These air fryer chickpeas are a crunchy, Indian-spiced snack or salad topper made with canned or home-cooked chickpeas. A light coating of rice flour and oil helps the chickpeas crisp up and turmeric, cumin, cayenne and chaat masala add spicy, tangy flavor. They need just 12 minutes in the air fryer and they are gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free!
I love making delicious and healthy snacks in the air fryer, like crispy air fryer tofu and these scrumptious air fryer French fries. Yet another one of my favorites are these crunchy air fryer chickpeas.
These are so, so easy to make and they are certified craveable! All you need are a few ingredients you already have in your pantry. You can cook the chickpeas from scratch, which is desirable to get the perfect texture and keep this recipe free of additives and preservatives, but you can definitely use canned chickpeas as well. Just be sure to rinse and drain them thoroughly.
I love making a big box of these and keeping them in the fridge for a healthy treat whenever the craving strikes (and it's often, especially when I know these are around ;))
Why you'll love these air fryer chickpeas
- So yummy. The chickpeas get perfectly roasted in the air fryer and each one emerges crunchy, spicy, tangy and absolutely delicious. I gave these air fried chickpeas an Indian flair with spices like cumin, turmeric and chaat masala. It will become one of your favorite air fryer recipes -- you won't be able to stop popping them!
- Easy to make. These crispy chickpeas are one of the quickest recipes you will ever make and all you need are pantry ingredients. Toss the chickpeas with powdered spices and you are ready to go.
- Everyone friendly. This is of course a vegan recipe. And it's gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free. Kids will love it, mine does, but you will often catch the adults with their hands in the air-fried chickpea jar!
Ingredients
- 1 15.5-oz can chickpeas (about 1 ½ cups). You can also cook chickpeas from scratch using one of my four easy methods. Drain chickpeas of all liquid before using.
- Spices: ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ to 1 teaspoon cayenne (or paprika for less heat), ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper and ¼ teaspoon chaat masala (can substitute with 1 tablespoon lemon juice).
- ½ tablespoon rice flour. This adds a nice, additional layer of crunchiness. You can sub with cornstarch.
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil. I use avocado oil, but any flavorless vegetable oil is fine here. Olive oil would work too.
- Salt to taste.
I have already made these twice since your recipe dropped in my inbox. Love them, so crunchy and so delicious. I've been snacking on them and will make more to add to a salad. They would be delicious in a wrap as well.
Maddie
How to make crispy air fryer chickpeas
- If using canned chickpeas place them in a colander and rinse under running water. Let them stand five minutes, then pat them dry with paper towels.
- Place the chickpeas in a bowl and add the spices--garlic, turmeric, cayenne (or paprika), ground cumin, ground black pepper and chaat masala (or lemon).
- Add the rice flour (or cornstarch), vegetable oil and salt. Mix everything until every chickpea is coated with the spices.
- Place the chickpeas in an air fryer basket. Arrange the chickpeas in a single layer so every chickpea roasts perfectly.
- Set the air fryer to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C for 12 minutes. Toss the chickpeas every four minutes so they roast evenly. (Cooking times might vary slightly according to the size and wattage of your air fryer model. Cool one chickpea slightly, bite into it, and air fry for a couple minutes more if it's still too soft for you).
- Eat hot or warm or at room temperature!
Recipe card
Air fryer chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas (from one 15.5 oz can, or cooked from scratch with ½ cup dried chickpeas.)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne (or use paprika for less heat)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (skip if sensitive to heat as there is already cayenne in this recipe. Or skip the cayenne and use black pepper)
- ¼ teaspoon chaat masala (use 1 tablespoon lemon juice as a substitute)
- ½ tablespoon rice flour (or cornstarch)
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas in a bowl and add the spices--garlic, turmeric, cayenne (or paprika), ground cumin, ground black pepper and chaat masala (or lemon).
- Add the rice flour (or cornstarch), vegetable oil and salt. Mix everything until every chickpea is coated with the spices.
- Place the chickpeas in the air fryer basket, preferably in a single layer so every chickpea roasts perfectly.
- Set the air fryer to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C for 12 minutes. Toss the chickpeas every four minutes so they roast evenly.
- Eat hot or warm or at room temperature!
Nutrition Information
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Meal prep and storage instructions
- Make-ahead: You can cook the chickpeas in advance and store them in the refrigerator. Toss with other ingredients and air-fry. Or make a large batch of these air fried chickpeas and keep them in the fridge in an air-tight container.
- Refrigerate: The chickpeas will keep in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze: For longer storage, flash freeze the air fried chickpeas by placing on a baking sheet and then freezing. When the chickpeas are frozen store them in a freezer bag or in a freezer-safe container.
- Reheat: The chickpeas will soften a bit when stored but simply zap them in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 3-4 minutes before eating and they will be as crunchy and crispy as new! You might need to add a couple of extra minutes if you froze the chickpeas after air frying.
Air fryer chickpeas FAQs
You absolutely can. Make sure you rinse the chickpeas in a strainer under running water and let them air-dry for a few minutes before mixing in the other ingredients.
No! Peeling the chickpeas makes no discernible flavor difference. You will lose both the nutritional benefit and fiber that's present in the skins, and end up with mushier chickpeas.
Definitely. I used an Indian style spice mix in this recipe and this is how I love to make these. You can use the spice ingredients as a guideline and add any other seasonings or seasoning blends of your choice, or feel free to substitute an ingredient with something else you think will appeal to you. You can even just use a simple seasoning of salt and ground black pepper with your chickpeas. Sometimes, when I'm feeling a little lazy, I'll toss these with garam masala or curry powder, and they're delicious.
Depending on the wattage and size of your air fryer, you might need to add a few more minutes, in increments of two minutes, until you get the desired crispiness.
Absolutely not. The chickpeas need to be cooked thoroughly before they can be air fried. Use only canned or cooked chickpeas.
These roasted chickpeas make a great snack by themselves. But they are also amazing as chickpea croutons or salad toppers for this vegan Caesar salad or chickpea quinoa salad.
You can also add them to bowls like my sesame soba noodle bowl to punch up its deliciousness and healthfulness.
Amazingly so. There are 122 calories in every serving of these air fried chickpeas as well as six grams of protein and five grams of dietary fiber. Chickpeas also have healthy amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron.
You certainly can. Leaving out oil will result in chickpeas that are not as crispy but they will still be delicious. Use a bit of lemon juice or water to help the spices adhere to the chickpeas, if necessary.
Sara says
So so good. I've been making them every week now, I just make a big batch for the week and enjoy munching on them between mealtimes. Such a great idea and recipe. Thanks.
J k asthana says
Here in India, can we paraboil peas with garlic and onion instead of using these powder
Please advise
Vaishali says
Hi, yes, you can definitely do that. Or add any other flavorings of your choice and skip the garlic and onion powders.
Maddie says
I have already made these twice since your recipe dropped in my inbox. Love them, so crunchy and so delicious. I've been snacking on them and will make more to add to a salad. They would be delicious in a wrap as well.
Vaishali says
So happy you tried them! I think they’d be awesome in wraps.