Crispy Chickpeas with Sage & Rosemary

I don’t think you’ve ever had the desire to eat an entire can of beans, but that was before you met these Crispy Chickpeas with Sage & Rosemary. These roasted chickpeas are loosely modeled after the brunch chickpeas at The James in Brooklyn, and they are insanely addictive. Crunchy, salty, crispy – everything that’s good about a snack.

The crispy chickpeas at The James are deep fried (god bless ’em) but if you want a more hands-off, passive cooking approach, this recipe is perfect. These chickpeas are coated in a large amount of olive oil, allowing them to “shallow-fry” in the oven, while all you have to do is roast.

Ingredients for these crispy roasted chickpeas

• 1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh sage leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt, to taste

Ingredient substitutions

• Chickpeas: can be swapped for any other white bean, I recommend cannellini.
• Herbs: unfortunately, sage and rosemary are the only herbs that can hold up to the roasting process in this recipe. If you want to try other flavors, I recommend playing around with spices instead to see what you like!
• Extra-virgin olive oil: Swap for avocado oil, grapeseed oil, really any oil you like!

What makes these chickpeas crispy?

This is a good question, seeing as we are roasting these chickpeas and not frying them. When you roast chickpeas in a high amount of oil, the oil will eventually reach a high enough temperature and two things will occur:

• First, the chickpeas will begin to release moisture on the surface, drying them out and creating a crispy exterior
• Second, the escaping water allows oil to seep into the food, resulting in what food scientists call oil uptake. This is starkly different than what would happen if you put the chickpeas in without oil and just allowed them to dry out in the oven.

But don’t worry, since we are roasting and not deep frying, oil uptake is regulated in this recipe, so you won’t be left with a greasy mess.

How to make crispy chickpeas

We love a recipe that is all about set-it-and-forget-it. This is a great one to have on hand for any time you want a filling snack, side dish, or anything that needs a little crunch! Here’s how to make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and transfer them to a bed of paper towels. Lightly pat to dry.
3. Thinly slice the sage leaves into ribbons. Remove the rosemary leaves from the stem and roughly chop into small pieces.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the chickpeas, sage and rosemary. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the ingredients and use your hands to mix until everything is evenly coated in oil.
5. Season with salt to taste, and roast in the oven at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the chickpeas are golden brown and sizzling. Test one chickpea for audible crunch, and if they are still slightly soft, cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Let the mixture cool slightly, then serve! For the best texture, serve these shortly after cooking.

FAQ

Looking for other chickpea recipes?

Here are a few favorites you can find on the blog!

And that’s it for these Crispy Chickpeas with Sage & Rosemary!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3