Crispy chickpeas in an air fryer
With this recipe, you can quickly make a healthy, vegan, quick, and tasty snack to offer friends as a healthy and light appetizer or a delightful and light aperitif, or to munch on in front of the TV.
For this recipe, I used pre-cooked chickpeas from a can, but home-cooked ones work just fine.
If you are celiac, you can substitute the flour with cornstarch.
Nutritionally speaking, 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: no need to preheat the oven, cooking is more rapid, economical, and healthy (very little fat is needed), fewer pots and pans to clean, and no smoke or odors.
I should note that the cooking temperature and times are generally indicative because a lot depends on your type of air fryer, however, the recipes on my Blog are all previously and rigorously tested by me, hence well-tested. Nonetheless, I recommend you check the cooking occasionally to better adapt the time and temperature to your air fryer.
To cook without dirtying your air fryer, I find these air fryer parchment trays, WITHOUT holes, very useful. They are very lightweight, so hot air circulates just as well. I find them ideal for very greasy foods or those that dirty the fryer a lot. 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 use this handy perforated parchment paper for air fryer, non-stick and easy to clean, it can also be used in a conventional oven, available on Amazon at a great price.
If you own an air fryer, check out more recipes (sweet or savory) in the Section: “Recipes with Air Fryer“.
You may also be interested in:
- Creamy Mezzanelli with Chickpeas and Sausage. Family Neapolitan Recipe.
- Vegan Chickpea Flour Roll with Tofu Cream and Zucchini. Light Recipe
- Crispy and Light Air Fryer French Fries with Very Little Oil. Tested Recipe.
- Praline Almonds with Air Fryer. Easy and Quick Tested Recipe.
- Light Oat and Chocolate Cake, Without Butter, Eggs, and Lactose.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- 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 Air Fryer Chickpeas
- 8.5 oz canned chickpeas (steam cooked)
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (or 1/2 tbsp 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 (cold-pressed, spray, for the surface)
- to taste fine salt
- black peppercorns (optional)
Tools
- Air Fryer Cosori, large (5.7l) even cooking
- Air Fryer Parchment Paper with holes
- Air Fryer Parchment Trays without holes
- Tongs silicone, ideal for air fryer
Steps for Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas
Open the can of chickpeas and drain them well. My chickpeas are steam-cooked, so it’s not necessary to rinse them.
Transfer them to a bowl and season with flour, salt, extra virgin olive 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 specific disposable perforated parchment paper for air fryer (see Purchasing Tips below) and spray the surface with extra virgin olive oil spray (see Purchasing Tips below).
Set the air fryer temperature to 356°F and program the cooking for about 10 minutes, then at 392°F for another 10 minutes.
Once you’ve fried the chickpeas, let them cool (they will become crispier) and place them on a small plate (or in a paper cone) ready to be munched.
Purchasing Tips!!!
I am very satisfied with the Cosori Air Fryer, with large 5.7-liter basket, 13 functions, optimal hot air circulation making foods crispy on the outside and tender on the inside
A healthier way to cook, as it separates and captures excess fat (healthy and tasty dishes and up to 97% less fat). It halves cooking times compared to a conventional oven, with significant economic and time savings. The individual components are all easily removable and dishwasher safe. Highly recommended!
These disposable air fryer parchment trays, without holes don’t dirty the fryer, but hot air circulates just as well because they are very thin. Furthermore, they are 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 handy perforated parchment paper for air fryer, non-stick easy to clean, can also be used in a conventional oven, available on Amazon at a great price.
Additionally, if you want to keep your air fryer clean and at the same time, protected from scratches and abrasions (e.g., from tongs), these reusable non-stick heat-resistant grill mats are very useful.
To make the chickpeas crispier, I sprayed the surface with this handy extra virgin olive oil spray, cold-pressed, of excellent quality, with built-in spray dispenser, which you can purchase 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 from a cold pressing is a superior quality extra virgin olive oil, produced according to EU regulations.
Air fryer parchment paper: which to choose?
If using the air fryer for foods that drip (such as batter), it is better to use parchment paper trays WITHOUT holes (the paper is very lightweight, allowing air and heat to circulate anyway). 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 to use to keep the air fryer clean without scratching it?
Just use a Reusable non-stick grill mat, heat resistant, for the air fryer (see Purchasing Tips above)
Are air fryer cooked chickpeas vegan?
Yes, air fryer cooked chickpeas are vegan, just cook them without adding flour. They become crispy anyway.
