How to Cook Dried Chickpeas Perfectly

This is our ultimate guide on how to cook chickpeas from scratch. Learn how to soak them, plus three foolproof ways to cook them: on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, and in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot).

If you have ever stared at a bag of dried chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) and wondered if they were worth the effort, we used to wonder the same thing—until we learned how to make them ourselves. Once you taste freshly cooked dried chickpeas, you may never go back to canned.

Ditch the cans and see just how easy it is to cook dried chickpeas at home. Chickpeas cooked from scratch taste fresher, have a wonderful creamy texture, and are incredibly convenient to keep stocked in your fridge or freezer. Once you have a batch ready, you absolutely have to try them in our homemade hummus!

Key Ingredients

• Dried chickpeas: Also known as garbanzo beans. We are starting with dried beans for this recipe. These will look tiny compared to what comes out of a can, but they triple in size as they cook. One cup of dried chickpeas yields about 3 cups of cooked chickpeas.
• Aromatics: While optional, we highly recommend cooking your chickpeas with a few simple aromatics—such as bay leaves, garlic cloves, and onion. We use this exact same trick when cooking dried black beans!
• Water: For this recipe, don’t bother with stock or broth. Plain water does the trick. You’ll use it to soak the chickpeas and cook them.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Cook Dried Chickpeas

In our recipe below, we have shared three foolproof ways to cook dried chickpeas:

1. Stovetop (our favorite): You will need to soak your chickpeas and it takes 1 ½ to 2 hours to cook them.
2. Slow-cooker: You do not need to soak your beans and takes 4 to 8 hours to cook, depending on setting (high/low).
3. Instant Pot: You do not need to soak your beans and takes about 1 hour.

Our go-to method for cooking chickpeas is on the stovetop. It is straightforward, we don’t need to get out any special equipment, plus it gives us a little more control on the final texture of our beans (see why below). That said, we’ve included instructions for both slow cooker and Instant Pot (pressure cooker) methods in the recipe below, as all three work wonderfully.

For the stovetop method, you’ll start with soaked chickpeas. Soaking is easy and offers surprising benefits, such as improved digestibility, a creamier texture, and reduced cooking times. We use two methods for soaking chickpeas: an overnight soak (my favorite) and a quick soak for when we are short on time. Both are simple and effective, so choose the one that best fits your schedule.

• Overnight Soak: Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with several inches of cool water. Let them soak for 8 to 12 hours, then drain.
• Quick Soak: Place the chickpeas in a pot and cover them with several inches of water. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and let sit for 1 hour. Drain.

When cooked on the stove, soaked chickpeas take about 1 ½ to 2 hours. You can simmer them in plain water or add the aromatics suggested in our recipe. We also like to add a little salt, but that is optional.

Now here is where cooking the chickpeas on the stove gets interesting (and why it is our preferred method). As they cook, adjust the lid to control the beans’ texture.

• For firmer beans that hold their shape (ideal for chickpea salad and vegetarian chili), simmer with the lid completely off.
• For softer, creamier beans that easily break down (perfect for hummus or smashed chickpea salad), simmer with the lid slightly ajar.

→ More cooking methods! While we love the stovetop, you can absolutely use a slow cooker or pressure cooker. We have included full instructions for all three methods in the recipe below.

Ways to Use Chickpeas

Canned beans certainly have their place, but we love cooking chickpeas from scratch. You can customize the flavor and texture, and they are incredibly budget-friendly. (Definitely check the storing tips below as these freeze wonderfully.)

We have a lot of chickpea recipes on Inspired Taste, but here are a few of our absolute favorites:

• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
• Curried Chickpea Salad Bowls
• Easy Bean Salad
• Homemade Falafel
• Honey Roasted Chickpeas
• Cauliflower Chickpea Salad

Storing Cooked Chickpeas

Store drained, cooked chickpeas in an airtight container or food-safe bag for up to 4 days. To freeze them, pat the drained cooked chickpeas completely dry, then spread them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes, before transferring them to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Freezing them flat first prevents them from freezing together in one giant clump!

→ Tip! Save the liquid (Aquafaba). Don’t pour that cooking liquid down the drain! This starchy water is called aquafaba. We use it to make our homemade vegan mayonnaise, and it works wonderfully as an egg replacer in baking. To learn more, check out our ultimate guide to aquafaba.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why aren’t my chickpeas softening? If your beans are remaining stubbornly hard after two hours of simmering, you may be using older beans, or your tap water might be high in minerals (hard water). To help them along, you can add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to the cooking water. (However, if they still will not soften after adjusting, the dried beans are likely too old and should be discarded.)

Should I salt the water when cooking chickpeas? Salting the water is optional, but we highly recommend it. Adding salt at the beginning of the cooking process seasons the chickpeas much more thoroughly from the inside out, rather than just coating the exterior at the end.

Does baking soda make chickpeas easier to digest? Some home cooks swear by adding baking soda, as it can bind to sugars in the beans and help break them down, making them easier to digest. We do not typically use it, but if you would like to try, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to your soaking water, or ¼ teaspoon directly to the cooking water.

More Bean Recipes

• How to Cook Lentils
• How to Cook Black Beans
• Coconut Black Beans
• Refried Beans
• Refried Black Beans