They're crispy. They're crunchy. They're chickpea fries with rosemary garlic aioli! Hold the phone. You can make fries out of chickpeas? Yup! And you're about to find out how.
Let's do this!
Table of Contents
📖 About
When we first tried chickpea fries at a local restaurant in Kelowna, we were in disbelief. The waiter suggested them as an appetizer, and we ordered them to humor him (even though we both thought chickpea fries wouldn't be that great).
Boy, were we ever wrong! We're not sure what we were expecting, but they were incredibly delicious. In fact, we ended up ordering a second one! You'll probably want to do the same thing after making this recipe, so just go ahead and prep a double batch.
We prefer the health benefits of chickpeas to potatoes since they have such a high protein and fiber content. They also have a uniquely pleasant flavor, especially when dipped into our creamy rosemary garlic aioli.
It's hard to believe you can make fries out of chickpeas, but we promise you won't regret trying them. Their crispy exterior surrounds a perfectly tender and fluffy interior to create the ultimate snack.
Plus, they're vegan and gluten-free! This just keeps getting better and better.
Ingredient you'll need for the fries 
Ingredients you'll need for the dip
🍲 Key ingredients
- Chickpea flour: if you haven't worked with chickpea flour, don't fret! It's very straightforward to cook with (you also can't have chickpea fries without it...). It wouldn't be chickpea flour without some killer health benefits like 20g of protein per cup! Chickpea flour provides a neutral, nutty, and beany flavor, which works surprisingly well in both sweet and savory dishes.
- Rosemary: to elevate these chickpea fries, we use rosemary, which is one of our favorite herbs. It's earthy, herbaceous, and fragrant. It's widely used in cooking and medicine for a variety of reasons. Did you know it can improve your memory and balance your mood? Pretty incredible!
- Garlic: for an extra punch, we use garlic in both the chickpea fries and the aioli. The fragrant garlic flavor perfectly complements the creamy aioli base. Garlic is known for its powerful antibacterial properties due to compounds like allicin. So, always try to include garlic in your daily cooking (especially in the winter months).
- Lemon: what better way to round out a creamy, rich aioli than with the acidity of a lemon. We love adding citrus to pretty much anything we cook since it gives a zesty, bright, and fresh flavor. Plus, lemon is high in vitamin C, so it’s an ingredient we use to stay healthy!
🔪 Instructions
To begin this recipe, lightly grease a medium (we use an 8x8) casserole dish with a neutral oil of your choice (we use a spray avocado oil). Set that aside while you make the batter.
Whisk the chickpea flour, salt, and garlic together in a medium bowl. Once mixed, bring your water to a low simmer in a pot. Whisk in the dry ingredients and keep whisking until the mixture is smooth and thickened (this takes us about 3-5 minutes). Note: you should be continuously stirring the whole time!
Bring chickpea flour to a boil Continue whisking until you get this consistency
Next, transfer the batter to your greased casserole dish, then smooth it with a spatula. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, press it down so it's touching the chickpea batter, then transfer the dish to your fridge to chill for 4 hours (or even overnight).
In the meantime, prepare the rosemary garlic aioli by finely mincing the rosemary or crushing it in a mortar and pestle. Then, mix rosemary, minced garlic, lemon juice, and vegan mayo together in a small container. Cover and transfer to your fridge to allow the flavors to meld together.
After the chickpea batter has firmed up for a few hours, turn the dish upside down on a cutting board and knock the mixture out (you may have to pull it away slightly from the edges to break it free). Slice into approximately 24 rectangle pieces (pictured below).
Stovetop Frying
If you are frying these, heat about a cup of neutral frying oil in a pan over medium-high. You’ll know the oil is hot enough when you stick a wooden handle in and you see bubbles forming around it.
Fry the pieces for 2-4 minutes on each side, or until they appear golden brown. Transfer your fries to a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of any excess oil.
Air Fryer
If you own an air fryer, lightly spray both the fries and air fryer with a neutral oil (we use spray avocado oil). Then, set the air fryer to 400 degrees F if you have that option, and spread the chickpea fries out evenly in a single layer. Note: we have an oscillating fryer, but we don't use it for this recipe since the fries are somewhat fragile when uncooked.
Air fry the chickpea fries for about 5 minutes, flip them and cook for 5-7 minutes more. If things are looking dry in the air fryer, add a little more oil as needed. You may need to cook the fries in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Serve chickpea fries immediately with a side of rosemary garlic aioli for a delicious appetizer or snack!
🌡️ Storage
These chickpea fries are best when eaten immediately after frying. However, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. They will lose their crispiness, but you can toast them up again in an oven on 350 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes.
You can make the batter a few days in advance, then fry it whenever you are ready to serve. The aioli will keep in a container in the fridge for up to 10 days.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Make sure to use a cheap vegetable oil for frying
- Buy your chickpea flour in bulk to save more
- Make your own mayo instead of buying it from the store
- Change out the lemon for another acid like rice wine vinegar
🍴 Tasting notes
You're going to fall in love with this version of a French fry just like we did! Chickpea fries are:
- Crunchy on the outside
- Tender on the inside
- Garlicky
- Herbaceous
- Perfectly salted
If you try these fries, please rate them and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Chickpea Fries with Rosemary Garlic Aioli
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Medium size sauce pan
- Whisk
- Mixing bowl
- 8x8 casserole dish
Ingredients
Chickpea Fries
- 1 cup chickpea flour ($1.28)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 teaspoon salt ($0.02)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder ($0.02)
- ~ 1 cup neutral oil for frying ($1.92)
Rosemary Garlic Aioli Dip
- ¼ cup vegan mayo ($0.29)
- ½ tablespoon dried rosemary, finely minced ($0.06)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced ($0.04)
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice ($0.18)
Instructions
- To begin, lightly grease a medium (8x8) casserole dish with neutral oil of choice (we use a spray avocado oil). Set aside.
- Then, whisk the chickpea flour, salt, and garlic together in a medium bowl. Once mixed, bring 2 cups of water to a low simmer in a saucepan. Whisk in the dry ingredients. Continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth and thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Note: you should be whisking the whole time.
- After the batter is quite thick (like porridge or polenta), transfer it to your greased casserole dish, then smooth it with a spatula (working quickly). Cover the dish with plastic wrap, press it down so it's touching the chickpea batter, then transfer the dish to your fridge and chill for 4 hours or overnight.
Rosemary Garlic Aioli
- In the meantime, prepare your dipping sauce by finely mincing the rosemary or crushing it in a mortar and pestle. In a container, mix rosemary, minced garlic, lemon juice, and vegan mayo together. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Cover and transfer to your fridge.
- After the chickpea batter has cooled, turn the dish upside down on a cutting board and knock the mixture out (you may have to pull it away slightly from the edges to break it free). Slice into ½-inch wide rectangle pieces.
Stovetop Frying
- Heat about 1 cup of neutral cooking oil in a pan over medium-high. You’ll know the oil is hot enough when you stick a wooden handle in and you see bubbles forming around it.
- Fry the pieces for 2-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. You may have to fry them in batches depending on how big your saucepan is.
Air Fryer
- If you own an air fryer, lightly spray both the fries and air fryer with a neutral oil (we use spray avocado oil). Then, set the air fryer to 400°F if you have that option, and spread the chickpea fries out evenly in a single layer. We have an oscillating fryer, but we don't use it for this recipe.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, flip the fries and cook for 5-7 minutes more (if it's looking dry, add a little more oil when you flip them). Again, you may need to cook them in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Serve chickpea fries immediately with a side of rosemary garlic aioli for a delicious appetizer or snack!
Notes
- Calories are a rough estimate due to the frying process.
- Make sure to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate after frying to get rid of as much excess oil as possible.
- Total time does not include the 4 hours of chill time.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more tasty snacks, check out our:
- Crispy homemade potato wedges for some traditional style fries.
- Cheesy vegan popcorn if you need something for Netflix & chillin'.
- Crispy vegan "chicken" tenders for some spice, crunch, and protein fix.
- Baked buffalo cauliflower wings if you need some finger food to kick back for the night.
💬 FAQ
Yes, you can bake these fries. If you do not want to fry or air fry them, brush them with a few tablespoon of olive oil and bake them for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees F, flipping halfway. Note: they will not end up as crispy.
If your chickpea batter isn't firming up, it most likely means you didn't whisk it with the water long enough. Before transferring it to the fridge, it should be quite thick (like polenta) in your pot.
While these chickpea fries do contain healthy ingredients, any food that is fried should only be consumed in moderation. If you want to make the healthiest version of these fries, opt for baking or air frying to use the least amount of oil.
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