Last Ingredient » Appetizers & Snacks » Sriracha Lime Roasted Chickpeas

December 30, 2021

Sriracha Lime Roasted 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.

Healthy snack, appetizer or crunchy topping there are so many tasty was you can put a batch of roasted chickpeas to use. With just 8 ingredients, this sriracha lime version is citrusy and a little bit spicy. But you can adjust the seasonings to go with lots of recipes like roasted cauliflower with herby tahini and chickpea stuffed sweet potatoes.

Why You Need This Recipe

Raw chickpeas are good, and roasted ones are even better. That’s because they turn out golden brown and irresistibly crunchy. It takes self-control not to just eat all of them right off the sheet pan.

They are a better version of croutons. While I love making my own homemade croutons, you can think of roasted chickpeas as a more nutritious salad addition than hunks of toasted bread.

Chickpeas are a reliable pantry ingredient. I go by the rule of always having 1-2 cans of chickpeas in my pantry at any given moment. Even if you make the most basic version of this recipe with just olive oil, salt and pepper and skip the citrus and sriracha, you will be very happy with the results.

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

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

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.

Spicy Chickpeas for Snacks

What makes snack food so good is when it has a salty, crunchy bite. (I mean–hello, potato chips!) 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.

The Ingredients

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

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.
Extra-virgin olive oil helps crisp up the chickpeas as they roast and prevents them from sticking to the pan.
Salt and pepper season the marinade.
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.

How To Make Roasted Chickpeas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat them dry with a paper towel and discard any loose skins.

1. Make the sriracha lime marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together the sriracha, lime juice, olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.

2. Stir the chickpeas into the marinade.

Marinade in a large bowl and chickpeas stirred into marinade.

3. Use a slotted spoon to move the chickpeas from the bowl to a baking sheet. Spread them into a single layer. Do not use parchment paper. Having the chickpeas directly on the hot metal of the pan will help them roast.

4. 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.

Raw chickpeas on sheet pan and roasted chickpeas on sheet pan.

Variations

Don’t feel like you always have to use sriracha and lime juice. You can keep the flavorings more simple or use a mix of dried seasonings from your spice drawer:

Basic roasted chickpeas: Toss the chickpeas with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Lemon & cumin: For the marinade, combine the juice of a lemon with 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
A full spice mix: Combine 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, pinches of chili powder, oregano & thyme with 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Serving

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. And they are so easy to make that you could bake them while you have guests over. I also love them when I’m on my own for a solo gluten-free 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 at room temperature up to 3 days. A warning in advance, they will not be as crispy, but they will still retain their flavor. Not wanting anything to go to waste, I usually throw them into a salad or cooked grains, and I don’t think much about what they’ve lost in texture.

More Chickpea Recipes

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

Did you make these crispy chickpeas? Please leave a comment and review below. Thank you!