How To Use Chickpeas
Wondering what to do with your chickpeas now that youve perfected cooking them? I prefer to use chickpeas in savory dishes and the list below is a good place to start!
- Salads:Chickpea salad or toss into any of these healthy salad recipes.
- Soups: Replace any beans with chickpeas, browse my collection of healthy soup recipes.
- Vegetarian main dish:Quinoa falafel is a favorite plus its freezer friendly!
- Hummus: Once you make homemade hummus, youll never buy store bought! Try this sweet potato hummus.
How To Cook Dried Chickpeas In The Instant Pot
The no-soak method is very simple and quick for cooking dried garbanzo beans using the instant pot, and it required less than an hour of pressure cooking.
NO SOAK STEP 1. Rinse chickpeas and pick out any stones or bad ones.
NO SOAK STEP 2. Add the rinsed chickpeas to the Instant Pot inner pot with the water.
NO SOAK STEP 3. Place the lid on the pot and lock it in place. Press the manual/pressure cook button and choose 50 minutes on high pressure.
NO SOAK STEP 4. When the cooking cycle has finished, let the pot sit undisturbed until naturally release all the pressure and the metal pin drop.
NO SOAK STEP 5. Open the lid facing away from you. Test the chickpeas for doneness. Use the cook chickpeas right away or store them in the fridge or freezer in 1 ½ cups portions to use in recipes as a replacement for a can of chickpeas.
Cooking Beans Without Soaking
Rinse the dry uncooked chickpeas in a colander under water and remove any bad ones found.
Place 1 pound of chickpeas into your Instant Pot and cover with water by about 1 inch.
Lock the lid and place the pressure release handle in the SEALING position.
Press the PRESSURE COOK button making sure it is set to HIGH and set the timer for 35 minutes.
After the Instant Pot beeps to signal that cooking has finished, wait another 20 minutes to allow it to naturally release. Once the 20 minutes is up, slide the release handle to VENTING to release any additional pressure.
Once all of the pressure has been released, open the lid and taste-test one chickpea to make sure they are nice and tender.
If they need any additional cooking, cook another 10 minutes and give them another try.
When finished, drain liquid and use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freeze.
Dont throw that bean broth out though! Believe it or not, its a very valuable byproduct called aquafaba that has many amazing uses including an egg binder and even whipped topping for desserts.
Freeze in measurements of 1.5 cups to make using in recipes easier, as canned beans are 15 oz, which equals 1.5 cups.
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Soaked Vs Unsoaked Beans
While you certainly dont have to soak your chickpeas before cooking them, heres a few reasons why people do.
1. They may be easier to digest. Soaking beans may help to remove the oligosaccharide content they contain. Removing this type of carbohydrate may help to reduce gas and bloating.
2. They are prettier. Soaked beans tend to plump up without splitting as they cook. As a result, the beans simply look more appealing! This is NOT the case if you soak the chickpeas in with baking soda, though. The baking soda will soften the skins, and they will start to fall off during the cooking process, so the finished beans wont look quite as pretty in that case.
3. They cook faster. When you soak beans for 8 to 12 hours in advance, they cook in half the time compared to un-soaked beans.
With that being said, the choice to soak, or not to soak, is totally up to you. Ill share both methods in the recipe card below.
Why Make Instant Pot Chickpeas
Cooking dried beans on the stovetop usually takes several hours to soak and then a few hours to cook. You also have to check the garbanzo beans often towards the end of the cook time to see if they are done. Heres why to make homemade Instant Pot chickpeas:
- Its quick and hands off. The method is truly hands off, and the chickpeas cook perfectly every time. Its most reliable when you soak them prior to cooking .
- Its cheaper than canned. While we love eating canned chickpeas, cooking beans in a pressure cooker is cheaper: about half or more the price of canned!
- Its MUCH more delicious than canned. The texture and flavor of home-cooked Instant Pot chickpeas are better than those from a can. These chickpeas have a slightly nuttier flavor and firmer texture than canned, which can be mushy and have a lackluster flavor.
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Why Use An Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. And there are many accessories that will help you get more out of your Instant Pot.
If you dont have one yet, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot for more information.
- Dont Have an Instant Pot Yet?This guide can help you choose the right one.
- find more recipes to make in your Instant Pot.
Dishes That Use Chickpea Water
Also known as aquafaba, this magical liquid can be used for a variety of other dishes. So dont dump your cooking water! Heres some ideas for you.
- Use the aquafaba in place of oil to make these crispy air fried chickpeas.
- Make a soup and use your chickpea water as the broth for added flavour and nutrients.
- Or make these amazing chickpea brownies!
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How Long Does It Take To Cook Instant Pot Garbanzo Beans
The cook time for Instant Pot chickpeas is 23 minutes. Insanely quick, right? But remember: the Instant Pot requires a preheat time for coming up to pressure, and a cool down time to release the pressure. In this recipe, its about a 20 minute preheat, and then a natural release for 20 minutes.
This means the actual overall time for cooking Instant Pot garbanzo beans is 63 minutes. This is still shorter than the time it takes on the stovetop. This makes us much more likely to make dried chickpeas in our Instant Pot! And other types of dried beans, too: like our Instant Pot Refried Beans.
How To Store Cooked Chickpeas
Always drain the cooked chickpeas before storing them in the freezer or refrigerator.
To refrigerate the chickpeas:
To freeze the chickpeas:
Also Check: Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff Recipe
Why Youll Love Them
They are easier to digest. Beans naturally contain raffinose family oligosaccharides, which are famous for causing flatulence in humans. Soaking the beans before pressure cooking may help to reduce those, making them easier to digest.
They are more nourishing. Pressure cooking is one of the best methods for reducing the anti-nutrients that are naturally found in dried beans, such as lectins and phytic acid. This increases the bio-availability of their nutrients, meaning your body should absorb them better.
They are hands-off. Instead of watching over a pot of boiling water on the stove, you can push a button and walk away! The Instant Pot will beep to let you know its done, and you can let the pot naturally release, if you get distracted.
They taste better than canned beans. Home cooked chickpeas have more flavor than the kind youd buy in a can, and you can add any extra seasonings you love. Plus, youll avoid any potentially BPA-lined cans in the process.
Theyre filling. Chickpeas are a great source of fiber and plant-based protein. I love adding them to salads and stir-fries throughout the week, to sneak extra soluble fiber into my day.
How Long Do You Cook Canned Chickpeas In Instant Pot
Instructions
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Tips For Cooking Instant Pot Chickpeas
There are a few tips for cooking perfect chickpeas.
- Old chickpeas take longer to cook – Usually, fresh chickpeas take less time to cook compared to old beans lying in the kitchen pantry.
- Organic chickpeas take longer to cook than regular chickpeas.
- Always try to quick-soak chickpeas in hot water for at least 3-4 hours, this will also reduce the cooking time.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Leftover cooked chickpeas in the Instant Pot will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
How do you freeze chickpeas?
To freeze cooked chickpeas, transfer the cooled chickpeas to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or Tupperware container. Remove as much air as possible, label, and date. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge.
Meal Prep Tip: Freeze in portions you know you will use for recipes. I like to package in approx 1 ½ cup portions, which is equal to one can of beans.
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How To Make Instant Pot Chickpeas
For this recipe, Ive used this Instant Pot . After many trials, these are the best times for pressure cooked Chickpeas. If using another model or brand, you may need to make slight adjustments.
- Unsoaked: When using un-soaked chickpeas, cook on Manual at HIGH pressure for 45 minutes with 15 minute natural release. You will use 5 cups of liquids.
- Soaked: Chickpeas that have been soaked overnight can be pressured cooked on Manual at HIGH pressure for 5 minutes and allowing 15 minute natural release. Filling the insert with at least 4 cups of water.
Cooking Instant Pot Chickpeas Using a Basket Insert
You may like to use the basket insert when cooking the chickpeas.
Not only is the basket helpful when soaking the chickpeas, making it easy to drain and rinse after soaking. Its helpful when during pressure cooking and only needs the water to be adjusted.
- Adjusting water amounts when using a basket insert. When using an Instant Pot basket insert, use 9 10 cups of water. You want to be sure to cover the chickpeas with at least 2 inches of water.
Instant Pot Chickpeas For Hummus
One of the best uses of instant pot chickpeas is to transform them into some yummy hummus.
What you do is follow our pressure cooker chickpeas recipe and then load the contents from the instant pot into the blender.
Then also add:
This will then create a creamy chocolate dip made from hummus and is very addictive!
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To Soak To Not To Soak
It might seem like soaking chickpeas before hand, when youre just going to cook them in the Instant Pot, doesnt make a lot of sense. Why spend the extra time, right? Well, the main reason to pre-soak chickpeas are two-fold. Of course it will make them cook faster, but it also can breakdown some of the sugars in the beans that are hard to digest.
If you have an issue with disgesting beans mainly, you get bloating and other unpleasant stomach reactions when eating them then you should definitely pre-soak the beans. However, not everyone has this reaction. If you find that youre able to tolerate the unsoaked beans just fine, then theres not a huge benefit to pre-soaking.
In the Instant Pot, it takes about 30 minutes to cook pre-soaked beans that have been soaked for 24 hours. By contrast, it takes 1 hour to cook non-soaked beans.
You might be wondering if theres a taste difference. I have used both methods and Ive never noticed a difference in taste. There is a slight difference in texture. The pre-soaked beans tend to turn out slightly more tender than non-soaked.
How To Store Instant Pot Chickpeas
If you have any leftovers, it can easily be stored. Also, sometimes we cook a larger batch and then refrigerate to use in the days to come. In either case, prior to storing in the refrigerator, ensure the dish is completely cooled.
Then, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the fridge for up to 6 days.
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How Can You Use Chickpeas
You can make a delicious oil-free Chickpea Salad, or use it to make some dips like Beetroot Hummus or this Golden Turmeric Hummus. One can make some snacks like this Oil-Free Herb Roasted Chickpeas or for your sides or your main meals like in this Vegan Indian Chole or in this Brown Rice Chickpea Pulao or Veggie Chickpea Burger.
Soaked Vs Unsoaked Beans: Which Is Better
There is much debate between Instant Pot chickpeas no soak vs soaked and whether one is better than the other. Through personal trial and error, and research, I prefer the texture and benefits of soaked chickpeas. Here’s why:
Cook faster: Soaked beans will always cook faster than their unsoaked version. Although it does require some planning ahead, the soaking process is virtually hands-off, yet the cooking time is less than ½ of the time.
Easier to digest: Soaking beans releases anti-nutrients naturally found in the legumes. This not only makes them easier to digest and avoids the unwanted bloated stomach, but also increases the bean’s bioavailability of nutrients.
Fluffier and creamier in texture: Soaked beans will always be fluffier, creamier, and lighter in texture. This makes a big difference when making hummus, curries, or soups.
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Do You Need To Soak The Garbanzo Beans Before Cooking
Soaking dried chickpeas helps to reduce the indigestible sugar that causes gas and bloating, so probably this method works better for you if you have any digestive discomfort.
If you don’t have any problem with beans, there is no need to presoak the chickpeas before pressure cooking.
This recipe helps you substitute canned chickpeas and make your chickpeas at home without any preservatives or salt. It is an excellent recipe for those who have to follow a low sodium diet.
What Is Quick Pressure Release
Quick-release is the process of releasing the steam after cooking in the Instant Pot. To quick pressure release, carefully turn the valve from STEAMING to VENTING position. This will result in a strong jet of steam coming from the pressure release valve . Once the steam has released completely from the valve, the float valve will drop into the lid when the cooker has depressurised.
It is now safe to open the Instant Pot lid.
You are now ready to cook the Chickpeas in pressure cooker.
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Cooking Chickpeas In A Pressure Cooker
You can cook soaked and unsoaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Here are the details:
Soaked chickpeas: Add soaked chickpeas and 6 cups of water to the pressure cooker. Seal the lid and cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes, and then naturally release for 10 minutes. Vent the remaining pressure before opening the lid . We recommend you read the user manual of your specific pressure cooker before using it.
Unsoaked chickpeas : Add 1 pound of dried chickpeas and 6 cups of water to the pressure cooker. Seal the lid and cook on High Pressure for 50 minutes, and then naturally release for 10 minutes. Vent the remaining pressure before opening the lid . We recommend you read the user manual of your specific pressure cooker before using it.
Serving Suggestions & Uses
We love to use these chickpeas to make hummus, curries, 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.
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How To Serve Chickpeas
These are our favorite ways to serve chickpeas, but as they have gained popularity in recent years, people have gotten really creative. Id love to hear how you use Chickpeas with your cooking in the comments below.
- Chickpea Salad topping your salads with cooked chickpeas adds great protein, wonderful nutty and buttery flavor, and a fun crunchy texture.
- Soups add them to soups as you would other beans.
- Hummus homemade hummus is so much better than store-bought and cooking the beans in the instant pot takes it to the next level.
