When hunger hits between meals, the easy move is to reach for a bag. And the easy move is rarely what you actually want. The air fryer can do far more than chicken and steamed veggies: with two or three ingredients you get a crunchy nibble you can prep ahead for meal prep, and that steers clear of ultra-processed snacks. Today I'm sharing my version of crispy chickpeas in the air fryer and veggie chips. No hype, no miracles, and with the times that work for me (which don't have to be the same as yours).

Before getting to work, two warnings I always repeat. First: every air fryer heats differently, and the amount you put in the basket changes the result. Second: you won't find calorie figures or promises of any kind here. I cook things that taste good and are as light as I know how; the rest is for your healthcare professional to decide if you need it.

The beauty of chickpeas and thinly sliced veggies is that they're pantry or fridge ingredients that keep well through the week. Canned cooked chickpeas, well drained and dried, turn crunchy with no breading and no oil bath. Thin slices of vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, sweet potato, potato) dry out and toast instead of frying. You don't need anything more.

If you're after a protein profile, chickpeas provide plant protein; to round out the snack you can pair them with a high-protein dairy product or a portion of shredded chicken from your Sunday meal prep. Calling a chickpea "high-protein" in the abstract doesn't mean anything: it depends on the portion and the rest of your day. I'm not going to give you percentages I can't cite.

For the crispy chickpeas:

• 1 can of cooked chickpeas (or chickpeas soaked and cooked at home), well drained.
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (yes, one; you don't need more).
• Salt, smoked paprika, cumin or garlic powder to taste.
• Paper towel and a large bowl.

For the veggie chips:

• 1 zucchini, 1 small eggplant or 1 sweet potato (pick one per batch).
• Olive oil spray or a brush.
• Fine salt.
• A mandoline or a very sharp knife (a mandoline helps a lot).

Common equipment: air fryer, tongs or a spatula, and an airtight container for storing leftovers.

1. Drain and dry. Tip the chickpeas into a colander, rinse them and spread them on paper towel. Dry them well with another sheet. This step does the most to decide whether they come out crunchy or chewy: if any moisture is left, they steam instead of toasting.
2. Remove loose skins. You don't need to remove them all, but the ones that come off on their own are best set aside: they burn sooner than the rest.
3. Mix in the bowl. Oil and spices. Stir until every chickpea is coated, with no puddle at the bottom.
4. Preheat the air fryer for a few minutes at medium-high temperature. Preheating helps the first batch start hot, although not every air fryer needs it equally.
5. Cook in a single layer. Spread the chickpeas out without piling them up. If there are a lot, do two batches: two good batches beat one bad one.
6. Shake halfway. Pull out the basket and shake it so they tumble over. From the halfway point on, check every few minutes: the jump from "toasted" to "charred" is very quick.
7. Let them cool. They're soft inside when they come out; as they cool for a few minutes on a rack, they finish crisping up. If you cover them hot with a cloth, they go soft.

Approximate times and temperatures: about 180 °C (350 °F) for 12-18 minutes, shaking halfway. It depends on the air fryer model (not all heat the same or move the air the same), the amount of chickpeas in the basket and whether they're canned or freshly cooked (the latter release more moisture and need more time). Start at the low end of the range and work up: it's easier to add minutes than to take away charcoal.

1. Thin, even slices. Cut the zucchini, eggplant or sweet potato into rounds of similar thickness; if some are twice as thick as others, some burn and others stay raw. With a mandoline it's much easier.
2. Dry the surface. Especially with zucchini and eggplant, which release water. Run a paper towel over the slices.
3. Brush or spray with oil. A very thin coat; the spray is good for not overdoing it.
4. Salt at the end, not the beginning. If you salt before cooking, the salt draws out water and the chips go soggy. Season when they come out of the basket.
5. One layer, no overlapping. Lay the slices flat. You may need two or three batches for a single vegetable.
6. Check and flip. Halfway through cooking, flip the ones that look more toasted at an edge. Veggie chips cook very fast and are not very forgiving.

Approximate times and temperatures: about 160-180 °C (325-350 °F) for 10-15 minutes for zucchini and eggplant, and a bit longer for sweet potato or potato because they're denser. It depends on the thickness of the slice, the amount in the basket and the air fryer model. If you notice the edges toasting before the centre, lower the temperature and extend the time: strong heat with thin slices is a bad combination.

• Don't crowd the basket. This is mistake number one. An air fryer cooks by hot-air convection; if the pieces cover each other, they steam.
• Don't drench in oil. One tablespoon for the chickpeas and a spray for the veggies is enough for the spices to stick and the surface to brown.
• Don't rely on the first attempt. With your air fryer, your basket and your quantity, you'll learn the exact minutes by cooking. Write down what you did and adjust next time.
• Don't store them hot in a container. Let them cool completely on a rack. If you store them warm, the condensed steam ruins the crunch.
• Storage: in an airtight container at room temperature they stay reasonably crunchy for a couple of days; if they soften, a couple of minutes in the air fryer revives them.
• Smart meal prep: cook the chickpeas and slice the veggies the day before; store the sliced veggies with paper between them and cook at the last minute. That way you have the snack ready in under a quarter of an hour.
• Safety: handle the basket with dry hands and on a stable surface; the inside of the air fryer is scorching when you open it right after cooking. The food safety recommendations of official bodies (for example, your country's food safety agency guidelines) are the reference if you want to be sure about something specific; I'm not going to give you internal temperature figures here that I can't cite directly.

If you get into the habit, crispy chickpeas and chips are the kind of recipes that slip into your meal prep routine on their own: cheap, quick and not dependent on a bagged snack turning out well. Try one batch, adjust your time and stick with the version that tastes best from your air fryer.

The times and temperatures in this article are approximate and depend on the air fryer model, the amount of food in the basket and the thickness or size of each piece. No nutritional or health figures are included because this text isn't backed by a citable public source cited here; for any food composition data, check the official source you prefer (for example, your country's official food composition database) and verify its current version.

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