Moroccan Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Moroccan spiced roasted chickpeas. Perfect savory snack; crunchy, full of flavor and high in fiber and protein to get you full and keep you full. They are great by themselves or sprinkled over a salad or in soup!

It’s no surprise I am a snacker. I love to eat huge salads at lunch, that fill me up for a few hours! But, I get some hunger pains around 3-4pm, especially if I taught spin or ran early that morning. I have found that fighting the hunger never turns out well. (Hangry SAM is not friendly.)

So I have an arsenal of snacking options. Craving something sweet? I love to make maple vanilla mixed nuts or honey sunbutter on apple slices. Omg yum!

Spiced roasted chickpeas, have you tried them? They get super crispy and you can spice them with anything. At first, I was very skeptical of the chickpeas transformation, assuming they would be gritty or soggy. But nope, these babies get just as crispy as your favorite potato chip and are packed with fiber and protein – take that potato chips! However, I’ve found that spiced roasted chickpeas are best with some flavor is added to them, insert Moroccan spices.

I was first introduced to the spices of Moroccan cooking when I made my Moroccan polenta casserole. If you haven’t tried it, you should. So yummy and easy! I was surprised to find that my favorite flavors are also predominate in Moroccan seasoning too. Cumin, smoked paprika, ginger, cinnamon. Yeah it’s seriously such a unique flavor combination, I quickly became obsessed.

These chickpeas are not only great snack food but they are greats soup and salad toppers too. These Morocaan Spiced Chickpeas were the perfect topper to my carrot soup, recipe coming soon!

Chickpeas!

Chickpeas are full of fiber! The fiber in chickpeas helps you feel full longer! Most of the fiber in chickpeas is insoluble fiber, meaning it doesn’t break down until it reaches the lower intestine, where it’s used to help promote healthy bacteria aiding in digestion.

Folate, copper, iron, and zinc are a few of the vitamins/minerals that you can get from chickpeas.

Great snacking option! 1/4 cup of chickpeas contains about 60 calories, 11 carbs (3 are fiber) and 3 grams of protein. Another of my favorite snacks, peanuts, have 207 calories, 6 carbs and 9.2 grams protein for the same 1/4 cup serving. So, if you are trying to reduce your calorie intake, chickpeas may be the way to go! You can gave double the chickpeas and still be down on your overall calories for the day.

Spiced Roasted Chickpeas Recipe Tips

Chickpeas, when canned, often have a thin outer shell, some refer to as “skin”. Some people recommend peeling the skin off, but this is really time consuming. I read that you can soak canned chickpeas in very hot water and the skins will just fall off. I’m going to try this and will let you know. I normally don’t bother with this step because I’m impatient, and I think they are great just out of the can. However, I’ve noticed that the chickpeas without the skin do get a bit crispier. So, if you have the time or small children you need to distract for a bit, feel free to peel off this outer layer.

Use good spices, make sure your spices are fresh. If you bought that cumin (affiliate link) 4 years ago, it’s time to replace! The best option is to roast whole seeds and break them down yourself, but again, I’m impatient, so buy quality spices and make sure they are fresh!

Use parchment paper – it’s your friend! Get yourself some snacking bowls (affiliate link) and make this dish for a healthy party option!

These chickpeas would also pair great with dried apricots or raisins,which are common in Moroccan cooking.

5 from 6 votes

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Moroccan Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Moroccan spice roasted chickpeas. Perfect savory snack; crunchy, full of flavor and high in fiber and protein to get you full and keep you full. Its a great by itself or sprinkled over a salad or in soup!

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 161 kcal

Author Bites of Wellness

Ingredients

• 1 can drained and rinsed chickpeas
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. tumeric
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper optional
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Drain chickpeas and rinse them with hot water.
3. Add chickpeas to a bowl and cover with spices and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir well to cover the chickpeas.
4. Place parchment paper over cookie sheet. Add chickpeas and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400F.
5. Take out of the oven. Allow to cool slightly and taste for salt. Add additional salt as needed.
6. Allow to cool completely before storing.
7. Can store in glass airtight container for 1-2 days.

Nutrition Facts

Moroccan Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Amount Per Serving

Calories 161 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3g 5%

Sodium 131mg 5%

Potassium 350mg 10%

Total Carbohydrates 27g 9%

Dietary Fiber 8g 32%

Sugars 4g

Protein 8g 16%

Vitamin A 15.8%

Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 8%

Iron 27.9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 What About You?

• Have you ever tried spiced roasted chickpeas?
• Do you cook with Moroccan spices?