Buffalo Chickpeas (Air Fried) :: Just because I could never wrap my head around eating chicken wings back in my meat eating days, doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate the flavor of the Buffalo Sauce. 😉
Over the past 8 years of being Vegan, I have made my fair share of Buffalo flavored items–cauliflower wings, buffalo chickpea dip and I’ve smothered vegan meat products in it. Now, while I thoroughly have enjoyed all of those, each of them is either a little more work than I want to do or isn’t very healthy. I say all of this because ‘this’ recipe is quick, easy and oil-free with ONLY 4 ingredients.
Easy and Unprocessed
Chickpeas: aka Garbanzo Beans. Low Fat/High Protein. Chickpeas is one of the most versatile beans in my opinion. You have so many options like the most obvious being Hummus but also Falafel, a topping in Salads, Chicken-Less Chickpea Salad (sandwiches or wraps), Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies, Chana Masala, Roasted and like in this recipe, Air Fried!
Frank’s RedHot Original: Frank’s is the only sauce I use when making Buffalo flavored food. I think it is the most common sauce for this reason but I also like the ingredient list of the Original sauce. It’s simple–aged cayenne red peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt and garlic powder.
Nutritional Yeast: If you are new to veganism or plant based eating, welcome! And welcome to Nutritional Yeast; commonly known as Nooch. I say welcome because pre-vegan me had NEVER heard of Nutritional Yeast. Current vegan me, uses it all. of. the. time. It is dry and flaky with a cheesy/nutty flavor. Nooch makes its way through the vegan recipe world–most commonly used in Vegan Cheese sauces like I did in my Breakfast Tater Tot Casserole or on my Dehydrated Cheesy Kale Chips.
Garlic Powder: Simple enough, we need a little garlic powder.
How do we make them?
Air Fried Instructions
1. First, drain and rinse your chickpeas (if canned)
2. Place them in a bowl or dish. Use a towel or paper towel to dry them off. The skins of the chickpeas will come off a bit. I keep them in the mix since they crisp up too.
3. In a small bowl, mix together Nutritional Yeast, Frank’s RedHot Original and Garlic Powder.
4. Pour on top of the chickpeas. Stir around until all chickpeas are covered.

5. Pour the chickpea mixture into your air fryer basket. 375 degrees for 17-20 minutes. Shake half-way thru. You may need a spatula to shake everything loose half way. Shake again when they’re done.
Serve immediately to ensure maximum crunch.

What do you do with your Buffalo Chickpeas?
- Salad. Chopped romaine with shaved carrots, diced tomatoes, thinly sliced green onion and celery, vegan ranch, sour cream or blue cheese sauce; topped with buffalo chickpeas.
- Wrap. Add all of the ingredients in the salad into a flour tortilla. Wrap it up.
- Tacos. Add all of the ingredients in the salad on top of crunchy or soft corn tacos shell
- Pizza. Add a little Frank’s HotRed Original or pizza sauce on the crust as the base. Top with vegan cheese. Bake. To serve, top with all of the salad ingredients, including the air fried Buffalo Chickpeas.
Pictured is my Vegan and Oil-Free Blue-Less Cheese Sauce.
Buffalo Chickpeas (Air Fried)
Course: Main Dish, Snacks4
servings5
minutes20
minutes113.2
kcalThis quick and easy Oil-Free Air Fried Buffalo Chickpea recipe is perfect for when you want a spicy snack, salad, taco or even top of your pizza.
Ingredients
chickpeas (garbanzo beans), 1 15oz can; drained & rinsed
Frank’s RedHot Original, 1/4 cup
nutritional yeast, 1 1/2 tbsp
garlic powder, 1/4 tsp
Directions
- Air Fryer
- Place the chickpeas in a bowl or dish. Use a towel or paper towel to dry them off. The skins of the chickpeas will come off a bit. I keep them in the mix since they crisp up too.
- In a small bowl, mix together the Frank’s RedHot Original, nutritional yeast and Garlic Powder.
- Pour on top of the chickpeas. Stir around until all chickpeas are covered.
- Pour the chickpea mixture into your air fryer basket.
- Air Fry on 375 degrees for 17-20 minutes. Shake half-way thru. You may need a spatula to help shake everything loose half way.
- Start checking for crispness at 17minutes. Mine usually take 19 minutes.
- Serve immediately to ensure maximum crunch
Notes
- Cal 113 | Fat 1.75G | Carb 18.4G | Prot 7.3G
- Low Calorie Density: 444 Calories/lb.