Air Fryer Chickpeas (5 Ways)
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Published Feb 17, 2022, Updated Jan 20, 2025
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These crispy air fryer chickpeas are crunchy, delicious and cook up in under 15 minutes. They’re great for snacking or topping salads and with the five different flavor options you’ll never get bored.
I’ve been on an air fryer kick lately, whipping up everything from air fryer coconut shrimp to air fryer tofu — and now, these air fryer chickpeas are taking center stage! They’re super quick to make and so perfectly crispy, you’ll be reaching for handful after handful in no time.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Crunchy Chickpeas
- Easy to prep – Just add your chickpeas to a bowl, toss in oil with your seasoning of choice and cook. You’ll have a delicious, crunchy snack in under 15 minutes!
- Minimal ingredients – All you need is one can of chickpeas, oil, salt and your seasoning of choice.
- Customizable – The basic variation with just salt is delicious or you can use any of the 4 flavors I have listed below. Feel free to also get creative with your seasonings.
Ingredients Needed
Like with most of my air fryer recipes this one requires just a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen:
- canned chickpeas – also known as garbanzo beans. After draining and rinsing your canned chickpeas, you’ll pat them dry, coat with a little oil and seasonings of choice. Then you’ll air fry them until crisp and crunchy!
- olive oil or avocado oil – to help the seasonings stick and make the chickpeas extra crispy!
- salt – we’re using just salt as the seasoning for the basic variation, but it’s also used in the other seasoning combos to help bring all the flavors together.
- seasoning of choice – feel free to get creative here, but see below for my faves!
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
Flavor Variations
The flavor variations are endless when it comes to air fryer chickpeas, but below I’m sharing my four go-to flavors: bbq, chili lime, ranch and honey!
- BBQ: If you’re all about that smoky, sweet BBQ goodness, this one’s for you! Think smoked paprika, garlic powder, and just a hint of sugar to bring out that irresistible flavor combo.
- Chili Lime: This zesty mix will bring your chickpeas to life! With chili powder, cumin, and a bright squeeze of lime juice, it’s got the perfect balance of bold and tangy. Trust me, you’ll be snacking on these non-stop!
- Ranch: Ranch is such a classic seasoning for savory snacks like chips and crackers and it works great on chickpeas too. I love all the herbs!This blend of dill, parsley, and chives gives your chickpeas all those familiar herby, savory flavors.
- Honey: Got a sweet tooth? These honey-coated chickpeas are the perfect sweet snack with just the right amount of crunch.
How to Make Air Fryer Chickpeas
This recipe couldn’t get any simpler! It only requires a few easy steps and comes together in about 15 minutes.
Step 1: Drain, rinse, and dry your chickpeas. Place them in a large bowl and add your seasonings of choice. Toss well to combine.
Step 2: Preheat air fryer if required. Place seasoned chickpeas in air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 12-14 minutes.
Tips for Success
- Give the chickpeas space: If you’re doubling the recipe, make sure to cook in batches. Crowding them will make it harder for the chickpeas to get that perfect crunch.
- Dry them well: After rinsing the chickpeas, pat them dry with a paper towel to help them crisp up better during cooking. This little step makes a big difference!
How to Serve Chickpeas
I love eating these air fryer chickpeas by the handful for a snack, but you can use them like any roasted chickpeas – they would make for a great salad or soup topping! Here are some recipes that would be tasty topped with crispy chickpeas.
How to Store Air Fryer Chickpeas
After allowing the chickpeas to cool completely, store them in a bowl or container, not covered. This will help preserve their crispness. They should stay fresh for up to one week at room temperature. I don’t recommend storing these in the fridge as they will become chewy and less crisp.
FAQ’s
Yes! Air fryer chickpeas are definitely a healthy snack in my book! They’re low in calories, but still salty and crunchy making them a great replacement for chips. Plus, one serving is packed with 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.
If your chickpeas didn’t turn out as crispy as you’d hoped, there are two common culprits! Either they didn’t cook long enough, or your air fryer basket was a bit too crowded. You really want the chickpeas in a single layer with some breathing room to allow the hot air to circulate around them. Give them a little extra cook time or try splitting them into batches next time, and you’ll get that perfect crunch.
Totally! If your chickpeas lose some of their crispness after a day or two, pop them back in your air fryer for a few minutes to crisp back up!
More Popular Chickpea Recipes
- Creamy Hummus
- Sriracha Cauliflower and Chickpea Sheet Pan Meal
- Chickpea Quinoa Salad
- Greek Chickpea Salad
- Vegan Power Bowl
Other Air Fryer Recipes to Try
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
- Air Fryer Salmon Bites
- Air Fryer Carrots
Be sure to check out all of the air fryer recipes here on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Air Fryer Chickpeas (5 Ways)
Ingredients
Basic Recipe
- 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 Tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
BBQ
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne, optional
Chili Lime
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Juice from 1 medium lime, about 2 teaspoons
- Zest from 1 lime, about 1 teaspoon
Ranch
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon chives
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ tsp pepper
Honey
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Drain, rinse and pat chickpeas dry with a paper towel.
- Add chickpeas to a large mixing bowl with oil and salt and toss to combine. Move on to Step 3 if you’re making the basic sea salt version. For any of the other versions, add the additional seasonings and toss to combine, then move on to Step 3.
- Preheat air fryer if required. Place chickpeas in air fryer basket in a single layer and cook on 400°F for 12-14 minutes, tossing once halfway until golden brown and crispy. Keep an eye on the chickpeas towards the end to make sure your seasonings don’t burn!
- Once chickpeas are cooked to your liking, remove them from the air fryer and season to taste. Serve immediately or let cool completely and store in a bowl, not covered.
Notes
- Storage: Let the chickpeas cool completely, then store them in an uncovered container at room temperature for up to a week. Avoid storing in the fridge to prevent them from becoming soft.
- Substitutions: Swap out the honey for maple syrup or agave syrup for a sweet vegan version. Just make sure to coat the chickpeas after air frying to keep them crispy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just made the chili lime chickpeas in my ninja air fryer. I preheated for 3 minutes at 400 and shook them before my 14 minute reminder a few times. I cut the spices back because I was worried they’d be too spicy. Although I checked numerous times a good portion burned. The flavour was good. I’ll try again at a lower temperature with the recommended spices. I realize air fryers all differ in the temperatures.
Hi Adele! I am sorry to hear they got a little burnt, when you checked on them, did you make sure to give them a little shake too? I bet it was just the power of the air fryer that caused the timing to be off a little. Thanks for sharing your feedback, I really appreciate your review & star rating too!
Just made the chili lime ones. SOOO GOOD! I loved them fresh out of the airfryer. I’m going to make them again to use on taco salad, I think that will be a huge hit for taco night.
YUM! I am so glad you are loving these and they turned out great for you, Cindy. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Try using kidney or pinto beans with the chili line or just taco seasoning! I made them for a party and everyone loved them as “beer nuts”. 😁
PS: I’m in Louisa.
AH this is such a great idea, JJ! Glad they are a hit!
They were soft in the centers while some actually burned. They don’t taste good but will birds or squirrels eat them?
Hi Kathy – What type of air fryer do you have? Not sure why this happened unless your air fryer is more high powered than mine.
These are delicious! I made the ranch version without the chives as I had none, but were still good. I cooked mine a little longer than the recommended time suggested. I’m sure different brands of air fryers have different results. I roasted mine for 20 min in the Ninja Airfryer flex basket model (you can convert 2 baskets into one) at 400 deg as suggested. At 14 min’s the outside was starting to get crispy but the centers were still soft. I wanted the center’s to be more crunchy like what you buy in the pkg in the store. I have the BBQ seasoning made and stored ready to go for the next batch.
Amazing! I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and are loving it, Heather. Super good to know these also turn out great in the air fryer too! Thanks so much for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!.
Do you think this would work in an oven air fryer? I have an air fryer setting on my oven…I hope so, they sound delish!
Hi, Caroline. I’m not sure, I haven’t used an in oven air fryer before. Let me know how they turn out if you try it!
Yummy recipe..Thank you for sharing such delicious recipe.
Woo! So glad these chickpeas were a success for you, Tayyaba 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
I love your recipes but the number of pop up ads that show while scrolling is pretty over the top. 13 on this “Air Fryer Chick peas” post.
Hi Keli! I’m so sorry about the ads. Just to confirm, did you see 13 popup ads while looking at this post? Or were some of those in-content (not popups that you had to X out of). I want to look into this!
Yes – 13 ads on this page alone – in content / side bar / pop up side bar / bottom banner. I know that’s where the $ comes from and that’s cool, but it’s a lil overwhelming :-). Be well! Love your site.
excellent post thank you for sharing
Brittany
I just saw your Instagram post about these air fryer chickpeas! Oh my goodness! They are delicious! I didn’t have all the ingredients for the ranch recipe. So I used some Hidden Valley Ranch dip powder I had on hand. Want to make the sweet ones next time!
Woo! So glad this recipe worked out for you, Lucy! The Hidden Valley Ranch dip powder sounds like the perfect shortcut, thanks for sharing. And thanks for coming back to leave a review and star rating, I really appreciate it.