How To Cook Dried Chickpeas

This guide on how to cook dried chickpeas will teach you everything you need to know! It has all the info for preparing, soaking and cooking so you'll have ready to use beans for all your meals.

Cooking chickpeas from the dry version can be tricky, no one likes hard beans! But they are so healthy and the perfect way to get protein in your vegan dinners.

This post was originally published on March 22, 2020.

Chickpeas are so versatile! They can be used in place of meat in many recipes, like in this vegan chickpea soup, and provide a great meaty texture like in my healthy vegan taco meat.

All About Dried Chickpeas

Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are part of the legumes family. Like lentils, these are packed full of protein and fiber and complement your diet perfectly!

Chickpeas are available in two different forms, canned and dried. The canned variety is great for quick recipes but sometimes fresh (or dried) is the better option. This post will center more around the fresh/dried variety.

Dried chickpeas are definitely preferred over their canned counterparts if you want a "chewier" texture with the end result, they have a great buttery flavor and are fairly easy to prepare.

Do you have to soak chickpeas before cooking?

Soaking chickpeas cuts down on cooking time, and it also helps them be a little easier to digest. So it is best to soak them before you cook. How long to soak chickpeas is up to you; there are two ways you can soak your beans, overnight or the quick soak method!

How to soak chickpeas overnight:

1. Sort the chickpeas - make sure any bad ones have been picked out along with any debris that may have made it into the packaging.
2. Put the chickpeas into a bowl or other container, cover completely with cold water and cover - it's best to let them soak overnight. Make sure you put plenty of water as the beans will double in size when soaking.

Quick soak:

If you don't have time to let your chickpeas soak overnight there is a 1 hour method!

1. Rinse and sort your chickpeas - same as above step.
2. Put chickpeas into a saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water.
3. Bring to a boil and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat and cover.
4. Let stand for one hour!

Can you over soak beans?

Generally speaking, yes. It takes a while, but eventually the beans will sprout or ferment. If you are going to soak them longer than overnight (8 or so hours), you should put them in the refrigerator. Also, if the temperatures are high, use the refrigerator for all soaking time.

Can you eat raw chickpeas after soaking?

Eating raw chickpeas isn't recommended. You will have a really hard time digesting them. Some recipes use the chickpeas raw after soaking, but they cook the recipe as part of the process. One example is falafel.

Cooking Dried Chickpeas

Cooking chickpeas from dry beans is easier than you may think! Here are the simple steps for how to cook them on the stovetop:

1. Soak dried chickpeas (see the methods above).
2. Once soaking is done, rinse and drain them.
3. Put them in a pot on the stove and cover with water.
4. Cook for about 30-60 minutes. If you want, you can also add things like a bay leaf, garlic, onions, etc to the water.
5. After they are cooked, you can also roast them in the oven with seasonings for a crispy snack!

How long do chickpeas take to cook?

This time varies depending on many factors (soaking time, what you will use them for, stove top, the bean itself). Mine were done in 30 minutes, but if you want them super soft, for things like hummus, cook them longer.

If you are using them in a recipe that is cooked more, like when making baked tacos with my whole foods vegan taco meat,  you may want them on the more al dente side.

Why are my chickpeas not softening?

There are many reasons that your beans may not cook evenly or get soft even after a lot of cooking time. Here are some tips to help make sure your beans soften:

• If you have hard water, your beans may not soften as easily. To help this, cook using broth or bottled water.
• Add about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda per pound of beans to the soaking water.
• Add about 2-3 tablespoons of salt per pound of beans to the soaking water.
• Use the pressure cooker method below, since pressure cookers are able to cook beans faster.

How to cook in a pressure cooker

In a pressure cooker you can soak or not soak the beans because they cook much faster. Here are the 2 ways you can cook them in a pressure cooker or Instant pot:

1. Soaking: for each pound of dried chickpeas use 6 cups of water. Put everything in the pot, making sure the valve is on sealing, then cook on high pressure, manual setting, for 12 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for about 10 minutes when done. Then you can move the valve to venting and wait for the pressure to fully release.
2. No soaking: do the same as above but you will be cooking for 50 minutes.

How to cook in a slow cooker

For a slow cooker you do not need to soak the chickpeas, but you still can if you have trouble digesting beans generally. Simple put the beans with water into the slow cooker and cook on high for about 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.

How to Store Chickpeas

• Keep dry chickpeas in an airtight container at room temperature in your pantry for up to 12 months.
• Soaked chickpeas can be sealed in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days, or the freezer for up to 6 months.
• Once the chickpeas are cooked they can be refrigerated for 3-5 days or frozen for up to 6 months.
• To store the soaked or cooked chickpeas, start by draining away the cooking liquid before putting them in the storage container. Vacuum sealing is ideal, but any airtight container will work.

Tips for removing the skin

If you want to remove the skin from your cooked chickpeas, here is an easy way to do that. Put them in a kitchen towel, and gently rub them back and forth. This will help the skin come off!

Common Questions

Recipes with Chickpeas

I love chickpeas and have so many great recipes that use them! Here is a list of some of the most popular ones:

• Secret Ingredient Greek Hummus
• Low-Fat Vegan Taco Meat (Made with Whole Foods)
• Baked Vegan Gluten-Free Falafel
• Vegan Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich
• Easy Vegan Chickpea and Spinach Enchiladas
• One Pan Harissa Vegetables, Rice and Chickpeas
• Buffalo Chickpea Tacos
• BBQ Chickpea Sliders
• Chickpeas in Spicy Smoked Tomato Sauce with Penne
• Mexican Tequila Lime Chickpea Soup
• Chickpea Vegan Sausage Crumbles
• Thai Chickpea and Veggie Pizza
• Buffalo Chickpea Burgers
• Crockpot Korean Quinoa Bowl With Chickpeas, Carrots & Potatoes
• Crispy Chickpeas
• Chickpea Blondies
• Easy Chickpea Burgers
• Chickpea Stew

More Cooking Guides

Learn the best methods for the basics with these helpful tutorials:

• How to Meal Prep Vegetables
• How to Cook Quinoa on the Stove
• Roasting Butternut Squash
• How to Organize Your Refrigerator
• How to Store Produce
• How to Cook Lentils