How to Cook Dried Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

How to Cook Dried Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

The Pesky Vegan

This is a recipe for how to cook dried chickpeas on the hob/stove. Once the chickpeas are cooked, you can use them in place of any tinned chickpeas in recipes. (See notes for pressure cooker and slow cooker).

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 2

Total Time 10

Course Chickpeas, Pulses

Cuisine Gluten-free, Vegan

Servings

Calories 182 kcal

Ingredients

300 g dried chickpeas (300 g will result in approx. 750 g cooked chickpeas)
Fresh water (enough to cover)
Seasonings such as bay leaves, garlic, onion, cardamom, turmeric (all optional)
Salt (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the dried chickpeas

Pick over the dried chickpeas to remove any small stones, twigs, or discoloured chickpeas.
Soak the chickpeas in water. If you have time to plan in advance, go for the traditional soak overnight. If you need to cook dried chickpeas more quickly, go for the quick soak method (or use a pressure cooker – see notes).
Method 1: traditional soak
Rinse the chickpeas, place in a large bowl, and cover with a few inches of fresh water. The bowl should be large enough to allow them to at least double in size. Place the bowl in the fridge and leave the chickpeas to soak overnight (anywhere from 8-24 hours). Drain the chickpeas and give them a quick rinse.
Method 2: quick soak
Rinse the chickpeas and add them to a large cooking pot. Cover with several inches of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Leave the chickpeas to stand in this water for 1 hour, before draining and rinsing.

Cook the soaked chickpeas

Add the soaked chickpeas and any seasonings (but not salt) to a large cooking pot and cover with several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until soft and tender. The cooking time can be anywhere from one hour to two hours, depending on the age of the chickpeas and the desired texture.
After an hour of cooking, add a good pinch of salt. Check the consistency of the chickpeas and test every 15-20 minutes from now on until you have the texture you want. At the very least, you should be able to easily squeeze a cooked chickpea between your fingers.
Drain the chickpeas once cooked, then use in place of the tinned version in any recipes.

Notes

Quantity: This recipe uses 300 g of dried chickpeas to produce approx. 750 g of cooked chickpeas. Increase this amount as much as you like – just make sure you use enough water and your cooking pot is large enough.

Salt: Adding salt at the start of cooking can make the chickpeas a bit tough, which is why I suggest only doing this after an hour of cooking.

Foam: If any foam or froth appears after boiling, you can skim this off with a spoon or ladle.

Texture: The desired texture will depend on what you want to use the cooked chickpeas for. To use the chickpeas in a curry, stew, or salad, it’s good for them to still have a bit of shape. If you’re wanting to make hummus then the softer the better.

Chickpea recipes:

Seasoning: Depending on what you’re going to use the chickpeas for, you can include various seasonings during the cooking process:

Nice n’ simple. Just add some salt after an hour of cooking.
Bay & garlic. Add a couple of bay leaves and a few whole garlic cloves at the start, followed by salt after an hour. A good general savoury option.
Mirepoix. Add chunks of onion, carrot, and celery at the start, followed by salt after an hour. Another good savoury option.
Spiced. Add a cinnamon stick, a few cardamom pods, a few dried cloves, a teaspoon of turmeric, and then salt after an hour. Nice in salads or for further use in curries etc.

Pressure cooker:

For soaked chickpeas, add these to your pressure cooker and cover with a couple of inches of fresh water. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 12-15 minutes (approx. 4-5 ‘whistles’ in a non-electric cooker). Let the pressure drop naturally for 15 minutes, before carefully venting the rest. The lid is safe to open once the valve has dropped.

For dried, unsoaked chickpeas, add these to your pressure cooker and cover with a couple of inches of fresh water. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 40-45 minutes. Let the pressure drop naturally for 15 minutes, before carefully venting the rest. The lid is safe to open once the valve has dropped.

If you’re unsure of how to use your specific pressure cooker, read the manual before cooking.

Slow cooker:

Add dried, unsoaked chickpeas to your slow cooker along with any seasonings and cover with about an inch of fresh water. Cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Want to learn more about legumes? Check out my Beginner's Guide to Pulses.

The nutrition info below is based on a 125 g serving of cooked chickpeas (equivalent to 50 g dried chickpeas or half a tin of chickpeas).

Nutrition

Calories: 182kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 10gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.5gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 438mgFiber: 9gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 34IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 3mg

Nutrition Facts

How to Cook Dried Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 182 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Saturated Fat 0.5g3%

Sodium 12mg1%

Potassium 438mg13%

Carbohydrates 30g10%

Fiber 9g38%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 34IU1%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 53mg5%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword chickpea recipes, dried chickpeas, dried garbanzos, how to soak dried chickpeas

Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment down below or tag me on Instagram @thepeskyvegan along with the hashtag #thepeskyvegan

Get ingredientsBrowse ingredients for this recipe and more at Zero Waste Bulk Foods! UK only. Free delivery on orders over £60. I may earn a small commission on purchases made through the link above.