published Mar 13, 2023 Chickpeas are one of the world’s most underrated foods — in my opinion, at least. They are so versatile and are totally packed with protein, making them a kitchen essential for all of you vegetarian or plant-based eaters. They’re also tasty for meat eaters. Heck, I’m an omnivore and I can’t get enough of them! Of course, I like shortcuts, so I stock up on cans of garbanzo beans when they’re on sale. But do you know that there are only 1 1/2 cups of cooked garbanzo beans in a can? For the price of one can of cooked chickpeas, you can buy a one pound bag of dry chickpeas yielding 6 to 7 cups after cooking! If you make recipes using chickpeas often, you’ll love the benefit of cooking a large batch at one time. This way, you’re able to freeze them for later use to make a quick batch of hummus, add some beans to a Greek feta salad, or into a pot of stew. By the way, YES, chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the same thing. They are just two different names for one type of legume. Chickpea is derived from Latin and garbanzo is a Spanish word.
How to Cook Chickpeas
How you cook your chickpeas will depend on several different things. Are they dried or canned? Do you want to boil them or roast them? How do you plan to serve them? And what about soaking chickpeas? Chickpeas are such a simple ingredient, but there seems to be a lot of mystery around them. One of the best things about this legume is that there are several different ways to make and serve them! Something I love about this versatile ingredient is that you can cook them with very minimal kitchen equipment. If you’ve got a stovetop, oven, Instant Pot, or pressure cooker, you can prepare them at home!
Sorting Dried Beans
This particular legume grows on tall bushes and the pods dry naturally, right on the plant. Because of the way the peas/beans are harvested, you may find little pebbles and other debris in the bag with them. For this reason, you’ll want to spread the dry garbanzo beans out and sort through them. I like to do this on a baking sheet so the debris is easier to spot.
Soaking Garbanzo Beans
If you’re cooking them on the stovetop, the beans will need to soak in water for about 8 hours first. If you don’t want to wait and you don’t own a slow cooker or pressure cooker, you can use a quick soak method. Chickpea Quick Soak Method Add the beans to a large pot and cover them with about 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the beans for 5 minutes without a lid. After 5 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and place the lid on. Let the beans soak in the hot water for an hour, then strain and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process.
How to Cook Chickpeas Dried (or After Soaking)
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions. This is just a summary of the steps for cooking dried garbanzo beans. I’m also including cooking time for stovetop, crock pot, and Instant Pot chickpeas. NOTE: As mentioned earlier, the stovetop method does require soaking dried garbanzo beans before you can cook them. If you use a crockpot (slow cooker) or an Instant Pot (pressure cooker), you can soak them as part of the cooking process.
How to cook garbanzo beans on stovetop
Long soak and simmer– Soak Time: 8 hours (or overnight). Cook Time: 2 hoursQuick soak and simmer– Soak Time: 1 hour. Cook Time: 2 hours
Whether you use the long soak or the quick soak to rehydrate your beans, you will still need to cook them. After soaking, drain and rinse them well before cooking. Long soak method Quick soak method
How to Cook Chickpeas in the Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
Long-time readers of my blog know how much I love my Instant Pot! You can find all of my IP recipes here. In the meantime, there are actually a few methods you can use with a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot — whether they are soaked or dried:
How to cook soaked chickpeas: Add the pre-soaked chickpeas (from 1 pound dried) to the Instant Pot with 6 cups of water. Seal and cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes, then allow the IP to naturally release for 10 minutes. Let any excess pressure out before removing the lid. How to cook dry chickpeas: Pour the dried chickpeas (1 pound) into the Instant Pot with 6 cups of water. Seal and cook on High Pressure for 50 minutes, then allow the IP to naturally release for 10 minutes. Let any excess pressure out before removing the lid.
The second option is a wonderful technique if you wanted to know how to cook chickpeas without soaking them!
Dried Garbanzo Beans in a Slow Cooker
This method is as easy as it gets; no soaking is necessary! Simply add the dry beans and water to the crockpot, turn it on and walk away. For the crockpot method, you’ll need 7 cups of water for every pound of dried garbanzo beans. Crockpot Cook Time for Dried Beans– High for 4 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours.
How to Cook Chickpeas in the Oven
Roasted chickpeas is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this protein-packed legume! You need to make sure that the chickpeas are fully soaked and cooked before roasting them in the oven. Step 1: Coat cooked chickpeas with olive oil, salt, pepper, and any other desired spices or seasonings. Step 2: Place the chickpeas on a prepared baking sheet (I swear by parchment paper) and bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes. Pull them out when they’re golden brown and crispy. This is a great method to use if you’ve been wondering how to cook canned chickpeas. Talk about an easy side dish or snack!
Ways To Use Chickpeas — Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to use chickpeas! Below you’ll find a few of my favorites:
Roasted: I already mentioned how much I love roasted chickpeas! You can serve them as is for a fun side dish or snack, or you can use them to top a salad. You can get super creative with the spices and seasonings you add to them too!Smashed: Tuna fish or chicken salad lovers, try replacing your seafood and poultry with chickpeas! Use a fork to smash them in a bowl, then add whatever else you like. Greek yogurt, mayo, or even avocado work wonderfully. You can also add whatever seasonings you like as well. Enjoy it a salad or on a sandwich.In Soups & Stews: Chickpeas hold up great in soups and stews and are a great way to make any meal a bit heartier. They also act as a wonderful thickener when mashed.
Recipes Using Chickpeas
Now that you know how to cook chickpeas, you may want some ideas on how to use them. Here are a few favorites of mine. For Breakfast: Garbanzo beans are high in protein and fiber, so they’re perfect for a hearty, healthy breakfast! Serve them alongside fried eggs, or add them to whole wheat pita bread with scrambled eggs for a grab and go breakfast sandwich. For Lunch:You can never go wrong adding chickpeas to a salad! Step outside of the box and add a handful to a chopped veggie salad. SO good! Of course, there’s always room for crackers or slices of Barbari bread and fresh veggies with a side of Mediterranean hummus. For Dinner Whether it’s for vegan chickpea curry or quick chana masala Instant Pot curry, it’s an easy recipe using chickpeas!
