This herb and sea salt roasted chickpeas recipe is sponsored by Caruso’s Natural Health and their Kids and Teens Probiotic.

herb and sea salt roasted chickpeas in a lunchbox container and a bowl surrounded by a mandarin, and textas

Herb and sea salt roasted chickpeas are perfect for replacing nuts in the lunchbox! They are really yummy and easy to make if you use canned chickpeas.

Why you're going to love this snack

These yummy crunchy morsels will satisfy crunchy savoury cravings for adults and kids. But the great things about them don’t stop there:

Good for you- more on that later!
Easy to make
Delicious
Nut free
Completely customisable to your tastes
A source of prebiotics
Healthy

herb and sea salt roasted chickpeas in a blue bowl

But chickpeas?

If you aren’t convinced by chickpeas …but you like salted nuts or savoury things, then these are the chickpeas that might just turn this around for you. If you prefer sweet things, make sure you check out these cinnamon honey roasted chickpeas. Before you make these, you need to decide if you are going to use canned chickpeas or dried. If you're planning on using dried, you need to head over to this post to get the method.

Why canned chickpeas?

Well, you can certainly cook them yourself according to this method, but the quickest way to make this delicious 5 ingredient snack is to use canned. And trust me the only real difference is price. It is much more economical to buy them dried and cook them yourself.

Why are chickpeas good for you?

Chickpeas are a source of prebiotics, which is a soluble fibre found in various plant based foods which helps to create the right environment for probiotics to establish, grow and flourish. As the fibres in foods such as chickpeas begin to break down, they travel and ferment their way along the digestive tract. This in term is priming your digestive tract for probiotics.

What are probiotics?

“Probiotics” is a collective term used to describe bacteria or other microorganisms that dwell in a population or microbiome, such as the intestinal microbiome. Probiotics are microorganisms that excrete or contribute substances which promote the health of the host they reside in. Basically they are friendly bacteria that helps to keep you healthy.

chickpeas in a lunchbox, in a bowl next to a bottle of Caruso's kids and teens probiotics

With almost 50% of Australians suffering from digestive issues, it is super vital that we focus on developing good digestive health for our kids and teens. Encouraging the colonisation of gut friendly bacteria and the establishment of a healthy microbiome is the key to the best digestive health you can have.

How do we use probiotics?

Support immune system health
Maintain healthy digestion
Maintain gastrointestinal health and support friendly tummy flora
Support bowel regularity
Maintain general health and well being.

NOTE: Always read the label and follow directions for use. If symptoms persist, worsen or change unexpectedly, talk to your health professional.

Caruso’s Kids and Teens probiotic

You can check out the range of Caruso’s products for kids and teens here.

Ingredients

Don't forget to scroll to the recipe card for quantities and the full method, as well as a step by step video.

1 tin of chickpeas
Olive oil
Dried rosemary
Dried marjoram
Salt flakes

chickpeas, olive oil, marjoram, rosemary and sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. This is important because you want to stick to the cook time.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. You can use the water you drain off them to make aqua faba meringues!
Pop off the skins. (or don’t!)
Pour all of the ingredients into a large bowl and stir well to coat. Use a spatula or large spoon.
Lay the chickpeas in a single layer on an oven tray. Spread them out.
Roast for 45-55 minutes or until dry. Get one out and test it!

Wait until completely cool before storing in a container.

process images showing the steps of the recipe

Double/triple/quadruple batching

This is the perfect recipe to do a large batch of. The ingredients listed are for a 400-gram tin. Just multiply by the number of tins you want to make!

Flavour substitution:

Rosemary- can be swapped for: thyme, oregano etc

Marjoram- can be swapped for: thyme, oregano, Italian herbs, mixed herbs

Olive oil- can be swapped for rice bran or vegetable oil

Tips for making these perfect every time

Preheat your oven!
Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly
Mix the ingredients well together

chickpeas pouring from the bowl to the tray for roasting

Storage

These Herb and sea salt roasted chickpeas are best stored in an airtight container for up to a week. If it is particularly humid where you are- like Sydney in summer- you can store them in the fridge.

For longer term storage they can be frozen but must be defrosted in the fridge.

Serving

These are great in the lunchbox and perfect as an after school snack. Perfect for eating on the go. Please remember though, they are for kids with chewing and crunching skills- as otherwise, they could be a choking hazard.