Crispy BBQ Chickpeas - Gastronotherapy

Name: 📖 Crispy BBQ Chickpeas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 (15-ounce cans) chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 teaspoons molasses; 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

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Roasted and crunchy BBQ chickpeas are smoky, savory, and slightly sweet. Eat them as a healthy snack or add to your favorite salads or grain bowls. Ready in just 35 minutes!

I love creating fun new snack foods; I'm the type of person who is never without them. Whether I'm commuting, traveling, or just running errands, I always have snacks in my bag, like Crispy Peanut Butter Balls, Healthy Coconut Almond Granola, or a container of Smoky Paprika Hummus.

There are a million ways to season chickpeas, but in the summer I love roasting them with BBQ spices. They are so satisfying, and a very healthy high-protein snack!

This recipe for BBQ chickpeas is so simple: we make a homemade spice blend, add it to (canned) chickpeas, and roast them in the oven. The molasses becomes caramelized and the spice-dusted chickpeas turn into crunchy little nuggets that are slightly addictive.

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⭐️ Why This Recipe Is The Best
📋 Ingredient Notes
📝 Variations & Substitutions
🥄 How To Make Crispy BBQ Chickpeas
🍔 How To Serve
👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
⏲ Related Recipes
📖 Crispy BBQ Chickpeas

⭐️ Why This Recipe Is The Best

Crispy and crunchy texture
Smoky, salty, and sweet
Healthy: High in protein and fiber, naturally vegan/plant-based/dairy-free, and gluten-free
Easy: Ready in just 35 minutes (we use canned chickpeas for convenience)
Makes a great on-the-go snack

📋 Ingredient Notes

Chickpeas - We use canned chickpeas in this recipe for cost and convenience. If you prefer to use dried chickpeas, you can do that, too.
Molasses - Provides a deep caramel flavor that is necessary in BBQ seasoning.
Apple cider vinegar - Adding vinegar cuts the sweetness and gives a pop of tanginess to our BBQ chickpeas.
Smoked paprika - Gives our chickpeas that quintessential smoky flavor that we crave in BBQ.

📝 Variations & Substitutions

Coconut oil or vegetable oil can be used in place of olive oil.
Make 'em spicy: To add more of a kick, add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper.
White wine vinegar works as a substitute for apple cider vinegar.

🥄 How To Make Crispy BBQ Chickpeas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a dish towel or paper towels on a baking sheet, and spread chickpeas out, patting dry with towel.

Remove chickpea skins. *This is a necessary step in order to get crunchy chickpeas.

Remove towel from baking sheet. Drizzle chickpeas with olive oil and toss to coat. Roast for 10 minutes.

While chickpeas are roasting, combine molasses, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, and chili powder in a medium-sized bowl.

Add hot chickpeas to the homemade bbq sauce, and stir until chickpeas are well coated. Roast for an additional 20 minutes, tossing chickpeas halfway through baking.

BBQ sauce added to chickpeas on a baking sheet.

🍔 How To Serve

Snack. I love eating roasted BBQ chickpeas as a snack in place of potato chips or crackers.
Add to salads and grain bowls. Try them on my Tuscan Bean Salad or Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad.
Add to sandwiches. BBQ chickpeas add fantastic crunch to sandwiches, like my Portobello Burgers with Smoky Ranch Slaw and Chicken Avocado Focaccia Sandwich.

👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips

**It's very important that you take the 5-10 minutes to pat chickpeas dry and peel off their skins. Doing so ensures that they turn crispy in the oven.
If you don't have the needed spices for this recipe, you can substitute ¼ cup of store-bought bbq sauce. Because most brands of bbq sauce have corn syrup in them, it won't be as healthy of a snack, but still better than potato chips. 😉
Storage: To ensure optimal crispness, store cooked chickpeas in a glass jar/container or paper bag. I don't recommend a plastic bag, as they will lose their crispness. The chickpeas can be stored for up to 5 days.
Make sure your paprika is in fact smoky paprika (also known as Spanish paprika) to guarantee a smoky BBQ flavor.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

What spices to use on roasted chickpeas?

You can really flavor your roasted chickpeas any way you like. This recipe creates and salty-sweet-smooky BBQ flavoring, but you could also rub them in my Italian seasoning substitute for a mouth-watering Italian-flavored snack.

Are roasted chickpeas good for you?

Yes! They are high in protein and fiber, making them a great high-protein snack or meat alternative.

Why are my roasted chickpeas not crunchy?

Most likely, it's because you forgot to remove the skins or didn't bake them long enough. Removing the skin ensures a crunchy texture, as does the proper baking time.

How do you make BBQ roasted chickpeas?

In this recipe, we start by patting the chickpeas dry and removing the skins. This will ensure a crispy texture after they are roasted. We make a homemade BBQ sauce, coat our chickpeas with it, and roast at 400 degrees F for around 30 minutes.

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