Last Updated on August 10, 2019

Curried air fryer chickpeas are a healthy, super low fat, 5 ingredient recipe packed with flavour and make a great on the go snack.

I swear it doesn’t get any better than making your very own curried air fryer chickpeas. I promise you will love this recipe if you enjoy bold flavours and crispy crunchy chickpeas to nibble on. Whenever I prepare this snack I end up eating the entire batch guilt free. It’s a complete bonus that it’s zero weight watcher points too, yipeee!!

Reasons why you should make curried air fryer chickpeas

Packed with great flavour from the herb and spices
Very simple to make in the air fryer
Low in carb and fat
High in protein and bonus if you want a healthy snack
They are more-ish and addictive
Great to make in BIGGGGG batches for guests or the family i.e dinner parties, movie night, game day
It’s inexpensive and budget friendly

Okay, so now that I have listed the benefits to making this healthy, nutritious snack. Let’s discuss the preparation and let me tell you I made the first half of the recipe using dried chickpeas which I pressure cooked in my instant pot.

Dried legumes are soooooo cheap in huge batches here in the UK and much more cost efficient than purchasing it’s canned counterpart. It takes about an 30 minutes to pressure cook the dried legumes, but worth it if you want to save yourself some money.

Plus the canned chickpeas are often laden with salt water which I don’t want to contend with. The choice is yours though.

I will supply guidelines of how to cook the chickpeas in an instant pot in case you would prefer to take this route instead. If you do not own a instant pot, simply use your stove top pressure cooker or another brand as per instructions.

How to cook chickpeas in a pressure cooker

Measure of 1 1/2 (285g) cups of dried chickpeas
Rinse the dried chickpeas in a colander several times (picture 1)
Place the rinse off chickpeas in the inner pot and fill with water to the half way point as indicated on the inside. (picture 2)
Switch your instant pot on, select “pressure cook” then adjust the time to “30 minutes”. (picture 3)
Allow the unit to indicate it’s on and double check the pressure gauge is set to “sealing”
Once the chickpeas have cooked perform a quick release by carefully turning the dial to “venting” to release the build up of pressure.
Allow to cool down before draining off the excess water and the chickpeas are ready to use. (picture 4)

How to make curried air fryer chickpeas

Preheat the air fryer basket
Make sure the chickpeas are drained and (especially if using canned to rid excess sodium) and blot with a paper towel. (picture 1)
Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and proceed to sprinkle on the coconut oil, curry powder, parsley, chilli and pink salt. (picture 2)
Use a spoon to evenly combine the herb and spices so each chickpeas is coated. (picture 3)
Pour the chickpeas into the air fryer basket and shake so it’s not over crowded. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your unit. (picture 4)
Set the temperature to 190c/375f and cook for 15-18 minutes.
Stop the fryer and shake a few time throughout the stated cooking time (I did this twice).
Serve accordingly
Once cooled store in an air tight container/jar

Oven version of curried air fryer chickpeas

Preheat 190/375/gas mark 5
Line a baking tray with parchment paper
Drain off the chickpeas
Place the chickpeas in a bowl and toss them with the listed herb and spices
Place the chickpeas spread out evenly on the baking try
Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes
Once cooled store in an air tight container/jar

Notes and tips on how to make the best curried air fryer chickpeas

For best results please use my homemade Jamaican curry powder
Make sure the chickpeas are completely dried off before adding the spices/herbs/oil
You can use an alternative oil to coconut if you prefer
Preheating the basket gives the cooking process a head start but not essential if you forget
If using coconut oil melt the oil first and add the rest of the ingredients immediately so it doesn’t harden
Depending on the size/capacity of your air fryer you may need to work in batches. I own a Philips XL
It’s best to adhere to the measurements in this recipe in order to get an even flavour (not too overpowering or bland)
Chilli is optional, if you don’t like hot simply leave it out of the recipe.
The chickpeas will become more crunchy and harden as they cool down

Other air fryer recipes you make enjoy

Air fryer steak

Lemon pepper chicken

Air fryer onion rings

Air fryer chicken nuggets

Air fryer hamburgers

Air fryer chicken wings

Air fryer shrimp