Two or three years ago, Andrew and I were having dinner at a new restaurant in our neighborhood, and one of the dishes on their appetizer list was roasted chickpeas. We aren’t super into hummus, or other chickpea-based things (only on occasion, when the mood strikes), so we were kinda like ‘meh’ about ordering them.
When we asked the waiter what he recommended this was the first thing out of his mouth. Not one to disregard a server’s suggestion, we ordered them. They were served super hot and fresh from the oven, seasoned with a spicy/paprika-y spice blend. We were hooked.
Since that day I’ve been searching for a similar-but-different take on roasted chickpeas. I stumbled upon this recipe because they called them CHEETOS style chickpeas. Um, you had me at Cheetos.
While I definitely don’t think they’re totally Cheetos-esque, they use a popular ingredient: nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a vegan staple, which provides a cheesy flavor with absolutely no cheese.
Eaten hot out of the oven is when these are the best. And luckily (or unluckily?) you will still get Cheetos-fingers 😛
In a large bowl, cover 2 cups of dried chickpeas with 6-8 cups of cold water. Let soak for 8 hours (or overnight).
Once soaked rinse the chickpeas. Add 6 cups of water in a pot to the drained/rinsed chickpeas. Let simmer with the lid tilted (so the pot is not fully covered) for about 45 minutes, or until just tender.
Skip soaking/cooking the chickpeas if you’re using canned chickpeas.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Drain and rinse chickpeas thoroughly.
Pat the chickpeas dry with clean paper towels and allow them to dry for 15-20 minutes so they are completely dry to the touch.
Put the chickpeas into a bowl with the olive oil and the sea salt. Toss until chickpeas are fully coated with both oil and salt.
Spread evenly onto a baking sheet. I lined mine with non-stick foil, but these didn’t seem to stick at all so you could probably skip it.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing the chickpeas every 10 minutes or until just crispy. I could’ve gone a little longer with mine (this was after 30 minutes) to get the ideal crunch.
While the chickpeas are in the oven, make the seasoning.
Whisk together the nutritional yeast, salt, granulated garlic and optional cayenne in a bowl. If you’re a fan of flaming Cheetos (hello, who’s not?!), definitely add in the cayenne.
While warm, toss them in the Cheetos seasoning until each chickpea is generously coated.
Snack, while these babies are warm, until you see the bottom of the bowl and your fingers are substantially coated in flavor.
Adapted from: The Kitchn
Makes: 2-4 servings, as a snack
Prep: 10 active minutes (plus soaking overnight), Cook: 75-90 minutes, Total: 85-100 minutes
- 2 cups dried chickpeas (or 15 oz canned chickpeas)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
In a large bowl, cover 2 cups of dried chickpeas with 6-8 cups of cold water. Let soak for 8 hours (or overnight).
Once soaked rinse the chickpeas. Add 6 cups of water in a pot to the drained/rinsed chickpeas. Let simmer with the lid tilted (so the pot is not fully covered) for about 45 minutes, or until just tender.
Skip soaking/cooking the chickpeas if you’re using canned chickpeas.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Drain and rinse chickpeas thoroughly.
Pat the chickpeas dry with clean paper towels and allow them to dry for 15-20 minutes so they are completely dry to the touch.
Put the chickpeas into a bowl with the olive oil and the sea salt. Toss until chickpeas are fully coated with both oil and salt.
Pour the mixture out onto the baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing the chickpeas every 10 minutes or until just crispy.
While the chickpeas are in the oven, make the seasoning.
Whisk together the nutritional yeast, salt, granulated garlic and optional cayenne in a bowl.
While warm, toss them in the Cheetos seasoning until each chickpea is generously coated. Now they’re ready for snacking!
Crunchy Salty Sweet 