In case you haven’t heard, I finally bought an air fryer! After hearing so many wonderful things about them, I just had to try one out for myself. And what’s the first thing I cooked in my air fryer? Crispy air fryer chickpeas! …Because I already had a can of chickpeas on hand, they’re super easy, and I’ll never say no to a delicious crunchy snack. ;)
What are Air Fried Chickpeas Like?
Air-fried chickpeas are crunchy little snacks with a slightly dense and chewy center. You can season them with just about any seasoning blend you like and, quite honestly, they’re ADDICTIVE. And not only are they high in fiber and protein, these crunchy little chickpeas are also inexpensive, making them a fantastic budget-friendly snack.
Do I Have to Dry the Chickpeas?
If you’re used to roasting chickpeas in the oven, then you probably know that drying the chickpeas really well first is key to getting crispy chickpeas. But with an air fryer, the quickly circulating dry air acts to quickly dry the chickpeas so they can get nice and crispy without taking the extra step ahead of time. That being said, if you do want to take the time to dry them first, your chickpeas will be extra-SUPER crispy.
How to Season Air Fried Chickpeas
We used Everything Bagel Seasoning for these chickpeas because it’s such a tasty all-purpose seasoning, but there are so many different options. Here are some ideas for flavoring your air fryer chickpeas:
- Cajun seasoning
- Seasoning salt (Lawry’s)
- Steak seasoning
- Curry powder
- Ranch seasoning
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic herb seasoning
- Cinnamon and sugar
- Taco seasoning
Do They Stay Crispy?
Air-fried chickpeas will slowly absorb ambient moisture from the air and get a little soft as they’re left out (similar to a cracker getting stale), so they’re best to eat right away. But if you don’t, you can crisp them back up again by popping them back into the air fryer for 2-3 minutes.
Air Fryer Chickpeas
Servings 4 ¼ cup eachIngredients
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($0.88)
- 3 tsp cooking oil, divided ($0.04)
- 1/2 Tbsp seasoning of choice* ($0.15)
Instructions
- Rinse and drain one can of chickpeas well. For extra crispy chickpeas, press the chickpeas between some paper towels or a lint-free kitchen towel to dry.
- Add the drained chickpeas to a bowl and drizzle with 2 teaspoons cooking oil. Stir to coat.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF (if your air fryer does not have a pre-heat function, let it run empty for 2-3 minutes on 400ºF).
- Add the chickpeas to the air fryer basket and spread them into a single layer. Air fry the chickpeas for 5 minutes, then shake to stir. Air fry for an additional 5 minutes and shake again. Check the chickpeas for doneness and add 2-3 more minutes or until they reach your desired level of doneness (we do 13 minutes total).
- Transfer the air fried chickpeas to a bowl, drizzle with the second 1 teaspoon oil to help the seasoning stick, and stir to coat. Add your favorite seasoning and salt, if needed, then stir to coat again. Enjoy while warm and crispy!
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Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Air Fryer Chickpeas – Step by Step Photos
Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of chickpeas. If you want, you can take the extra step to towel-dry the chickpeas for maximum crispiness.
Place the chickpeas in a bowl and drizzle 2 teaspoons of cooking oil over the chickpeas. Stir the chickpeas well until they are evenly coated in oil.
Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF (if your air fryer does not have a pre-heat function, simply let it run with an empty basket for about 3 minutes at 400ºF). Add the chickpeas to the basket and spread them into a single layer.
Cook the chickpeas in the air fryer for 10 minutes, shaking the basket after 5 minutes. (Photo above is after 5 minutes of cooking)
At ten minutes, shake the basket again and test the chickpeas for doneness. Add 2-3 minutes of cooking time or until they reach your desired level of crispness. We liked our chickpeas at 13 minutes when they were deliciously crispy and slightly cracked open like a kernel of popcorn.
Add the air-fried chickpeas to a bowl, add the remaining teaspoon of oil and stir to coat. Add seasoning and or salt to your liking and stir to coat again. Enjoy!
I made these and I used Bang bang seasoning and boy they were delicious 😋 yummy will be making again in the future! Thanks for the wonderful recipes🙏🏼🙏🏼
Love your recipes! Everything is easy to make, delicious, and budget-friendly. If I could have only one recipe website, it would be yours. Thanks for all you do.
Hi your Recipes look great and so simple can’t wait to try them
These are so addictively crispy, I ate about half the batch before I could plate the rest of my meal! They’re just as good as the ones in the snack aisle. I cooked mine for about 12 minutes.
I’m certain that this is a great snack for some people out there, but I am unfortunately not one of them. I gave it a try, and the flavor with bagel seasoning is great, but the chickpeas are SO dry to me and I don’t like that very much. I’m excited to see what fun new air fryer recipes come out next for me to try
Okay, so I tried this out with dried chickpeas, which I prefer even though they’re less convenient because they’re cheaper than canned. To substitute dried chickpeas for canned, measure out 125g of dried chickpeas and soak them. I just do the slow way, putting them in a bowl with double the amount of water by volume and refrigerating overnight, but you could also use a pressure cooker or try this 2 hour method in the link below (edited because I don’t know if this site has spam filters that won’t like me posting a link).
minimalistbaker.com/quinoa-chickpea-buddha-bowl/
After soaking, drain and rinse the chickpeas, and then add them to a pot, cover them in water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer (meaning just a little bit of water movement and steam coming out), add salt (this is important), and cook covered for 40-60 minutes or until they’re at your preferred level of firmness. I do 50 minutes. And then I followed the recipe from step 1 like normal and they came out great. I used adobo seasoning and a touch of ancho chile powder. Very addicting.
Would I be able to use dried chickpeas in place of canned?
No, unfortunately, that won’t work for this recipe because they are already fully dehydrated.
I bought a bag of chickpeas which are already dry, how long should I cook them?
Unfortunately, you can’t use dry chickpeas in this recipe. You’d need to fully cook the chickpeas in water, then use them as you would the canned chickpeas, but I don’t know if that’s reasonable.
Ditto to the previous comments — so happy to see an air fryer recipe from you! Can’t wait to try this one!
I am so pleased to see that you are starting to profile air fryer recipes. Many of your followers will really appreciate that you have now included the hot air fryer as a means of cooking. I look forward to seeing your recipes, and views regarding this method of cooking. Best regards
Patricia
I am unreasonably excited about the air-fryer recipes to come. It’s a magical way to reheat steak, pizza, and anything fried.
Super excited for this recipe and future air-fryer recipes to come!!