Spicy Chili Lime Roasted Chickpeas are a terrific snack. They’re also great on salads, in soups, or in even in tacos and burritos!

Versatile Chickpeas

Chickpeas are so versatile that they’re almost magical. Chickpeas can be mashed and mix with mayo and served as a sandwich filling. They can be puréed into a creamy dip. They can added straight from the can to just about any soup or stew. And they can also be tossed in spices and roasted for a crunch snack.

Nutritional Powerhouses

In addition to be versatile and delicious, chickpeas are also little highly nutritious, too. They are:

High in fiber
Rich in protein
Low in calories
Loaded with minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and potassium
Full of vitamins, including folate, vitamin B6, vitamin K, and vitamin C

The nutrients found in chickpeas contribute to their health benefits. They can support blood sugar control, aid digestion, protect against cancer and diabetes, and support heart health. They’re also inexpensive, so there’s no reason not to add them to your diet!

Aquafaba

Aquafaba, which is the liquid found in a can of chickpeas, is pretty magical, too. It can whipped up to make meringue, used in baked goods in place eggs, and it can be used in the place of oil in certain recipes, too. (Like this one!)

When draining cans of chickpeas, I pour the liquid into small containers and place it in the freezer so I always have aquafaba on hand if I need it. (I use chickpeas several times a week, though, so I will admit that I sometimes pour the magical liquid down the drain.)

If you prefer to cook chickpeas from scratch rather than use the canned variety, just save the cooking water. (Not the soaking water!)

Roasted Chickpeas

I’ve been roasting chickpeas since before they were “a thing.” I was surprised several years ago when I coworker brought roasted chickpeas to work and started talking about them as if they were the greatest thing since sliced bread. (They probably are the greatest thing since sliced bread.) I’m not sure how she had discovered them, but she was a little surprised to find out that I had been roasted them for years.

Sure, you can buy roasted chickpeas in just about any flavor now, but they’re so easy to make that it doesn’t make sense to spend the extra money to have someone else do it for you. They’re super easy to make – just open a can, add some spices, and cook! When you make them at home, you can control the ingredients and the flavor, too.

I used to make roasted chickpeas in the oven, but since getting an air fryer, I now cook them in it. They take about half the time in the air fryer as they do in the oven. In mine, they cook up in about 20 minutes, but since air fryer cooking times can vary, they might be ready in just 15 in others. No matter how you cook them, be sure to shake things up a little at about the halfway mark, so they cook evenly.