Air fryer Chickpeas (Crispy Chana)

Air fryer chickpeas is a tasty, crunchy, healthy snack made by air frying chickpeas seasoned with salt, red chilli and other mixed spices. It is vegan, gluten free, high protein and made using very little oil.

In India, crispy chickpeas is also known by many other names like ‘Chana Kurkure Namkeen, ‘Crispy Chana Masala’ or ‘Kabuli Chana Namkeen’.

Traditionally it is made by deep frying boiled chickpeas but I tried making it in air fryer and it turned out just perfect with so little oil. I have tried baking them in oven too but liked the air fryer version more.

These chickpeas in air fryer are a great snacking option as they are :

• Protein packed
• Low Oil
• Vegan
• Gluten Free
• Easy & Quick to make

Evening tea time at my home is incomplete without snacks. Everyone just loves something crunchy and salty with their cup of tea. I find these  handful of masala crispy chickpeas to be a great accompaniment as they instantly satiate the salt cravings and are so much better than market bought cookies, chips or snacks.

These crispy chickpeas are also a great option for packing in lunch box as mid day snacks. You can even add it on salads, poha or on top of hummus for additional crunch.

Chickpeas are also known as Garbanzo beans, Chana, Channa or Chhole. They are a great source of plant based protein & fibre in vegetarian / vegan diet. It makes one feel full for longer, therefore it is often recommended for weight management also.

Air Fryer Chickpea Ingredients-

Chickpeas- I have made these crispy chickpeas from scratch by first soaking and then boiling raw uncooked chickpeas. You can use canned chickpeas also for cutting down some steps.

Cooking Oil / Ghee–  Little bit of fat is required for crisping the chickpeas. You can use either ghee (clarified butter) or any other cooking oil like olive oil, sunflower oil for vegan version.

Spices (Seasoning)- I have used Indian spices like red chilli powder, chaat masala, amchoor (mango powder) etc to season these chickpeas. You can experiment with other different flavours by adding onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, cheese powder or dried mint or any seasoning of your choice.

Salt- A mix of table salt & black salt has been used here. You can even use rock salt or pink salt.

Can I use canned chickpeas in this recipe?

Sure, you can use canned chickpeas to make this crispy snack in air fryer. Just drain all the liquid from them by transferring on a colander. If you are using canned chickpeas skip the soaking & boiling part (step 1 & step 2 in directions).

Youtube Video:

Hope you would like this easy air fryer chickpeas recipe. If you are looking to include more chana in everyday diet, then do check out the recipes below:

• Falafel
• Hummus (2 ways)
• Indian Chickpea Salad
• Chana Masala (Chickpea Curry)

Ingredients:

• Chickpeas (uncooked)- 1 cup
• Olive Oil- 1 tbsp
• Salt- 1 + 1/2 tsp (or to taste)
• Water- For cooking
• Spices / Seasoning:
  • Red Chilli Powder / Paprika- 1/4 tsp
  • Chaat Masala- 1/2 tsp
  • Amchoor (Dry Mango Powder)- 1/4 tsp
  • Black Salt- 1/4 tsp

Notes:

1. If you don’t have black salt you can skip it or replace it with rock salt or pink salt. Feel free to add any spices or seasoning of your choice like paprika, lime salt, roasted cumin powder. onion or garlic powder.
2. If you are using canned chickpeas, skip step 1 & step 2 below.

Directions:

Step 1:
(If using canned chickpeas, skip step 1 & step 2) Wash the raw chickpeas well under running water. Soak them for 6-8 hours or overnight. This softens them up & also reduces the cooking time later on.

Step 2:
Discard the water in which chickpeas were soaked. Rinse them under running water and add to a pressure cooker. Add roughly 4 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt to it. After 1 whistle slow down the flame for 20-25 minutes. Switch off the flame & wait for the pressure to release.

Step 3:
Transfer these cooked chickpeas to a sieve and let all the water drip from them (If using canned chickpeas, rinse and drain them). Spread them on a kitchen cloth for 1 hour to dry completely. We want to remove extra moisture from the chickpeas as much as possible otherwise they take longer to become crispy.

Step 4:
Once the chickpeas are dried, transfer them to a bowl. Add oil, 1 tsp salt and toss well so that all chickpeas are evenly coated. You can even spray the oil. Keep it aside.

Step 5:
Preheat air fryer at 200°C (392°F) for 5 minutes.

Step 6:
Transfer the chickpeas from bowl to air fryer basket (We will use this same bowl in the last step too so don’t rinse it off) . Set them to air fry at 200°C (392°F) for 18 minutes. Keep shaking the basket every 5 minutes. While they are air frying lets move to next step.

(You must be wondering why we have not added the seasoning to the chickpeas before air frying. This is because in 18 minutes of cooking time all spices get burnt, giving a bitter after taste to chickpeas.)

Step 7:
Add all the spices in a mixing bowl. This will be our seasoning mix. Keep it aside.

Step 8:
When there are only 2 minutes left in air frying time, add some of the seasoning mix to chickpeas (don’t add all of it). Shake the basket well in order to mix and air fry.

Step 9:
In the same bowl in which we mixed chickpeas & oil, transfer these air fried chickpeas and add all the remaining seasoning while they are still hot. Toss it so that all the spices stick to the chickpeas. (I have asked to use the same bowl as it would have little bit of left over oil which will help the spices to stick to the chickpeas.)

Taste it once and adjust salt or spices as per your taste. Please note cooking time varies from air fryer model to model. So keep an eye on chickpeas after 15-16 minutes.

Enjoy these yummy crunchy spicy chana masala or air fried crispy chickpeas. Store them in an airtight jar when they have cooled completely.

Notes :

What to do if these air fried chickpeas become little soft later on?

The first time I tried these chickpeas in air fryer, I air fried them for 15 minutes. At that time they seemed crispy but after an hour they turned slightly soft from centre. I then air fried them for 3 minutes more & they got perfectly crunchy again and did not turn soft later on.

From above experience, I deduced the cooking time in my Philips air fryer needs to be around 18 minutes for crispy chickpeas. If you are making it first time and the same happens with you then air fry chickpeas for 2-3 more minutes till they are crunchy again.

How to store crispy air fried chickpeas?

They can easily be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days days. Always use a dry spoon while taking them out from jar as moisture can turn them soft or reduce the shelf life.

More air fryer recipes you might like :

• Pasta Chips
  
• Rajasthani Bati
• Zucchini Fritters
• Veggie Quinoa Patties
  
• Plantain or Banana Chips

Pin for later :

Kitchen Products Used :

• Air Fryer
• Serving Jars

If you try this air fryer chickpeas recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.

Let’s stay connected
Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest| Youtube

(6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)

Loading...