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.
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.
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.
This is what you need:
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.
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.
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
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.
The roasted chickpeas are best served hot or warm right from the oven.
If you do have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. They will no longer be crispy, but they will still have their spicy flavor. You can mix them into a salad or cooked grains.
Keywords: crispy chickpeas, roasted chickpeas
I am totally hooked on these chickpeas!
★★★★★
The crunchiest!!!
★★★★★