The Likely Reason Your Chickpeas Aren't Crisping Up In The Oven

Crispy chickpeas make a tasty savory snack that's low in carbs, rich in fiber, and packed with a satisfying crunch. But if your homemade batch of baked garbanzo beans are coming out squishy instead of crackly, it's likely you didn't dry them enough before baking.

Moisture of any kind, whether from water, vinegar, or broth, slows down the rate at which food crisps up in the oven. This occurs because the heat inside the cavity has to work on evaporating all of that moisture off before it can start browning the surface of anything from beans and potatoes to veggies and roasted chicken. Eliminating that liquid to begin with is the best way to maximize the crunch of roasted chickpeas.

A simple way to dry off your legumes is to place them on a clean dishcloth or paper towel (if using canned beans instead of freshly simmered, rinse them under cold water to remove the salty packing liquid first and spread them out). Place another sheet of towel on top, and gently press it over the chickpeas so the towel can absorb the water. Alternatively, drain your chickpeas in a colander and let them hang. While this takes a bit more time, you can do it early in the day and let the beans do their thing unmonitored while you get on with other jobs. 

If you want to dry off your legumes faster, consider Alton Brown's clever salad spinner hack for roasting chickpeas. Brown drains and washes his chickpeas using a colander before decanting them into the spinner and turning it a few times to create centrifugal force. This move ejects the water that's sitting on the surface of the garbanzo beans, saving him from drying them by hand. Finally, he sandwiches the beans between two paper towels to remove any remaining moisture, just in case, and bakes them in the oven. You can also use an air fryer to crisp up your chickpeas if preferred.

To elicit the crunchiest exterior, coat your dried chickpeas in a slick of oil. As oil doesn't steam like water, it won't soften the surface of your garbanzo beans. Rather, it will kickstart the browning process and sizzle, giving rise to a batch of chickpeas that are super crispy on the outside. Moreover, the oil will provide a wet surface for any dry seasonings, such as smoked paprika, black pepper, or garlic powder, to cling to. The oil and seasonings will create a savory crust that's packed with flavor and textural complexity. You could even give your roasted chickpeas an umami flavor boost by sprinkling on some nutritional yeast, which has a naturally cheesy quality.