
dash of coarse salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven until oil is hot, 3 minutes. 2. In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, cayenne pepper, and cumin seed. Season with salt and toss to combine. 3. Place chickpea mixture on hot baking sheet and spread in a single layer. 4. Bake until chickpeas are crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. 5. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and let cool slightly. Serve warm.