Crispy Chickpeas in Air Fryer
With this recipe, you can quickly create a healthy, vegan, quick, and tantalizing snack to offer friends as a healthy and light appetizer or delightful light aperitif or to munch on while watching TV.
For this recipe, I used pre-cooked canned chickpeas, but homemade ones work just fine.
If you’re celiac, you can replace the flour with cornstarch.
Nutritionally, chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, they lower bad cholesterol and prevent constipation.
Crispy chickpeas can be stored in a food bag for a few days.
The benefits of cooking in an air fryer are numerous: there’s no need to preheat the oven, cooking is more quick, economical, and healthy (very little fat is needed), fewer pots and dishes are dirtied, and there’s no smoke or odors.
Note that the temperature and cooking times are generally approximate, as much depends on your type of air fryer, however, all the recipes on my blog are thoroughly and rigorously tested by me, so they are more than proven. Nonetheless, I recommend checking the cooking occasionally to best adjust the times and temperature to your fryer.
To cook without dirtying your air fryer, I find these Air Fryer Parchment Trays, WITHOUT holes, very useful because hot air circulates just as well, ideal for very oily foods or those that excessively dirty the fryer. They are disposable, oil and water-resistant, non-stick, do not burn, and can also be used in a regular oven, available on Amazon.
I often also use this very handy perforated parchment paper for air fryer, non-stick and easy to clean, can be used in a conventional oven as well, available on Amazon at a great price.
If you own an air fryer, look for more recipes (sweet or savory) in the section: “Recipes with Air Fryer“.
You might also be interested in:
- Creamy Mezzanelli with Chickpeas and Sausage. Family Neapolitan Recipe.
- Vegan Chickpea Flour Roll with Tofu and Zucchini Cream. Light Recipe
- Crispy and Light Air Fryer French Fries with Very Little Oil. Proven Recipe.
- Praline Almonds with Air Fryer. Easy and Quick Proven Recipe
- Light Oat and Chocolate Cake, Without Butter, Eggs, and Lactose
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 70.15 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 6.71 (g) of which sugars 0.44 (g)
- Proteins 2.54 (g)
- Fat 3.58 (g) of which saturated 0.41 (g)of which unsaturated 0.05 (g)
- Fibers 2.04 (g)
- Sodium 264.69 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 40 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Crispy Chickpeas in Air Fryer
- 8.47 oz canned chickpeas (steamed)
- 1.41 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 0.35 oz all-purpose flour (or 0.25 oz of cornstarch)
- to taste breadcrumbs
- to taste smoked paprika
- to taste garlic powder
- to taste rosemary (optional)
- to taste turmeric powder (or curry, optional)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil (spray, for the surface)
- to taste fine salt
- black peppercorns (optional)
Tools
- Air Fryer Philips
- Air Fryer Paper with holes
- Air Fryer Paper Trays without holes
- Tongs silicone, ideal for air fryer
Steps for Crispy Chickpeas in Air Fryer
Open the can of chickpeas and drain them well. My chickpeas are steamed, so there’s no need to drain them. Transfer them to a bowl and season with flour, salt, extra virgin oil, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, and breadcrumbs.
You can add spices to taste and even grated Parmesan, pepper, etc.
Place the dry chickpeas, in a single layer, in the air fryer basket, lined with special perforated disposable paper for air fryer (see Purchase Tips below) and spray the surface with extra virgin olive oil spray (see Purchase Tips below).
Set the air fryer temperature to 356°F and program the cooking for about 10 minutes and then at 392°F for another 10 minutes.
Once the chickpeas are fried, let them cool (they will become crunchier) and place them on a platter (or in a cone), ready to be snacked on.
Purchase Tips !!!
I am very satisfied with the Philips Air Fryer, with large basket, plus Rapid Air technology creates optimal circulation of hot air that cooks food evenly and keeps it crispy outside and tender inside. It has 13 cooking functions in one: fries, bakes, grills, roasts, and reheats.
A healthier way to cook, because it separates and captures excess fat (healthy and tasty dishes and up to 90% less fat). Cooks up to 50% faster and saves up to 70% of energy compared to an oven (cuts cooking times in half compared to the traditional oven, as it does NOT require preheating).
Very useful is the mode: “Keep Warm”. The individual components are all easily removable and dishwasher safe. Highly recommended! You can find the Philips Air Fryer on Amazon, at a special price.
These disposable air fryer paper trays without holes do not dirty the fryer, but hot air circulates nonetheless because they are very thin. Furthermore, they are oil and water-resistant, non-stick, do not burn, and can be used in a regular oven, always available on Amazon.
I often also use this handy perforated air fryer parchment paper, non-stick and easy to clean, can also be used in a conventional oven, available on Amazon at a great price.
Also, if you want to keep your air fryer clean and protected from scratches and abrasions (e.g., from tongs), these reusable non-stick heat-resistant grills.
To make the chickpeas crunchier, I sprayed this handy cold-pressed extra virgin oil spray, of excellent quality, with built-in spray dispenser, which you can always buy on Amazon.
You can purchase all the items I recommend above on Amazon, at a great price, just click directly on the respective links.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What does cold-extracted extra virgin olive oil mean?
Oil extracted by cold pressing is a superior quality extra virgin olive oil, produced according to EU regulations.
Which parchment paper should be used for an air fryer?
If you use the air fryer for foods that drip (such as batter), it’s better to use paper trays WITHOUT holes (the paper is very light and air and heat circulate just the same). If the foods to be cooked in the air fryer are dry and do not drip, it is preferable to use perforated parchment paper.
What can be used to keep the air fryer clean without scratching it?
Just use a reusable non-stick grill, heat-resistant, for Air Fryer (see Purchase Tips above)
Are chickpeas cooked in an air fryer vegan?
Yes, chickpeas cooked in an air fryer are vegan, just cook them without adding flour. They turn out crunchy anyway.
