Spiced, roasted, crunchy chickpeas are a wonderful alternative to croutons. They have way fewer carbs than bread and they’re gluten free and nutritious. They can be sprinkled on all kinds of salads and soups and they’ll jazz and snazz them up. Take a look at my Caesar Salad with Roasted Chickpea Croutons as an example. They also make a great, high-protein, gluten free snack.
The seasonings can be varied – spicy, Southwestern, Indian, smoky…whatever you’re in the mood for and whatever goes best with the dish they’re being sprinkled on. I’ve given a basic recipe below with some additional suggestions for other seasonings. If you come up with a spice combination that you really like, please let us all know in the comments. I’d love to try it.
- Master Recipe:
- 2 15.5 ounce cans cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 11/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Smoky Alternative:
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika in place of regular paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- Indian Alternative:
- eliminate the paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- Southwestern Alternative:
- substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder for the paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix paprika, cayenne, and salt together in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and olive oil. Add half the spice mixture to the chickpeas. Spread chickpea mixture on baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven for 10 minutes and let cool (keep oven on). Put chickpeas back in the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes or until crisp. Watch them so that they don't burn. The double baking helps the chickpeas to become crisp. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over the chickpeas. Toss to coat. Let cool and serve. Sprinkle on a Caesar salad or your other favorite salad.
- Chickpeas keep well and stay crisp in a sealed container. Make sure they are completely cool before putting in container. If they lose their crunch due to humidity, put them in a 300° oven for a few minutes and they should re-crisp.
