Easy Ways to Make Chickpeas Your New Favorite Snack
Updated: Apr. 24, 2024
Looking for a satisfying snack with a dose of health benefits on the side? Put down those chips and introduce yourself to chickpeas.
What’s a Chickpea?
Originally cultivated in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, chickpeas are nutrition powerhouses that will fill you up without filling you out. These small, round legumes with a nutty taste and buttery texture are consumed worldwide, particularly in dishes like hummus, Moroccan stew and curry. The most common variety of chickpea in the U.S. is the cream-colored “kabuli-type”, but the dark-colored “desi-type” is popular in other parts of the world. You can enjoy chickpeas year-round either dried or canned as a vegan and gluten-free way to boost your daily intake of fiber, protein and so much more. Learn how to make crispy chickpeas.
Chickpeas vs. Garbanzo Beans
A rose by any other name—is still a rose. Yes, chickpea and garbanzo refer to the same bean. Why the confusion? Chickpea is the English name and garbanzo is the Spanish name. Most U.S. grocery stores stock them under both names, but they’re one and the same.
Healthy Reasons to Eat Chickpeas
These little legumes are an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals. Some of the key reasons you’ll want chickpeas in your diet include high levels of:
Fiber: Helps manage diabetes, decrease the risk of heart disease, aid in digestion and reduce the urge to snack.
Protein: An important aid in helping maintain the health of the body’s tissues, as well as a key plant-based protein source for vegetarians. (If you’re a vegetarian, try these recipes, too.)
Selenium: Aids in liver function and helps detoxify some cancer-causing compounds.
Manganese: A natural sunblock that helps protect against damaging UV light.
Choline: Works to reduce chronic inflammation.
Folate: Helps prevent the formation of cancer cells from mutated DNA.
3 Tasty Chickpea Snacks
Roasted chickpeas are a healthy snack and a snap to make. Here are three delicious flavor variations, but try creating your own custom version by using your favorite herbs and spices.
The Base Recipe
Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a 15x10x1-in baking sheet with foil. Drain and rinse two cans (15 oz. each) chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). Spread in a single layer over foil. Remove any loose skins. Bake until crunchy, 40–45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Immediately toss the hot chickpeas with your favorite oil and spice mixture. Cool completely. Dig in!
Rosemary-Sea Salt
Whisk 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
Orange-Curry
Whisk 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and 1 tablespoon of curry powder.
Lemon-Pepper
Whisk 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest and 2 teaspoons freshly cracked pepper.
See how easy it is to make the recipes above—plus get a bonus recipe for Chili-Lime Chickpeas!
And here are more delicious chickpea recipes to add to your recipe box.
Ways to Love Chickpeas
Dilly Chickpea Salad SandwichesThese chickpea salad sandwiches are super flavorful and contain less fat and cholesterol than chicken salad. They make delightful picnic sandwiches. —Deanna McDonald, Muskegon, Michigan
Sausage & Chickpea SkilletThis quick sausage and chickpea dish is perfect for weeknight meals! You can throw it together quickly with just a few ingredients. —Phyllis Schwartz, Arcadia, Florida
Potluck Antipasto Pasta SaladI love trying new recipes, and this one for Italian pasta salad tops all other varieties I've tried. With beans, cheese, sausage and vegetables, it's a hearty complement to any meal. —Bernadette Nelson, Arcadia, California
Contest-Winning Easy MinestroneThis minestrone soup recipe is special to me because it’s one of the few dinners my entire family loves. And I can feel good about serving it because it’s full of nutrition and low in fat. —Lauren Brennan, Hood River, Oregon
Garbanzo-Stuffed Mini PeppersMini peppers are so colorful and are the perfect size for a two-bite appetizer. They have all the crunch of pita chips but without the extra calories. —Christine Hanover, Lewiston, California
Casablanca Chicken CouscousTo give risotto, that favorite Italian comfort food, an update, I used couscous and lively North African-inspired flavors to deliver all the satisfaction of the creamy classic. —Roxanne Chan, Albany, California
Southwest Hummus DipNot your ordinary hummus, this dip is a combination of two things I love—chickpeas and southwestern flavors. You can substitute 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed, for the grilled corn. —Cheray Buckalew, Cumberland, Maryland
Air-Fryer Chickpea Fritters with Sweet-Spicy SauceChickpeas are a common ingredient in many dishes in Pakistan, where I grew up. I try to incorporate the tastes of my home country when cooking for my American-born daughters. With these air-fryer fritters, I have combined the light spice of Pakistani foods with the love of deep-fried finger foods that many Americans, including my daughters, enjoy. —Shahrin Hasan, York, Pennsylvania
Chickpea & Chipotle TostadasI often take a not-so-healthy dish and create something good for my family. My young twins love colorful meals they can eat with their hands, and this one fits the bill. —Amber Massey, Argyle, Texas
Slow-Cooker Quinoa ChiliThis recipe turned my husband into a quinoa lover. I made it the day he got good news on a new job, and we'll always remember how excited we were as we ate this beautiful meal. —Claire Gallam, Alexandria, Virginia
Garden Chickpea SaladLooking for a summer dish with a difference? Combine colorful crunchy veggies with soft feta cheese and good-for-you garbanzos. If you like, add sliced, cooked chicken or lamb. —Sally Sibthorpe, Shelby Township, Michigan
Sweet Potato & Chickpea SaladTake this colorful dish to the buffet at a family gathering, or enjoy it as a great meal all by itself. —Brenda Gleason, Hartland, Wisconsin
Best Ever Beans and SausageWhen my wife asks what she should make for a gathering, she's always told to bring this—and a couple of copies of the recipe! — Robert Saulnier, Clarksburg, Massachusetts
Quinoa-Stuffed Squash BoatsMy colorful “boats” with quinoa, garbanzo beans and pumpkin seeds use delicata squash, a winter squash with edible skin that’s cream-colored with green stripes. In a pinch, acorn squash will do—but don't eat the skin! —Lauren Knoelke, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Chicken and Falafel WafflesThese gluten-free waffles made from garbanzo beans perfectly complement Moroccan-spiced chicken with cucumber relish. They're a savory, low-carb spin on a classic comfort dish. —Arlene Erlbach, Morton Grove, Illinois
Sweet & Spicy BeansMy husband and I love this sweet and savory bean dish. It can be enjoyed as a side, but it's also fun for tortilla and corn chip dipping. —Sondra Pope, Mooresville, North Carolina
Pressure-Cooker Spice Trade Beans and BulgurA rich blend of treasured spices turn nutritious bulgur and chickpeas into a tangy stew with just the right amount of heat. And the hint of sweetness from golden raisins makes the perfect accent. —Faith Cromwell, San Francisco, California
Vegetable SamosasMy family enjoys the wonderful Indian flavors in a traditional samosa. Baked instead of fried, this version has fewer calories but keeps all the classic tastes and textures we love. —Amy Siegel, Clifton, New Jersey
Turkey White ChiliGrowing up in a Pennsylvania Dutch area, I was surrounded by excellent cooks and wonderful foods. I enjoy experimenting with new recipes like this change-of-pace chili. —Kaye Whiteman, Charleston, West Virginia
Chicken Cassoulet SoupAfter my sister spent a year in France as an au pair, I created this lighter, easier version of traditional French cassoulet for her. It uses chicken instead of the usual duck.—Bridget M. Klusman, Otsego, Michigan
African Peanut Sweet Potato StewBack when I was in college, my mom made an addicting sweet potato and peanut stew. I shared it with friends, and now all of us serve it to our own kids. They all love it, of course. —Alexis Scatchell, Niles, Illinois
Spicy Lentil & Chickpea StewThis recipe came to me from a friend who had worked at a health food store. I changed a few things until I found a version that my family loved. My son doesn't like things too spicy, so I make the stew milder for him and add a sprinkle of extra spice in mine. My husband, who farms, works outdoors for long hours at a time and finds this soup hearty enough to keep him satisfied. —Melanie MacFarlane, Bedeque, Prince Edward Island
Skinny Cobb SaladThis "skinny" version of Cobb salad has all the taste and creaminess with half the fat and calories. You can skip the coleslaw mix and do all lettuce, but I like the crunch you get with cabbage. —Taylor Kiser, Brandon, Florida
Originally Published: April 17, 2018
