Recently, I posted my new and improved technique for roasting garbanzo beans–also known as chickpeas. Additionally, I had fun experimenting with roasting various other types of beans lurking in my pantry. (To see the details, click here.)
Somewhere between the black eyed peas and the butter beans, My Whole Food Life shared her sweeter version of this healthy snack on my Fountain Avenue Kitchen Facebook page. They looked so good, I had to try!
My technique is slightly different, and you may click here for the original version. Due to the sugars in the maple syrup, I found a bit more caution was necessary to prevent the beans from burning. They also took a few minutes longer than my savory versions, simply because the syrup adds moisture which ultimately needs to be dried out. They sure are tasty though, and a perfect option for those who have more of a sweet than a salty tooth.
- 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained, and dried (see above notes)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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To a medium bowl, add the garbanzos, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Gently stir until the beans are evenly coated.
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Place the garbanzos on a well-oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet with sides. I move all the beans together on the baking sheet so that they sit in the excess syrup.
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Roast at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Stir the beans and roast in 10-minute increments, stirring after every 10 minutes, until crunchy, approximately 25-30 minutes more. It is helpful to spread them out at this point. Depending on the oven, you may need to bake another 10 minutes or so. Reducing the oven temperature will make it easier to throughly crisp the beans without burning them. (See notes below for a few helpful hints.)
- Dark-coated pans often brown food more quickly than light-colored pans. If you are baking on a dark-coated pan, it is helpful to turn the oven temperature down by 25 degrees.
- Once cooled, if you taste your garbanzos and they are not completely crisp, simply return to the 350 degree F oven for another 10 minutes or so. The beans do continue to crisp up as they cool, so better to err on the side of undercooking when in doubt.
I start the garbanzos all together on the tray so they all sit in the maple syrup mixture. As they dry out and I stir them, I spread them out to further crisp, as shown above.