Say goodbye to soaking dried chickpeas for hours. These Instant Pot Chickpeas are tender, flavorful, and ready for making hummus, salads, curries. or your favorite dinner in just about an hour.
Pressure cooker chickpeas have so much more flavor than they would had they been soaked first – they absorb all of the deliciousness from the liquid they are cooked in. And they come out perfectly tender and perfectly cooked every time.
What You’ll Need
- An Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker – I use an Instant Pot Duo or 3-Quart Instant Pot
- A Strainer & Large Bowl
- Unsoaked Chickpeas
- Water
- Kosher Salt
- Bay Leaves
- Garlic Cloves
- A Whole Onion
Are Chickpeas and Garbanzo Beans the Same?
Yes, chickpeas are the same thing as garbanzo beans, and the names are often used interchangeably. They are a type of bean from the legume family.
How to Make Instant Pot Chickpeas
Cooking chickpeas in an Instant Pot could not be easier. Best of all, there is no soaking required.
- Rinse the chickpeas and sort through them for any rocks or discolored beans.
- Next, peel a head of garlic and smash the cloves. I use pretty much the whole head unless it is huge. I use around 10-12 cloves. Then slice an onion in half and remove the peel.
- Now, add the dry beans, water, bay leaves, kosher salt, garlic cloves, and onion to the Instant Pot.
- Give it a quick stir to mix everything together then, put the lid on and turn the vent to sealing,
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual Mode or Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 45 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure Naturally Release (ie, do nothing, just leave it alone) for 20 minutes.
- When 20 minutes is up, carefully release any remaining pressure.
- Once the pin has dropped, carefully open the lid.
- Strain the chickpeas to remove them from the liquid – I like to do this over a bowl – then pick out the bay leaves, garlic, and onion. If you are not going to use the chickpeas right away, save some of the liquid for storing.
Let the chickpeas cool, then use them for hummus, your favorite dinner, or save them in the refrigerator for up to a week to use on salads or in other meals!
To Soak or Not to Soak Chickpeas?
You can pre-soak your chickpeas overnight, but they will cook much faster. If you soak them, add them to a bowl and cover them with about two inches of water. Stir in a teaspoon of baking soda. Drain the chickpeas before cooking the beans in fresh water.
Then:
- Cook on High Pressure for just 15 Minutes for Firm chickpeas
- Cook on High Pressure for just 18 Minutes for Creamy chickpeas
Follow with a Quick Release.
How to Use Chickpeas
Use drained chickpeas as you would use canned chickpeas. We love to make hummus, curries, salads, roasted chickpeas, and crispy air fryer baked chickpeas.
- Approximate Yield: 1 cup of dried chickpeas makes about 3 cups of cooked chickpeas.
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to make a large batch, just make sure your Instant Pot can handle that much liquid. (Do not exceed the Max Fill line.)
Can You Cook Dried Chickpeas on the Stove?
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, the best way to cook dried chickpeas is to let them soak overnight first covered by at least two inches of water with a teaspoon of baking soda.
Then, in the morning, drain the water and transfer the beans to a pot on the stove and again, cover with at least two inches of water. Add the same ingredients as below, (bay leaves, salt, garlic cloves, and an onion) then bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 35–40 minutes with a lid on, skimming the foam as needed.
How to Store Cooked Chickpeas
Once cooled, store cooked chickpeas in a little bit of their cooking liquid in the refrigerator for up to one week. If they sit for too long they will start to get slimy. You can also use the liquid as a thickener in soups or stews!
You can also store the cooked beans in the freezer in their cooking liquid for adding to soups, curries, or stews. I use Stasher Bags or small freezer containers.
Helpful Tips
- To make softer chickpeas, you can cook the beans for up to one hour. They will be soft but still have a little texture.
- To make chickpeas that are melt-in-your-mouth creamy – really only for making hummus because they will fall apart if you stab them with a fork, you can soak them before cooking them. Soak them for 12 hours, then cook them for 18 minutes and Quickly Release the pressure. Chickpeas cooked this way will be so soft you can make hummus by just mashing them with a fork.
- Store cooked chickpeas in a little bit of their cooking liquid. This will keep them from drying out too much.
- You can also use a little of the starchy cooking liquid when making hummus-it makes the puree a little thicker and smoother.
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Instant Pot Chickpeas (No Soaking Required)
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10-12 garlic cloves I usually just use one small head of garlic, then peel and smash the cloves to extract the flavor.
- 1 white or yellow onion halved and peeled
Instructions
- Rinse the chickpeas and sort through them for any rocks or discolored beans.
- Next, peel a head of garlic and smash the cloves. I use pretty much the whole head unless it is huge. I use around 10-12 cloves. Then slice an onion in half and remove the peel.
- Now, add the dry beans, water, bay leaves, kosher salt, garlic cloves, and onion to the Instant Pot.1 cup dried chickpeas, 4 cups water, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 10-12 garlic cloves, 1 white or yellow onion
- Give it a quick stir to mix everything together then, put the lid on and turn the vent to sealing.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual Mode or Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 45 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure Naturally Release (ie, do nothing, just leave it alone) for 20 minutes.
- When 20 minutes is up, carefully release any remaining pressure. (Stand back.)
- Once the pin has dropped, carefully open the lid.
- Strain the chickpeas to remove them from the liquid – I like to do this over a bowl – then pick out the bay leaves, garlic, and onion. If you are not going to use the chickpeas right away, save some of the liquid for storing.
- Let the chickpeas cool, then use them for hummus, your favorite dinner, or save them in the refrigerator for up to a week to use on salads or in other meals!
Video
Notes
Yield
1 cup of dried chickpeas ~ 3 cups of cooked chickpeas. Easily double or triple to make a large batch – do not exceed the Max Fill line.How to Use Chickpeas
Use drained chickpeas as you would use canned chickpeas: hummus, curries, salads, roasted chickpeas, and crispy air fryer baked chickpeas.Presoaked Chickpeas?
If you presoak chickpeas overnight, add them to a bowl and cover them with about two inches of water. Stir in a teaspoon of baking soda. Drain chickpeas before cooking in fresh water. Then:- Cook on High Pressure for just 15 Minutes for firm chickpeas.
- Cook on High Pressure for just 18 Minutes for creamy chickpeas.
Storage
Once cooled, store in a little bit of cooking liquid in the fridge for up to one week. If they sit for too long they will start to get slimy. You can use the liquid as a thickener in soups or stews! You can also store the cooked beans in the freezer in their cooking liquid for adding to soups, curries, or stews.Helpful Tips
- For softer chickpeas, cook the beans for up to one hour. They will be soft but still have a little texture.
- For melt-in-your-mouth creamy chickpeas (really only for making hummus because they will fall apart if you stab them with a fork) you can soak them before cooking them. Soak them for 12 hours, then cook them for 18 minutes and Quickly Release the pressure. Chickpeas cooked this way will be so soft you can make hummus by just mashing them with a fork.
- Use a little of the starchy cooking liquid when making hummus – it makes the puree a little thicker and smoother.
Special Equipment Needeed
- a metal colander/strainer
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
