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Today I’m sharing a recipe for air fried chickpeas. These garbanzo beans are cooked in the air fryer and seasoned with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast flakes, granulated onion (like onion powder but less powdery), and a pinch of salt.
It doesn’t appear that my air fryer is going to lose its spot on the counter anytime soon.
Yes, it’s a bit on the large side. But since I’m using it multiple times a day, there’s really no reason to tote it around the house or find a cupboard where I can hide it.
(What is an air fryer? It’s an appliance for the countertop that cooks by circulating hot air around food. You can find lots of vegan air fryer recipes here.)
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a stream of tasty treats.
Air fried breakfast burritos and tots, bread with marinara, fishless tacos, buffalo cauliflower, hand-cut chips, mushroom fries, and more have found their way through my new toy.
I’ve made some straight-from-the freezer products, and revisited old homemade favorites in a new way.
Fried chickpeas in the air fryer
Take roasted chickpeas. They have been one of my regular, go-to snacks for about 10 years, the entire time I’ve been vegan.
They’re great right out of a bowl by the handful, like a beany alternative to popcorn.
They’re also wonderful as a topper on things like salad. I served them here with stuffed grape leaves, a romaine lettuce salad, and creamy cashew dressing.
They’re also the perfect accompaniment to pesto rice or artichoke pesto pasta.
For most of the time I’ve been making roasted chickpeas, it’s been in the oven on a sheet of parchment paper. (You can find that recipe here.)
Now that old favorite is moving to the air fryer.
In the air fryer, the chickpeas don’t require drying ahead of time since I’m putting them into an appliance that blows hot air all around them.
(Although, if you’d prefer, you certainly can dry them off with a towel first. No harm in that.)
They also cook more quickly than they do in the oven. Plus, no preheating is required.
The air fried chickpeas get a nice crackling crunch on the outside, while still being creamy on the inside.
If you prefer a crunchier air fried chickpea that’s more akin to a corn nut, you’ll want to cook them a little longer. Just keep an eye on them, so that they don’t burn.
Fried chickpeas in the air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas 1 15 ounce can, drained & rinsed
- Spritz cooking spray
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Put the drained chickpeas into the air fryer basket. Set the air fryer for 400 degrees and 12 minutes.
- Cook the plain chickpeas for the first 5 minutes. This will dry them out.
- Then open the basket, spritz the chickpeas with oil, give a shake, and spritz them again. Sprinkle on nutritional yeast flakes, granulated onion, and a pinch of salt.
- Return the basket to the air fryer and cook for the remaining 7 minutes.
- Test a chickpea to see if it's done enough for you. Depending on your air fryer, the dampness of your chickpeas, and your personal preferences, you may want to cook them an additional 3 to 5 minutes. If desired, add another pinch of salt before serving.
Nutrition
Becky Striepe says
Ooh yay!! This is one that I have been wanting to play with. I am so glad it worked well and that you’re loving your air fryer!
Cadry says
Yes, I am glad I was won over by all of your recipe posts and videos. Now I know for the future, if Becky raves about something, just buy it right then and there. 😀
Hannah Teson says
You all make me want an air fryer like whoa!! One day we’ll get one, but until then I’ll just keeping drooling over your recipes!
Cadry says
I went through a similar grappling! At least you’ll have some recipes saved up when you make the leap. 😀
Roxann Suppi says
I’d like to know what other things you cook in your air fryer. I have one and would like to get more use from it. I did like this recipe idea.
Cadry says
I’m glad you liked the idea! I linked to some of the things I’ve been making in the post above. Here’s a short list:
Buffalo cauliflower
Anything breaded from Gardein (fishless filets, chick’n strips, orange chik’n, etc.)
Tater tots, french fries, waffle fries
Breakfast potatoes
Breakfast burritos
Kale chips
Fried pickles (I’m going to share a recipe sometime in the next few weeks.)
Potstickers, spring rolls, and other frozen appetizers from Trader Joe’s
Janis Ware says
I tried this last night, and it’s a winner! I think I ate about half of the can right after it came out of the fryer. Oops! So tasty! I put some on my salad today along with your creamy cashew dressing. Delicious! I had some salad leftover so threw that in with some vegetable soup I made on Sunday and added some of your dressing to the soup, too! I have a fave veggie soup I make, and it calls for making some cashew cream to stir in at the end. Well, why do that when I have your dressing on hand! Now, even more deliciousness! Thanks for helping me to be excited about cooking again (well, maybe for the first time ever LOL)!
Cadry says
Oh, Janis! This warms my heart so much!!! I’m really glad to hear that you’re enjoying the chickpeas & my other recipes too. I always love your comments.
Asheaff says
I love them this way but I ended up having quite a few “Pop”….little messy inside. Did that happen to you guys?
Cadry says
A few of mine popped open a little, but they didn’t pop completely or make a mess. You could try lowering the heat or removing them from the air fryer earlier. Good luck, Asheaff!
Shell says
You are making it really hard for me to wait to get an air fryer! Chickpeas are my love language.
Cadry says
Haha! And they make terrific kale chips too. An air fryer could revolutionize your Sunday roasted chickpea & kale chip dinners. 😀
Shell says
I used this recipe to make chickpeas in the air fryer. Total game changer. I had perfectly roasted chickpeas in 12 minutes! The only problem was that I spilled them all over the floor after Allison and I had only eaten a few.
Cadry says
Aw, that’s a sad story! I hope you had a back-up can of chickpeas in the pantry.
Shell says
I am still loving this recipe! Making them right now. 😀
Cadry says
I’m so glad to hear it’s still a favorite. Thanks for letting me know!
Cathy says
Oh Kale chips…. If I could learn how to make kale chips I’d be sooo thankful. I thought I was going to have to buy a dehydrator to make kale chips. Please let me know if a dehydrator is better for kale chips.
Thanks
Cadry says
The air fryer makes terrific kale chips! I can’t compare them to a dehydrator, because I don’t have one of those. I usually just rub chopped kale with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes. Then I cook them at 370 degrees for 4 or 5 minutes, stopping once or twice to move the kale chips around. You want to be sure everything gets evenly browned. I’ve also made ranch kale chips from Becky at Glue & Glitter. They are really tasty too!
Lorena deJoode says
Why the yeast flakes? What if I dont have?
Cadry says
It’s used here as a seasoning basically. Nutritional yeast flakes give a cheesy taste. However, these chickpeas are great without yeast flakes too. Just skip them.