Learn how to cook dried chickpeas from scratch! We’ll show you how to soak them and cook them 3 ways: on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot (our favorite), or in a slow cooker. Batch-cook them ahead, for delicious, nutritious meals.
Why You’ll Love Cooking Dried Chickpeas
As a chef and mom, I always keep a big container of dried chickpeas in my pantry. They’re budget-friendly, endlessly versatile, and so much more flavorful than canned. Cooking chickpeas from scratch might seem intimidating, but it’s actually simple—and once you taste the difference, you’ll never go back.
We’ve already shared how to cook black beans and pinto beans from dried, and since chickpeas show up in everything from hummus to curries to salads, I knew it was time to share my go-to method for perfectly tender, buttery chickpeas every time. Packed with health benefits, they are nutritional powerhouses!
ChickpeaS Ingredients
- Dried chickpeas: Find dried chickpeas in a bulk bin at the grocery store. Generally, the freshest dried chickpeas (aka garbanzos) are from a high-turnover bulk bin. Use desi’s or kabuli chickpeas.
- Apple cider vinegar: Breaks down anti-nutrients (like phytic acid and lectins) which block absorption of minerals, making chickpeas more mineral-bioavailable. Enhances protein digestibility and gut tolerance.
- Baking soda: Optional, but makes chickpeas softer by making the water alkaline, breaking down pectin and hemicellulose in cell walls, and speeds up cooking.
- Salt: Seasons the chickpeas and improves their texture, resulting in plump and tender chickpeas.
- Optional aromatics: Onion wedge, garlic cloves, bay leaves, fresh herbs, or whole spices.
Why Soak Chickpeas Before Cooking?
Soaking chickpeas before cooking offers several benefits:
- Reduces cooking time significantly, making the legumes quicker to prepare.
- Enhances digestibility by breaking down complex sugars that can cause bloating.
- Increases nutrient absorption, as certain vitamins and minerals become more available to the body.
- Improves texture, resulting in a tender, creamier texture.
Soak the chickpeas for 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
How to Cook Chickpeas in the Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
* This is my favorite method for cooking chickpeas.
1. Soak the chickpeas. Sort through the chickpeas, discarding any funky-looking ones, removing dirt clods and stones. Rinse and transfer to a bowl, cover with several inches of water, and add vinegar. For best results, soak for 8 hours at room temperature and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Rinse and drain before cooking.
2. Add everything to the instant pot. Place soaked garbanzo beans in the instant pot with salt, baking soda, and enough water to just cover the chickpeas. Add any aromatics.
3. Cook the chickpeas. Set on high pressure for 15 minutes (or 20 minutes for softer chickpeas—great for making hummus!). Manually release the pressure valve.
4. Let cool and store. Store in the liquid or drain and save the liquid—aquafaba, which can be used in sauces, soups, and more.
How to Cook Chickpeas on the Stovetop
1. Soak the chickpeas. Remove any debris or funky-looking chickpeas. Rinse, place dried beans in a bowl, and cover with several inches of water. Add vinegar. Soak for 8 hours at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
2. Add everything to a large pot. To a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot, add chickpeas, salt, baking soda, and water to cover by several inches. Add any optional aromatics.
3. Simmer. Place a lid over the top, and simmer covered for 60-120 minutes. Cooking time depends on soaking time and the freshness of the chickpeas. Add more water as needed.
4. Cool and store. Store in the liquid or drain and reserve cooking liquid, aquafaba, for other recipes.
How to Cook Chickpeas with a Slow Cooker
1. Soak chickpeas. Sort through chickpeas, removing debris or funky beans. Rinse and transfer to a bowl, cover with several inches of water, and add vinegar. Soak 8 hours at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Add everything to the slow cooker. Add chickpeas, salt, baking soda, and 7 cups of water to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours, until your desired texture.
3. Cool and store. Once cool, store the chickpeas in their liquid, or drain and reserve cooking liquid for other recipes.
Variations
Here are optional aromatics you can add to enhance the flavor of the chickpeas:
- Onions and garlic cloves add savory depth and complexity.
- Bay leaves – Bay leaves have enzymes that help break down proteins in beans, making them more tender and easier to digest.
- Savory herbs: Rosemary sprigs, thyme, sage or oregano.
Chef’s Tips
- One pound of dried chickpeas yields 6 cups of cooked chickpeas.
- One cup of dried chickpeas yields 3 cups of cooked chickpeas.
- Add apple cider vinegar: This breaks down anti-nutrients (lectins) in beans, making chickpeas more mineral-bioavailable. Enhances protein digestibility and gut tolerance.
- Add baking soda: While optional, using a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda makes the chickpeas softer by making the water alkaline. Too much baking soda can result in mushy chickpeas or a soapy or metallic taste.
- Add salt: Some prefer to add salt later in the cooking process to avoid potential toughening of the chickpeas, but adding it at the beginning can enhance the flavor.
- If you’re short on time: Add chickpeas to a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, turn off heat, and let sit for one hour. Drain, then proceed with cooking instructions.
- Cooking time varies: Cooking time depends on soaking time and freshness of the chickpeas. Add more water as needed.
- For the BEST hummus: For the creamiest, ultra-smooth hummus, use baking soda when cooking chickpeas.
Storing your chickpeas
Store cooked chickpeas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to freeze chickpeas
For quick access to frozen chickpeas, spread them out on a tray, freeze, and then store them in a freezer bag or a sealed container. This makes it easier to remove whatever portion you need for your recipe. You can also freeze them in the cooking liquid.
Cooking dried chickpeas from scratch is so satisfying and nourishing! Let us know what you think in the comments!
Ways to Use Fresh Chickpeas
Here are some of our favorite ways to use chickpeas! Pick one or two to try this week, or see all our chickpea recipes here.
FAQs
The easiest way to cook chickpeas is in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker). After soaking them overnight, simply add chickpeas, water, salt, and optional aromatics, then cook on high pressure for 15 minutes (or 20 minutes for softer chickpeas, like for hummus). No need to monitor the stove, and they turn out perfectly tender every time.
On the stovetop, soaked chickpeas usually need to simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, depending on their freshness and how long they were soaked. In the Instant Pot, soaked chickpeas take just 15–20 minutes under pressure, while in a slow cooker, they take 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
It’s best to soak chickpeas before cooking. Soaking reduces cooking time, improves digestibility, and results in a creamier, more tender texture. While you can quick-boil chickpeas by bringing them to a boil, turning off the heat, and letting them sit for 1 hour before cooking, a longer soak (8–24 hours) gives you the best results.
How To Cook Dried Garbanzo Beans
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Soking Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 9 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups
- Category: cooking basics, meal prep recipes, beans and legumes,
- Method: instant pot, stovetop, pressure cooker, slow cooker
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Learn how to cook dried chickpeas from scratch! We’ll show you how to soak them and cook them 3 ways: on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot (our favorite), or in a slow cooker. Batch-cook them ahead, for delicious, nutritious meals.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 2 cups) dried chickpeas (soaks up to be about 4-5 cups)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4– 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional * see notes)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- filtered water
- optional aromatics: 1/4 wedge of onion, a few cloves of garlic, bay leaves, herbs, whole spices
Instructions
Soak chickpeas. Sort through chickpeas, discarding any funky-looking ones, watching for dirt clods and stones. Rinse and place in a bowl, cover with several inches of water and add vinegar. For best results, soak for 8 hours at room temperature and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Soaking makes them more digestible and cooks them more evenly. Rinse and drain before cooking.
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (my favorite method)
- Place soaked chickpeas in the instant pot with salt, baking soda and enough water to just cover the chickpeas. Add aromatics if using.
- Set on high pressure for 15 minutes (20 for softer chickpeas, great for making hummus). Manually release the pressure valve.
- After cooling, you can either store in the liquid or drain and save the cooking liquid, aquafaba, for using in recipes, sauces or soups.
Stovetop Method
- In a dutch oven or heavy stock pot, place chickpeas, salt, baking soda, and water to cover chickpeas by several inches. Add aromatics if using. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low.
- Simmer covered for 60-120 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the soaking time and freshness of the chickpeas- add more water as needed.
- After cooling, you can either store in the liquid or drain and save the cooking liquid, aquafaba, for using in recipes, sauces or soups.
Slow Cooker Method
- Add chickpeas, salt, baking soda and 7 cups of water to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours or until the desired texture.
- After cooling, you can either store in the liquid or drain and save the cooking liquid, aquafaba, for using in recipes, sauces or soups.
Notes
Soaking with apple cider vinegar: Breaks down anti-nutrients (like lectins and phytic acid) which block absorption of minerals- essentially making chickpeas more mineral-bioavailable. Enhances protein digestibility and gut tolerance. Soaking makes beans softer and easier to cook and digest.
Adding baking soda is optional: I prefer using 1/2 teaspoon as it makes chickpeas softer by making the water alkaline, breaking down pectin and hemicellulose in cell walls, and speeding up cooking. Too much baking soda can make chickpeas mushy, or give them a slightly soapy or metallic taste. You can rinse chickpeas, after cooking, if desired, to diminish any baking soda flavor.
Short on time? Here is a quick soak method: Add chickpeas to a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let them sit for 1 hour. Drain the liquid and proceed with the cooking instructions. Works in a pinch, but can sometimes yield unevenly cooked beans.
Cooking time will depend on the soaking time and freshness of the chickpeas- add more water as needed.
Store cooked chickpeas in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days.
Freeze up to 3 months. For easy access to frozen chickpeas, rub dry-ish and spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet, place in the freezer and then store in a container or freezer bag. So convenient to grab a handful and add to soups, stews or salads. This makes it easier to remove whatever portion you need for your recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 287
- Sugar: 8.1 g
- Sodium: 283.8 mg
- Fat: 4.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 47.6 g
- Fiber: 9.2 g
- Protein: 15.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
