Vegan Air Fryer Pizza Chickpeas

These crispy vegan air fryer pizza chickpeas are the perfect healthy snack. Keep them in a jar for when you get the nibbles.

Chickpeas are something I can eat for a snack just as they are, but roast them and they are something else.

Crunchy, savoury and so much flavour.

These are a really good substitute for crisps (chips).

And even better you can easily make these pizza chickpeas in the air fryer.

If you don't have one, you can of course roast them in the oven.

Jump to:

• 🥫 Using dried or canned chickpeas
• 🥫 Find the best canned chickpeas
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Cooking chickpeas in the air fryer
• 💭 Tip for the crunchiest of snacks
• 🍕 Pizza but not pizza
• 🧾 More vegan air-fryer recipes
• 📋 Want new recipes delivered to your inbox?
• ⭐ Pin it for later
• 🥦 Living on the Veg
• ⭐ Any special ingredients?
• 📖 Variations
• 🌶 Spice them up
• 💭 Storing roast chickpeas
• ⭐ Best recycled jam jars
• 📖 Step-by-step photos
• 📖 Recipe
• Comments

🥫 Using dried or canned chickpeas

You can use dried chickpeas, which you then soak and cook or canned chickpeas for this tasty vegan snack.

Using dried chickpeas is a cheaper option but using canned chickpeas is quicker and much more convenient.

It really depends on your budget and if you have time.

If you're organised enough to soak and cook beans, then I for one am impressed.

Want to have a go at cooking dried chickpeas, have a look at this post with tips for cooking chickpeas from The Wimpy Vegetarian and try my crispy Italian chickpeas.

🥫 Find the best canned chickpeas

The quality of canned chickpeas can be very varied.

My tip is to head to the world food or Indian aisle of your supermarket.

You'll often find the chickpeas are cheaper there and they are usually much plumper and creamier.

👩🏻‍🍳 Cooking chickpeas in the air fryer

These crisp pizza-flavoured morsels can be cooked in air fryers with shelves or those with drawers.

Here are some tips.

Air fryer with drawers

Have an air fryer with a pull-out drawer?

You can pour the coated chickpeas (step-by-step photos and printable recipe below) straight into the drawer and give it a shoogle (shake) to spread them into an even layer and bake.

Air fryer with shelves

Have an air fryer with shelves?

Either bake in an even layer in a lined tin (mine comes with a small tin) or spread out on the shelves with no lining.

I only line my tray to help keep it in nice condition and to prevent sticking of course.

💭 Tip for the crunchiest of snacks

Here's my tip for crisp roasted chickpeas.

It's a super simple step.

First, drain the chickpeas well, but before you coat them in a little oil, herbs and spices, pour them onto kitchen paper or a clean tea towel to gently dry them.

That's it! But don't skip this step.

🍕 Pizza but not pizza

OK, I'll admit it, I love pizza and usually eat it once a week.

Hey, what's not to love?

When I'm not eating pizza, I like to pizzafy (yes I made up that word) other dishes. Here are a few of them you might also like to try.

Pizza with a difference recipes - vegan of course

• BBQ Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms - cook them in the oven or on the BBQ
• Homemade Pizza Seasoning - sprinkle it over everything, mmmmm!
• Pizza Swirls - a pastry treat perfect for lunchboxes
• Sesame Bagel Pizzas - bagels turned into the most delicious pizzas fast
• Slow Cooker Pizza Potatoes - yes you heard me right, have a slow cooker, then you must make these

🧾 More vegan air-fryer recipes

Here are a few more vegan air fryer recipes you might like to try.

• Caprese Sandwich (toasted or air fryer grilled)
• Cheese Toasties - I add extra flavours to mine
• Crispy Chickpeas - a crunchy snack
• Fruit Scones - made with raisins
• Garlic Bread - Quick and so, so good
• Golden Syrup Flapjacks - chewy and delicious
• Oil-Free Falafel - crisp on the outside, soft inside
• Sweet Potatoes - soft and fluffy baked potatoes
• White Bean Falafel - with sesame seeds

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🥦 Living on the Veg

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Such a friendly community with lots of recipes and chat. I'm in there every day chatting. It's such a nice place to spend time.

⭐ Any special ingredients?

There is only one ingredient that you may not have but I've included an excellent swap you probably do have.

Tomato powder is something you may not have tried, but it's a handy powder to have around.

I use it to make homemade pizza seasoning, to boost the flavour of sauces; sprinkled on cheese in toasties, and to flavour roasted nuts.

Don't have it or can't get hold of it, just add some tomato puree instead.

📖 Variations

I've already said you can use tomato puree if you can't get hold of tomato powder, but here are a few more swaps you can make.

• Garlic granules - you can use garlic powder or onion powder
• Nutritional yeast (nooch) - you can use the powdered vegan-style parmesan that often comes in sachets.
• Dried oregano - you could use dried basil instead

Dried flavourings work better than fresh in this spice mix.

🌶 Spice them up

Like things a bit spicy?

Easy.

Just add chilli powder or hot chilli powder to the spice mix.

💭 Storing roast chickpeas

As with most crispy snacks, these crunchy garbanzo beans (did you know chickpeas are called that too?) are best when just made but can be kept for a few days.

Well if you don't munch your way through them all.

Once cool, store them in a clean dry jam jar with a tight-fitting lid or in an airtight container.

There's no need to keep this easy snack in the fridge.

They will last for a few days, but as I said, they are at their best on the day they are air-fried.

⭐ Best recycled jam jars

I recycle some of my used (and cleaned) jam jars and keep others.

I love the Bonne Maman jam jars.

Here's why:

1. They are a great shape.
2. They have a red gingham printed lid.
3. Unlike other brands they don't plaster the name of the brand on the lid so you can reuse them for foodstuffs, storage, or craft supplies and they always look pretty.
4. The jam is absolutely lush.
5. I really want to believe the story of a man in the supermarket helping an old lady reach a jar of Bonne Maman jam and her telling him of the story of how the Bonne Maman family in a small French village, saved her family during the second world war. Not heard the story? You can read the bonne maman story which was shared by a professor on Twitter.

📖 Step-by-step photos

Step-by-step photos. Keep scrolling for the full printable air fryer pizza chickpeas recipe (with full ingredient list and nutritional info).

Step 1

• Drain the chickpeas and dry them with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.
• Add them to a bowl, mix in the oil and then add the tomato powder (or puree)
• Now add the nutritional yeast (nooch), which is the cheese element, garlic granules (or powder) and dried oregano.

Step 2

• Season with salt and pepper
• Mix well.

Step 3

• Spread the spiced chickpeas in an even layer in an air fryer drawer, in lined tins, or on air fryer mesh shelves.
• Roast until crisp

Step 4

• Leave to cool (if you can).
• Store in an airtight container such as a clean, dry jam jar.
• Enjoy!

📖 Recipe