Roasted Chickpeas for the Trail
A can of chickpeas, an oven, and two hours. Comes off the sheet pan light, hard, and salty.
- calories
- 230
- weight
- 1.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 153
- protein
- 9 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Day hike
- Car camping
- Bikepacking
- Thru-hike
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Canned chickpeas | two 15 oz cans | drained and rinsed |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- At home: drain the chickpeas and dry them hard on a towel. Any water left on the skins turns to steam and you get chewy, not crisp.
- Toss with the oil and spices. Spread on a sheet pan in one layer with gaps between them.
- Roast at 400F for 40 to 50 minutes, shaking the pan every 15. They are done when one splits under your thumbnail instead of squashing.
- Cool completely on the pan before bagging. Warm chickpeas sweat and go soft in a sealed bag.
- On trail: open bag, eat by the handful. No stove, no water.
This started as a kitchen snack and needed almost nothing to become a trail one. Chickpeas roast down to something dense and dry, which is exactly what survives in a pack: no moisture left to spoil, no crumbling like chips do, and around 9 grams of protein per handful.
The drying step is the whole recipe. Wet chickpeas steam themselves in the oven and stay leathery, and leathery chickpeas mold. Get them dry, roast them until they crack, and cool them all the way before the bag closes.
Packing
Once fully cool, split into 1.5 oz portions in snack bags and squeeze the air out. They keep about a week at room temperature and stay crisp longer if you toss a silica packet in the bulk bag at home.
Variations
- Curry powder and a pinch of cayenne instead of paprika.
- Cinnamon and sugar in place of the salt spices, for a sweet version.
- Run them through a dehydrator at 125F for two hours before roasting if you want them to keep past a week.
https://positivelyfrugal.com/frugal-snacks