Growing up, my mom used to make roasted chana as a staple snack. It's nutritious, crunchy and the flavor combinations are truly endless. When I moved to the US, I learned to make this using a can of chickpeas, some olive oil and some spices as a super easy, everyday snack!
P.S., I write this during Navratri (Indian festival of nine nights) and as Diwali (Indian festival of lights) is approaching. This is my favorite snack to serve during parties to celebrate those festivals!
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💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- Super delicious, super nutritious. Hard to find something that beats roasted chana as a snack. Chickpeas are super rich in protein.
- Simple pantry ingredients that keep you full. I love having a can of chickpeas in my pantry to make chana masala. It's super easy to pick up a can of chickpeas and it's a hearty snack that'll keep you full for long!
- Little hands-on work, ready in under an hour, great as batches. You season, throw the chickpeas in the oven, and you're basically done!
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📋 Ingredients and notes
You'll need two cans of chickpeas, avocado oil, salt, pepper, Kashmiri red chili powder (or paprika), garlic powder, cumin powder and coriander powder (or swap those two with garam masala) to make this version of Indian roasted chickpeas. See notes below for variations on the spices.
If you you want to use dry chickpeas, either soak the chickpeas in water for about 24 hours or pressure cook it for 30 minutes. Then, following the rest of the instructions!
Spice Variations
- Indian: This is the recipe as written, using cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, and garlic powder.
- Moroccan: Cumin powder, garlic powder, paprika, and za'atar.
- Sweet delight: Cinnamon and brown sugar with a pinch of sea salt.
- Chili-lime: Lime zest, cumin powder and red chili powder. Finish with a drizzle of lime juice when it's out (but just a pinch so it stays crunchy!)
📖 How to make roasted chana
- Preheat the oven or air fryer to 425F and throw your baking sheet or air fryer tray in there while the oven is pre-heating (you won't regret it!)
- Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas and dry it thoroughly - remove any loose skins and towel dry once more
- Throw on a baking sheet , and drizzle with a tablespoon or two of avocado oil and coat evenly - make sure to wear mitts while removing the baking sheet!
- Place the baking sheet into the oven (or the air fryer tray into the air fryer) for 20 to 30 minutes. Shake halfway through to ensure all sides are roasted evenly. Remove and set aside.
- While they're roasting, mix the spices in a large bowl
- Once they're out, throw the chickpeas in the mixing bowl and toss to coat evenly. Add a teaspoon of avocado oil if you need it to stick. Enjoy!
👩🏽🍳Top tips and FAQs
Let's troubleshoot!
Why are my roasted chickpeas not crunchy?
This can happen for a number of reasons, but the most common one is that ovens and oven temperatures are quite different. So odds are, if your chickpeas are not crunchy ... they're just not crunchy yet! Throw them back in for a few minutes that should fix the problem.
Top 3 Tips for Crunchy Roasted Chana!
- Dry them completely first and remove the skins. Well, technically you don't need to remove the skins. But you NEED to dry the chickpeas THOROUGHLY (think: towel dry them twice or thrice). Removing the skins helps more because the skin sometimes holds water underneath. If there's any water, your chickpeas will steam in the oven and not crisp.
- Use avocado oil, high temperature, and bake without parchment paper or silicon mat! Chickpeas naturally have a lot of moisture, so baking it straight on a baking sheet after giving it a good drizzle of oil means that they'll crisp up nicely! I typically use 425F, but you can go as high as 450F.
- Toss every ten minutes, and roast until the chickpeas are golden brown. I like tossing the chickpeas every ten minutes to make sure all the surfaces are equally crispy. Oven temperatures can be quite variable, so I typically suggest roasting for at least 20 minutes and then checking every 5 minutes thereafter.
Other FAQs
You can store these in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
You can use either cooked and dried chickpeas or canned and dried chickpeas. No difference! They taste great either way.
Roasted chana has high fiber and protein. So it keeps you full for longer and can be a great, filling and nutritious snack.
No, they're quite healthy! They are high in fiber and protein and super filling (just make sure to consume in moderation!)
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
These are usually gone before I know it, but if you want to store, place them in an airtight container (preferably a glass jar) in a cool place for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, just throw them on a baking sheet and into the oven at 300F for a few minutes.
If you like this recipe, try my other Indian recipes:
Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much
📖 Recipe
Roasted Chana (Crispy Indian Chickpeas!)
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas, low-sodium preferred
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ⅓ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, substitute paprika for low-spice version and adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or air fryer to 425°F and throw your baking sheet or air fryer tray in there while it is pre-heating (you won't regret it!)
- Drain and rinse two 14.5 oz cans of chickpeas and dry it thoroughly by placing them between two paper towel sheets or in between a kitchen towel. Remove any loose skins and towel dry once more.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven with mitts. Throw the chickpeas on the baking sheet or air fryer tray and drizzle with a tablespoon (or two) of avocado oil and coat evenly by tossing them with tongs.
- Oven: Place the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes. This might take a bit longer depending on your oven! Just watch until the chickpeas are a nice golden brown.Air Fryer: Place the air fryer tray or basket into the air fryer and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking halfway through to ensure all sides are roasted. This might take a bit longer depending on your machine! Just watch until the chickpeas are a nice golden brown.
- While they're roasting, mix ½ teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder (or paprika), 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon each of cumin and coriander powder along with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper in a mixing bowl.
- Throw the roasted chickpeas into the mixing bowl and toss to coat evenly. Add a teaspoon of avocado oil if you need the spices to stick. Enjoy hot!
Notes
- To use dry chana instead of the canned chickpeas, either soak them overnight or pressure cook them for 30 minutes.
- Make sure to dry the chickpeas thoroughly before placing them in the oven. Removing the skins also helps with removing additional moisture!
- You can use many other spice combinations - check out the post for other ideas!
- I suggest not using parchment paper or silicon mats for this recipe since I found the chickpeas crisp up better if you place them directly on the metal baking sheet!
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