Name: Vegan Crispy Spiced Chickpeas
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon organic sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 (15 ounce) can chickpeas , rinsed and patted dry

Why This Recipe Works

Most recipes call for roasting chickpeas in the oven, but we found they never became crisp enough to satisfy us. Switching to the stovetop and frying the chickpeas in olive oil gave us the big crunch factor we were seeking in our snack. A quick toss in a sweet-and-savory mixture of sugar and smoked paprika made our chickpeas incredibly addictive. Make sure to dry the chickpeas thoroughly with paper towels before placing them in the oil. In order to get crisp chickpeas, it's important to keep the heat high enough to ensure the oil is simmering the entire time. After about 12 minutes, test for doneness by removing a few chickpeas and placing them on a paper towel to cool slightly before tasting. If they are not quite crisp yet, continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes longer, checking occasionally for doneness.

Instructions

Combine paprika, sugar, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Heat oil in Dutch oven over high heat until just smoking. Add chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer chickpeas to paper towel–lined baking sheet to drain briefly, then toss in bowl with spice mix. Serve. (Chickpeas can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours.)