Note: Hi, friends! Just a a quick reminder – some of the links on this site are affiliate links, and so I may earn a little cash on qualifying orders. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and is a nice way to help support this site! I also want to point out that I don’t promote products I haven’t actually tried or products that I don’t trust. 🙂
I’ve been eating a low carb plant-based diet for six years now, and while I’m pretty over sugary cravings on a day-to-day basis, the one thing I continually find myself wanting is some form of chip. Yes, there are flax crackers and other “crispy” vegan keto snacks, but they don’t really hit the spot in the same way. What did always satisfy that craving for something sweet was crispy chickpeas and fava beans. They’re pretty prevalent in grocery stores now, so you’ve likely seen them – those little bags of crunchy flavored beans that are salty and delicious and really satisfy that need for something like a chip. Of course, chickpeas and fava beans are a little higher in carbs than I would like, so they don’t really make a great vegan keto snack.
What does happen to make a pretty good low-carb vegan snack are lupini beans. You may remember these little guys from my Mediterranean pasta dish I made a while back. These little beans are something I bought on impulse in a supermarket and then started to see everywhere, and by everywhere I mean the vegan keto hashtag on Instagram. It seems that the low carb vegan community has some form of hive mind about snack foods…
As simple as it is, this recipe actually took a lot of trial and error. I tested at all different temps and all different times and finally found something that worked, and I’m so glad I did! While this snack is a little higher in carbs than most keto foods, it’s less than one third the carbs of crunchy chickpeas for the same quantity! These are crunchy and salty and 100% satisfy that craving for something chiplike. In addition to being vegan, this is a keto snack that is also nut-free, gluten-free and soy-free. It’s the tri-free-cta! Nope, that doesn’t work… Anywho, I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! If you end up making them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Notes on Making Vegan Keto Snacks: Crispy Lupini Beans (nut-free, soy-free, gluten-free)
- It seems strange to leave things in a turned-off oven, but this really is necessary to get these little suckers as crunchy as possible. This “technique” was a happy accident born of laziness, because I got frustrated after a batch was still too soft inside and so I just stuck the pan back in the oven and thought I’d deal with it later. See? Sometimes things do just solve themselves if you ignore the problem (note: nearly nothing else works this way)!
- You could season this with whatever you want. I just happen to have bought some za’atar seasoning the other day and have been putting it on everything.
- Something to note – because lupini beans are packed in brine, they are super salty throughout. If you choose to put seasoning on them, keep this in mind and look for a seasoning blend that is lower in salt or salt-free.
- Macronutrient information was calculated using Cronometer and the USDA database for nutritional information. You calculations may vary based on brands used!
Vegan Keto Snacks: Crispy Lupini Beans
Ingredients
- 1 cup 166g lupini beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon za'atar or seasoning of choice optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and have on hand rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Drain and rinse the beans and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- In a small mixing bowl, toss the beans with the oil.
- Spread the beans out in a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, turn off the oven and leave the beans inside for an hour with the door closed. This will help them to dry out and get super crunchy all the way through.
- Remove from the oven, toss with seasoning and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
I have read that you must remove the shells do you with your recipe?
Hi Ramona! The brand I used already had the shells removed, but I would recommend it. You can leave them on, but they don’t get as crispy that way.
Can you just point out that, although these are tree nut free, they are peanut family and people with a peanut allergy need to take care.
Love this!! Brilliant
Thanks, Christine! 🙂
Hello,
This looks like a tasty snack and look forward to preparing it in the near future.
One side note, lupini beans are cross-reactive for people with peanut allergies. Though the recipe is technically nut-free, those who need to avoid peanuts and its derivatives must do the same for lupini. More information is available at this site:
https://www.allergicliving.com/2017/05/16/lupine-warning-issued-to-peanut-allergic-consumers/
Because I cook for an allergic teen, I will try your recipe with fava beans which seem to be about the same size a lupini.
Thank you for tagging your recipes as nut free. It makes finding new options much easier!
Hi Chris, I actually didn’t know this. Thank you so much for sharing! This is definitely key information. Peanuts are actually one of the few allergens that don’t bother me, so I’m not really up on what cross reacts with them. I’ll have to read up on this. 🙂
Do you think it would be possible to adapt these to make them salt+vinegar flavoured? I miss salt and vinegar crisps so bad 🙁
I hope so, I love salt and vinegar! I’ll get working on something 🙂
Popcorn seasoning should work well with these!
Hey!
So I made this recipe in the oven and they popped and exploded all over my oven, any recommendations?
Thanks,
Kaitlyn
Hey, Kaitlyin! It sounds like for your particular oven, you may need to either put the beans in for less time, or just lower the temperature a bit. 🙂
I hope this helps!
Is it better to use dry lupini beans/soak over night and boil?
I can add my own pink salt after.
The carbs look quite high on the bag of dry lupini beans compared to bottled or canned..not sure why. Thanks.
Hi! The process for soaking lupini beans actually requires a week or more of soaking, changing the water daily. If you would prefer to do that, you definitely can! 🙂
Dry beans will always have a higher carb count than their soaked counterparts, as the counts are based on 100g of weight, without the water, it’s just the dry components of the beans.
Sounds like a really good recipe. Wondering how the carb count is reduced so drastically, does baking them take it away? The lupini beans link takes you the product on amazon which says it has 28 grams of cArbs per tsp.
Hi, Rakhi, thanks for commenting! I actually haven’t directly linked to any lupini beans. It sounds like this is something auto-generated by Amazon.
There is a brand of lupini beans on Amazon with an incorrect label, and it seems that this is the one. Typically, lupini beans have about 1-3g of net carbs per quarter cup. 🙂
Hi Rakhi,
The lupini beans that you begin with. Are they brined, canned or jarred? Just want to ensure I’m starting from point A.
Thanks,
Dan
Hi , Your photos looks like the skin is still on. the beans. Is it so? I Do I have to skin them first? I am using sweet ones so don;t have to go through days of rinsing !
Thanks, Nancy
Hi, Nancy, I do not take the skins off! You could if you really wanted to, but it’s not necessary. 🙂