Satisfy your afternoon snack craving with these 4 ingredient Chocolate Covered Roasted Chickpeas. A great source of protein, oil free, and made with no refined sugars.
It happens every afternoon, that urge to snack! The kids get home from school and immediately hit the pantry looking for something to fill their starving bellies. So, I stay prepared with healthy snacks that will tide them (and me!) over until dinner time like crispy, roasted chickpeas. We've made a variety of flavors, but these Chocolate Covered Roasted Chickpeas may just be the best yet. They're made with just 4 ingredients, a great source of protein, contain no refined sugars, and there's chocolate - the perfect snack!
I've found the best way to achieve a nice crunchy texture when roasting chickpeas is a dry roast. Rather than coating the beans in oil and the seasonings before baking, I simply dry them and bake as is with nothing coating them. This way you get really crispy, crunchy beans in the shortest amount of time possible with no need for any oil.
This is one of those snacks that is best enjoyed the same or possibly the next day (if stored properly) as the chickpeas do tend to soften up and become a bit chewy if stored for longer. If you do plan to store the beans be sure to use an air tight container to maintain crispness.
Here are the chickpeas after roasting. The beans will dry out and split as the bake.
To avoid refined sugars in this snack I made a simple 3 ingredient chocolate sauce using cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract rather than just melting chocolate for coating. Coat the roasted beans in the chocolate and pop into the oven for a few minutes to dry. Simple and delicious!
Note: if your maple syrup is cold you'll need to let it warm up to room temperature while the beans bake. If the syrup is cold when combined with the cocoa powder the mixture will become very thick and it will more difficult to coat chickpeas although not impossible. I learned this the hard way 😉
If you try this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below or snap a pic and tag it @weelittlevegans on Instagram so I’ll be sure to see it!
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas or 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Drain and rinse chickpeas if using canned and place on a towel to dry. Gently rub chickpeas with towel until throughly dry. Remove and discard any loose skins.
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Spread chickpeas in an even layer on parchment lined baking sheet.
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Bake for 35-40 minutes or until chickpeas have browned lightly and have crisped. Stir chickpeas every 15 minutes to ensure even roasting.
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In a bowl combine cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Maple syrup should be room temperature to prevent mixture from becoming too thick.
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Transfer roasted chickpeas into bowl with chocolate mixture. Stir and toss to coat all chickpeas.
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Return coated chickpeas to baking sheet. Spread in an even layer. Bake for 5-7 minutes longer until chocolate coating is dry and no longer sticky.
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Allow to cool completely and enjoy! Best enjoyed the same day, but maybe be stored in air tight container for 1-2 days.
Kim
Have you tried these in an air fryer?