Ranch seasoned air fryer chickpeas are a satisfying, healthy snack. They scratch that itch for flavor, crunch, and salt without the grease of a potato chip.
Air fryer ranch chickpeas are also simple to make and super flavorful! You only need six ingredients and less than half an hour to make them.
Raise your hand if you've been snacking like mad lately! I know that Dave and I have been snacking machines, and for the past few weeks we've been trying to be a bit more healthy about our snack choices.
Need oven directions? Get my oven recipe for ranch roasted chickpeas right here!
On the weekends, we eat whatever junky treats we want, but during the week, we've been trying to reach for healthy snacks. I tend to go for salty snacks, so seasoned almonds and these crunchy chickpeas have been my go to!
Ranch seasoned air fryer chickpeas recipe
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas - drained but NOT rinsed, and save the liquid from the can!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 teaspoons dried dill
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a small bowl, toss together the chickpeas and 1 tablespoon of the liquid that you reserved from the can. Air fry at 400° F for 12 minutes.
- Transfer the chickpeas back to your small bowl, and toss in the olive oil, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and lemon juice, so the beans get nice and coated.
- Transfer the chickpeas back to your air fryer basket and cook at 350° F for 5 more minutes
- Serve now, or cool completely and then store in an airtight container (see Notes below).
Equipment
Video
Notes
- It's critical that you do not rinse your chickpeas. The bit of liquid from the can that clings to the beans adds an extra crunch that you don't want to miss!
- Don't try to save a step and add the seasoning at the beginning of cooking. The garlic and onion powder will be fine, but the dill in the ranch seasoning will burn if you cook it for so long at such a high temperature.
- If you need to store these, let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container on the counter. They will keep for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Why make chickpeas in the air fryer?
Have you tried making roasted chickpeas in the air fryer yet? It's so quick and easy!
The main advantage to using the air fryer for a recipe like this is the time-saving. Your air fryer will roast chickpeas in half the time it would take in the oven.
The other advantage, though, is that you don't have to turn on your oven. That's a real bonus during summer months, because who wants to heat up the whole house on a scorcher of a day just for some crunchy chickpeas?
Recipe notes
You only need six ingredients available at any grocery store to make these. And I bet that you already have them on hand right this second.
To make these, you'll actually be air frying your chickpeas twice. Once to get them sooooo close to the finished texture. Then, a second time to get that ranch seasoning to stick.
The reason you need to toss in the ranch seasoning later in the game is because those dried spices will burn in the air fryer if you add them too early.
Trust me, burnt dill is not delicious.
And I know that you're here to make something delicious!
You'll notice that in the instructions, it specifies not to rinse the chickpeas. That's because the liquid in that can of beans -- called aquafaba -- has a lot of properties similar to eggs in cooking. You even toss them in an extra tablespoon of aquafaba before that first round of cooking, for good measure.
That little bit of aquafaba adds moisture and crunch to the finished recipe. Read more about the magical powers of aquafaba here!
How to serve them
Obviously, you can just eat these by the handful. This is probably what I do most often, because they're so addictive.
If you can manage not to eat these straight out of the air fryer, though, they're delicious on top of salads or your next grain bowl. You can even stuff them into a sandwich or wrap for a little bit of extra protein and crunch.
How to store them
You can store your Air Fryer Chickpeas in an airtight container in your pantry. They'll keep for two to three days.
I do not recommend storing these in the refrigerator. When you stick these in the fridge, a little bit of condensation is going to form on the container, and that is going to soften the chickpeas.
You want crunchy, satisfying chickpeas!
Kristen
I am currently fighting my second bout with cancer. I am getting freaky about my diet, and chickpeas are a powerhouse and full of protein from what I’ve read. These are so yummy. I used dried beans to eliminate any preservative in canned but I didn’t read the part about saving the water and boiling it down. Some of my chickpeas came out nice and crunchy, while other were not quite as much. Will the water make the difference or a few more minutes cook time? Otherwise, these will be a staple snack for me. I think they’d be excellent in a Salad as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Trusting Him!
Becky Striepe
The water is more for getting the spices to stick than for crunchiness. I'd cook a bit longer and shake more often to get a more uniform result. I'm glad you're enjoying these and hope you have a speedy recovery!
Darcy L Wheeles
What are your recommendations if you use dried garbanzos that have been pressure cooked?
Becky Striepe
If you still have the liquid, I'd boil it down until it reduces by half, then toss with the cooked chickpeas, then drain. You can save the excess liquid and freeze in ice cube trays to use as an egg replacer in other recipes!
Anonymous
I made this yesterday and they are beyond delicious! I had only one problem: I ate the whole thing at one time! ?
Becky Striepe
Haha that is my favorite kind of problem! So glad to hear that you dug these. 🙂
Anonymous
Becky, the garbanzos i
Maria Delgado
The air fryer garbanzos are so delicious. I made them for my husband as a healthy snack and he LOVED them. I also added a little Cholula and cayenne pepper for heat, and he loved them even more. I can't make them often enough. Am loving all of your recipes,
Maria
Becky Striepe
Ooh I love that you added some heat. Cholula is one of my top favorite hot sauces!
Michelle Cassata Jordan
I made these and they are delicious, but they’re somewhat “wet,” for lack of a better term...is that how they’re supposed to be?? Thanks!!
Becky Striepe
Oh weird! No, definitely not. Maybe bump up the cooking time next time. Air fryers are all so different!