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December 30, 2021

Sriracha Lime Chickpeas

Crispy and a bit spicy, oven-roasted sriracha lime chickpeas are a healthy snack or appetizer. They're great for topping salads (instead of croutons) and with roasted vegetables too.

Crispy and a bit spicy, oven-roasted sriracha lime chickpeas are a healthy snack or appetizer. They’re great for topping salads (instead of croutons) and with roasted vegetables too.

Second to tomatoes, canned beans are my favorite pantry ingredients. That includes black, navy, cannellini and kidney beans, and of course, garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas. If I don’t have at least a can of each on my shelves, my kitchen seems bare.

That’s because they come in handy for so many things from salads (sans greens) to soups and stews. There is a lot you can do with these humble, basic beans.

And I have a special place in my heart for chickpeas. Pureed, they are a key component in hummus, and left raw and whole, they play well with so many other seasonings and ingredients.

But in my opinion, the best way to eat them is roasted. They turn out irresistibly crunchy, and you can use them in lots of different ways.

What Are Chickpeas?

Garbanzo Beans or chickpeas are part of the legume family. Specifically, they are pulses, which are the dry edible seeds in pods. Other pulses include beans and lentils.

They are a great source of protein and fiber while being low in fat, so they are filling and nutritious.

You can buy them canned, dried and sometimes you can spot them fresh at the farmers market. Canned chickpeas are incredibly convenient and easy to find, which is why I cook with them the most.

Chickpeas are found in dishes in the Middle East, Mediterranean, India, Africa and Latin America.

Roasted Chickpeas for Snacks

What makes snack food so good is when it has a salty, crunchy bite. And if you can add a kick to that, even better!

Hailing from Southeast Asia, sriracha is just the hot sauce to incorporate into a super quick marinade for the chickpeas. Sriracha is made from chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt.

To add something bright and acidic to the sriracha, I also stir lime juice into the marinade along with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Ingredients including chickpeas, sriracha, lime, olive oil, salt and pepper

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

Chickpeas: The recipe calls for two 15-ounce cans. After you open them, pour them into a strainer to drain the goopy liquid from the cans. Then rinse them with cold water and towel them off.
Sriracha: A little goes a long way with this hot sauce. I find 1 tablespoon to be just the right level of spice to give you a pleasant buzz in your mouth.
Lime juice: The easiest thing to do is to juice a lime right into the bowl with the other marinade ingredients.
Olive Oil: The olive oil helps crisp up the chickpeas as they roast and prevents them from sticking to the pan.
Salt and pepper: I season the marinade with kosher salt and black pepper.
Parsley: Once the roasted chickpeas are out of the oven, I garnish them with chopped parsley.
Flaky sea salt: Even though they are seasoned before they roast, I still finish the chickpeas with flaky sea salt for more crunch to match their crispness.

Whisk together the sriracha, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl

Stir the chickpeas into the marinade into the bowl

How To Make Sriracha Lime Chickpeas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat them dry with a towel and discard any loose skins.
Make the sriracha lime marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together the sriracha, lime juice, olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.
Stir the chickpeas into the marinade.
Use a slotted spoon to move the chickpeas from the bowl to a sheet pan. Spread them into a single layer.
Roast them until they are crisp and browned, about 25-30 minutes. Shake around the pan about halfway through roasting.
Serve the roasted chickpeas sprinkled with chopped parsley and flaky sea salt.

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas with Sriracha and Lime

Serving: Appetizer or Snack, Take Your Pick

These spicy roasted chickpeas are best served warm right after you pull them out of the oven. They will be at their crispiest.

They are fancy enough for nibbles if you are entertaining, but I also love them when I’m on my own for a solo snack.

Leftovers

Again, these are best eaten hot and freshly roasted. If you do have extras that you can’t finish, store them in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. A warning in advance, they will not be crispy anymore, but they will still retain their flavor. Not wanting anything to go to waste, I usually throw them into a salad or cooked grains.

More Recipes With Roasted Chickpeas

And they are so much more than just an appetizer or snack! I like to use them in place of nuts or croutons on salads and with roasted vegetables:

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Herby Tahini
Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Eggplant Tomatoes and Chickpeas
Roasted Tomato Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Chickpea Greek Salad

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STEP-BY-STEP WEB STORY INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS RECIPE!