If you’re like me, you probably get this sudden, “Oh my goodness! I am so freaking hungry and I don’t care what I eat. I just need food NOW.” The little hangry monster comes out and latches onto anything in its sight. This usually consists of something sweet or salty or sour, but definitely not healthy. That’s why I had to get better about preparing snacks ahead of time, especially snacks that fill me up until I can eat some real food. Roasted garbanzo beans are one of my favorites!
Plus, chickpeas are the perfect snacks to munch while on the road. I am currently sitting in Sedona, overlooking gorgeous views of the red rocks as I write out this blog post. The road trip I have been dreaming of for a long time is finally here! I am even lucky enough to be joined by fellow travel enthusiast and dear friend, Connor McCreesh. We are off for an adventure of the Western US.
Starting in AZ, we are working our way up the north, through the Grand Canyon and some of the smaller canyons, on our way to Zion. We will make a stop in Vegas for the 4th, because why not? Then, we will start in San Diego, California and make our way up through Oregon, Washington, and explore a bit of Canada. Needless to say, we are pumped for this!
We are also excited for exploring nature things, camping under the stars, and spending long hours of singing songs in the car (okay, that last one might just be me). What’s less exciting? The food options as we travel around. Gas station food is not so great on the tummy and we are very interested in finding as much healthy food along the way as we can.
That’s why I made a couple batches of roasted chickpeas for our adventures. They’re super easy to make and hardly cost a thing! I made these ones at home in the oven, but we can choose to pan fry them with our camping stove moving forward. Chickpeas are incredibly versatile, which means you can season them any way you’d like.
Let’s dive in to this quick recipe so you can enjoy some healthy snacks at home too.
Roasted Crispy Chickpeas
Vegan and Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 15oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- 1-2 tbs olive oil
- 1-2 ts salt
- Seasonings: Whatever you would like! I give some suggestions below the recipe, but just think of your favorite herbs, spices, citrus, etc.
Directions
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- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grab a large baking tray and line with aluminum foil (optional).
- Rinse the beans well and lay out to dry. I tend to place them on one dish towel and use a second towel to run across the top of the beans. If you can let them sit to dry for a moment, even better. They should have more of a matte finish, rather than the wet or glossy look. This will help them to crisp better. Remove any skins that fell off, but don’t worry about the rest.
- Toss the chickpeas in a bowl with the olive oil and salt. You can choose to go lighter on the oil, but the chickpeas may not be as crispy. It’s whatever your preference is.
- Spread the chickpeas onto the tray and place in the oven. The total cooking time should be 20-30 minutes, leaving the chickpeas dark gold and crispy. Every ten minutes, pull the chickpeas out of the oven and shake up the tray a little bit.
- Once they’re out of the oven, gently toss them in whatever seasoning you like and serve. They will only be crispy when served relatively soon after cooking. After this, they will become enjoyably chewy and just as delicious saved in a bag
Spicing options
The fun part is, you can make these however you like. Throw on your favorite vegetable seasoning or perhaps a nice curry spice. Here are some of the ones I have enjoyed making:
- Chili Lime – Lime juice (or grated peels), chili powder, salt
- Garlic Herb – Garlic powder, Italian spices, paprika (or smoked paprika), salt
- Ranch Powder
Have fun with different seasoning. They are inexpensive to make, so might as well try a bunch of flavors and perfect your favorites! These roasted chickpeas are the perfect snack to grab when you start to get hangry and the protein will help fill you up until you can get to a solid meal.
Questions? Comment below and I would be happy to help.
Curious about our road trip? We will be posting a weekly summary, so let us know what you would love to hear about and we will make sure to fill you in each week!
Chat soon,
Taryn
