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Learning how to cook dried chickpeas is a total kitchen game-changer. Consider this your cheat sheet for mastering garbanzo beans—all things measuring, cooking, storing, and flavoring. Bonus: I’ve included Instant Pot, stovetop, and slow cooker instructions.
Use your cooked chickpeas in my infamous Marry Me Chickpeas or Creamy Lemon Pepper Chickpeas!
save this recipe!As a food scientist who’s obsessed with chickpeas, I’ve developed hundreds of chickpea recipes at this point. So trust me when I say, chickpeas are that ingredient.
I’ve roasted them, mashed them, simmered them into stews, and yes, even turned them into cookie dough. After hundreds of tests, I’ve learned exactly how to get them crispy, creamy, or anything in between.
Technically, chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are part of the legume family—alongside black beans and lentils. But what sets them apart is their mild, nutty flavor and buttery texture. They’re the perfect blank canvas, soaking up whatever flavors you throw at them.
Why use dried?
Boiling chickpeas from dried is totally worth it if you’ve got the time. It’s way more cost-effective, you can make a big batch to freeze for later, and you get full control over the texture—go firmer for salads or super soft for hummus. Plus, the cooking liquid (aquafaba!) is a bonus ingredient you can use in everything from sauces to vegan baking (try my aquafaba marshmallow fluff!).
Dried to cooked measurements
We’ll be going over how to cook chickpeas from their dried form. With that said, here is a handy conversion table for your convenience:
- 1 cup of dried beans = 3 cups of cooked beans
- ⅓ cup of dried beans = 1 cup of cooked beans
- 1 pound of dried beans = about 6 cups of cooked beans
To Soak Or Not To Soak?
While some folks swear by soaking chickpeas before cooking, I’ve found that skipping this step doesn’t compromise texture or taste. The following methods are all no-soak, which saves a lot of time!
Don’t forget…
Sort Them: It may seem tedious, but taking a minute to sort through your chickpeas is worth it, friends. (You’d be surprised how often small rocks or clumps of dirt find their way into the bag!)
Add Salt: Don’t skip salting the cooking liquid. Think of it like a flavor booster—it helps infuse the beans with a touch of seasoning while they cook (and a little goes a long way!).
Save The Liquid: If you don’t eat eggs, save the aquafaba (cooking water)! Use it as an egg replacer in baking.
Chickpea Favs
Roasted Chickpea Gyros
30 minutes
Creamy Slow Cooker Cauliflower Soup (With Cashews)
3 hours 5 minutes
Creamy Lemon Pepper Chickpea Skillet
20 minutes
How To Cook Dried Chickpeas (No Soaking)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas, 1 lb, 453 g
- 6 cups water, 1.4 L
- ½ Tbsp salt
Instructions
- Sort through to find black chickpeas, rocks, etc. Rinse thoroughly in a colander.
Instant Pot
- Transfer chickpeas to a 6 or 8-quart pressure cooker. Add salt and water.Close the lid, making sure the pressure valve is sealed. Set it to high pressure on manual mode, then cook the chickpeas for 50 minutes. (If you’re making hummus, cook them for an additional 5-10 minutes.)Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release for 10 minutes before opening the pressure valve.
Stove Top
- Transfer chickpeas to a large pot. Add salt and water.Bring the chickpeas to a boil, give them a stir, and cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to low, and let them simmer for 1 ½ – 2 hours (less for firmer chickpeas, more for a softer texture).
Slow Cooker
- Transfer chickpeas to a 6 or 8-quart slow cooker. Add salt and water.Cook the chickpeas for 3-4 hours on high (3 for a firm chickpea, 4 for a very soft texture). You can also cook the chickpeas for 6-8 hours on low.
Notes
Reheating: Warm chickpeas in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Add Herbs: Add 1-2 bay leaves during cooking! A sprig of rosemary or thyme also complements the beans nicely, giving them a slightly herbal, savory note. Add Spices: If you’re up for some heat, add whole dried chilis (like chipotle or ancho). Or, toss in a cinnamon stick or a few whole cloves for a warm, earthy twist. Cumin seeds or a pinch of smoked paprika can also lend a subtle depth. Add Vegetables: Infuse hearty flavors with fresh veggies like onion, garlic, celery, or carrots. I suggest sautéing them first to bring out the flavors. (Also, keep the veggies on the chunkier side for easier removal!)
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Hi Sarah.
I think it would help if you had a conversion for when recipes say “use a 400g can of chickpeas – drained” and what that would equate to in dried form, i.e. prior to cooking.
Just a suggestion, but I love this guide as it is anyway.
Take care from Kefalonia,
Paul
Thanks so much for the suggestion, Paul!
Aloha
Love making lots of your chickpea recipes! Mahalo nui loa for all your efforts and putting these out for us!
The conversion table for dried to cooked chickpeas are off. Please check the 3rd/4th line.
Mahalo
I’m so happy you’ve been loving the recipes, Jenny! Thanks for pointing that out!
You can reduce soak time while getting the benefits of a much shorter cooking time by adding some bicarb to the soak water. The Brits do this to marrowfat peas for true mushy peas (which are more like chickpeas than overcooked sweet peas). I put them in a pot with water and bicarb, bring it to the boil, then turn it off. Later that day its half an hour or less to cooked.
<3 Newish Cook here trying to build confidence in the kitchen. I'm loving your social media presence. We've used your recipes several times. the flavour of the chickpeas cooking from dry is so much better than canned. thank you.
Thanks for making my day with your comment Louise!
What do you do to get rid of all the peels?
I have fallen in love with deli hummus but can’t get my home cooked chickpeas to that consistency. ??
I typically just leave the peels on! You can try cooking them from dried and then boiling them for a little longer than instructed so they’re super soft before blending.
I already soaked my dried chickpeas overnight so I can follow your recipes to make Hummus. Now I’m not sure what to do! I guess next I’ll simmer them with a bay leaf and salt but I don’t know for how long. Could they become over cooked?
You can simmer them for about 1 hour, or until they’re tender (I like to cook them until they’re super soft for hummus).