Replace the can and make your own perfect instant pot chickpeas! You’ll get tender, soft, and perfectly cooked chickpeas with this method. Give it a try.
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❤️You’ll Love This Recipe
- Cost-effective & Organic: Buying a can of organic chickpeas is more expensive than buying a packet of organic dry chickpeas. So save some money and cook chickpeas in instant pot at home.
- Sodium control: Canned products are high in sodium but when you cook them at home you can control the addition of salt as per your health requirements.
- Tastes better: Homemade, freshly cooked instant pot chickpeas taste way better than canned ones.
- Quick & Easy: You’ll need just 5 minutes of active time, rest is passive time (soaking & pressure cooking both).
- Better than stovetop pressure cooker: As being Indian, I have been cooking chickpeas in a pressure cooker from the beginning. So cooking them in an instant pot is nothing new to me, it is just the electric pressure cooker. But there is no counting whistles or staying there to turn off the stove is the game changer here.
- Cook in bulk: I always bulk-cook chickpeas in my 6-qt Instant pot and freeze them in batches for later use.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Here is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make Instant pot chickpeas. You’ll need 5 ingredients (1 is optional).
- Chickpeas: It is the same as garbanzo beans. Other Indian regional names are kabuli chana, safed chana, chole, etc.
- Buying Tips: Always buy in bulk as it is cheaper. I always buy a big pack of organic dried chickpeas from Indian grocery stores (they have good quality and are cheaper than American grocery stores). Some Costco location (if it’s near the Indian community area) has garbanzo beans packets as well.
- Salt: It prevents chickpeas from being bland.
- Baking soda: It helps chickpeas to cook and soften through the middle. And it keeps the beans moist from the inside. If cooked without baking soda, beans will be soft but dry from the middle.
- Bay leaf: It adds a subtle flavor, it is optional.
Soaking Or No Soaking:
Personally, I prefer soaking the beans for at least 8 hours or overnight. (that’s what I have seen my mom and grandmoms doing).
Reason to soak chickpeas before cooking:
- Pre-soaking the chickpeas (or any beans) will reduce the cooking time.
- This reduced cooking time can mean less loss of water-soluble nutrients due to less time of exposure to heat and water.
- The texture of the garbanzo beans is the best when you pre-soak them, you’ll get fewer split-open and burst ones.
- If eating beans gives you gas (tummy problem) then you must soak them. While the soaking period beans will release their sugars into the water that is responsible for gas. So always discard the soaking water and use the freshwater for cooking chickpeas in instant pot.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
1) Rinse: Take chickpeas in a bowl, add water to it and massage the beans with your finger and the water will become cloudy. Discard the water and repeat this process 2-3 times total or until the water is not cloudy anymore.
2) Soak: Add enough water (3 inches above the beans) to the bowl.
3) Let them soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. They will get double (almost triple in size).
4) Drain and discard the soaking water.
5) Add soaked chickpeas, salt, baking soda and bay leaves to the instant pot liner.
6) Add fresh 6 cups of water.
7) Cook: Cover the instant pot with a lid and keep the valve to a sealing position. Pressure cook on manual (high pressure) for 15 minutes for firm yet soft texture beans (perfect for curry, salad).
8) Let the pressure release on its own (NPR - natural pressure release), once the pin drops open the lid.
Drain the cooking liquid from chickpeas right away to stop the further cooking.
1 lb (~2 ½ cups) of dried chickpeas yield 2.4 lb (~7 cups) of cooked chickpeas.
⏲️Instant Pot Chickpeas Cook Time Guide
- Firm yet soft texture (good for curry salad): 15 minutes for pre-soaked and 35 minutes for no-soak beans.
- Super soft, buttery texture (perfect for hummus or mashed chickpeas): 18-20 minutes for pre-soaked and 40 minutes for no-soak beans.
- Old beans (aka stale or more than a year old) take longer to cook. Sometimes super old beans won’t cook to a soft texture at all.
💭Expert Tips
- Always sort the chickpeas before cooking. Discard any stones, discolored or shriveled beans.
- Always discard the soaking water and use fresh water for cooking chickpeas. It prevents gas, bloating or any tummy issue.
- Feel free to add some flavors to your chickpeas.
- Many times I add whole spices (cloves, peppercorns, green cardamoms, black cardamom and cinnamon stick) if I’m using the beans for Indian curries like aloo chana, chickpea tikka masala, chole bhature etc.
- Add herbs (rosemary or thyme) for an earthy flavor.
- Add onion or garlic for a savory, fragrant flavor.
- Use vegetable broth instead of water.
- I do not recommend the quick release method here as the water will splutter or overflow and makes a big mess.
- Drain the cooking liquid as soon as you open the lid to prevent the further cooking of beans.
🥣 Storage & Freezing:
- Instant pot chickpeas stay good for 3-5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Let them cool down completely before storing.
- To freeze the chickpeas, spread them on a baking tray in a single layer and freeze for 2-3 hours (or until frozen). Transfer them to a freezer-safe ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3-4 months. Pre-freezing in a baking sheet will prevent them from sticking to each other.
🍽 Serving Ideas
- Indian curries: Chole paneer, chole without onion, chana palak, chana saag etc
- Make hummus (plain or flavored ones)
- Use in salads: chickpea salad, channa sundal (South Indian warm salad)
- Sandwiches: make chickpea mash (aka vegan tuna)
- Add to soups or bowls.
- Snack: Roast them in an oven or air fryer with spices.
Check Out Other Instant Pot Recipes
Did you try this instant pot chickpeas recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
📋 Recipe Card
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Instant Pot Chickpeas
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Replace the can and make your perfect instant pot chickpeas! You’ll get tender, soft and perfectly cooked chickpeas with this method. Give it a try.
Calories: 134kcal
Servings 6 -7 cups
US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml) See details
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dried chickpeas (~ 2 ½ cups)
- 2 Bay leaves
- ⅛ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 6 cups Water for cooking
Instructions
- Take chickpeas in a bowl, add water to it and massage the beans with your finger and the water will become cloudy. Discard the water and repeat this process 2-3 times total or until the water is not cloudy anymore.
- Add enough water (3 inches above the beans) to the bowl. Let them soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. They will get double (almost triple in size).
- Drain and discard the soaking water.
- Add soaked chickpeas, salt, baking soda and bay leaves to the instant pot liner.
- Add fresh 6 cups of water.
- Cover the instant pot with a lid and keep the valve to a sealing position. Pressure cook on manual (high pressure) for 15 minutes for firm yet soft texture beans (perfect for curry, salad).
- Let the pressure release on its own (NPR - natural pressure release), once the pin drops open the lid.
- Drain the cooking liquid from chickpeas right away to stop the further cooking.
Notes
Instant Pot Chickpeas Cook Time Guide
- Firm yet soft texture (good for curry salad): 15 minutes for pre-soaked and 35 minutes for no-soak beans.
- Super soft, buttery texture (perfect for hummus or mashed chickpeas): 18-20 minutes for pre-soaked and 40 minutes for no-soak beans.
- Old beans (aka stale or more than a year old) take longer to cook. Sometimes super old beans won’t cook to a soft texture at all.
- Always sort the chickpeas before cooking. Discard any stones, discolored or shriveled beans.
- Always discard the soaking water and use fresh water for cooking chickpeas. It prevents gas, bloating or any tummy issue.
- I do not recommend the quick release method here as the water will splutter or overflow and makes a big mess.
- Drain the cooking liquid as soon as you open the lid to prevent the further cooking of beans.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.5g | Protein: 7.3g | Fat: 2.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 240mg | Fiber: 6.2g | Sugar: 3.9g | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2.3mg
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving
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