Easy NO SOAK Instant Pot Chickpeas in less than an hour! Save time and money by making your own pressure cooker chickpeas at home, with better flavour and less salt than canned.
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If you're someone who likes cooking dried beans from scratch but often forgets to soak them in advance, then the Instant Pot is a total game-changer in the bean cooking department.
Today we're taking a deep dive into Instant Pot Chickpeas, where I'll let you in on everything I've learned about cooking chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) in an electric pressure cooker.
Unlike my Spicy Instant Pot Black Beans, which come out totally seasoned and saucy and ready to serve, what we're making today is perfectly cooked Instant Pot Chickpeas ready to be used an ingredient in pretty much any recipe you can think of.
I'll talk you through different cooking times for a slightly firmer bean, like you'd want to use in a salad, or a softer bean if you're aiming to make some creamy smooth hummus (like in these Roasted Cauliflower Hummus Bowls). If I'm cooking up a big batch of chickpeas that I'll use in a few different recipes, I usually aim for a happy medium.
What goes into Instant Pot Chickpeas?
Just three ingredients, my friends:
- Dried chickpeas --> I used a full pound here.
- Water --> From the tap is just fine.
- Salt --> Optional, but I think worth it.
You're going to need an Instant Pot or other kind of electric pressure cooker in order to make these Instant Pot Chickpeas. This is the model that I have (<-- Amazon link) and the only model I have personally tested these instructions with.
No Instant Pot? Please refer to my (very ancient) general post about How to Cook Dried Beans for stove top or slow cooker instructions.
Tip! Depending on what you're using your cooked chickpeas for, you may or may not want to add some aromatics for a bit of flavour. You'll see in the photo below that I've used half a yellow onion and a smashed clove of garlic, which I cooked together with the chickpeas and then fished out later.
This is a great option if you're using your chickpeas for savory recipes, but if you're not sure, or if you know you're going to be making something sweet like Chickpea Blondies or Dessert Hummus (it's a thing), then definitely skip the garlic!
How to make Instant Pot Chickpeas
Step 1: Start by giving your dried chickpeas a good rinse. Check for any stones and discard broken chickpeas.
Step 2: Place the UNSOAKED dried chickpeas into the insert of your instant pot, along with any aromatics and salt. I used half of a yellow onion, and a smashed clove of garlic.
Step 3: Pour cold water over top. The formula I use is one cup of water per every 100 grams of dried chickpeas. I used 500 grams of chickpeas (just over one pound) together with five cups of water.
Step 4: Seal the lid on your Instant Pot and ensure the vent is flipped to "Sealing".
Step 5: Set to Manual / High pressure for 40 minutes (for slightly firmer beans) or 45 minutes (for softer beans). Sometimes I aim for the middle and do 42 minutes.
Step 6: After the pressure cooking cycle is complete, allow the chickpeas to natural release for 15-20 minutes. At that point, flip the vent to "Venting" to quick release the remaining pressure.
Step 7: Remove any aromatics you may have used, strain the beans, and enjoy!
How to Serve Your Chickpeas
These pressure cooker chickpeas are ready to serve as is. You can simply season them with a bit of salt, and add to any salad, meal bowl, or other dish. Or, use as an ingredient in soups, stews, wraps, and more.
Storing Cooked Chickpeas
If you cook up a big batch of chickpeas like I did (related: Batch Cooking for Beginners) you may want to divide them up for storage.
Option 1: Storing cooked chickpeas in the fridge
To store your cooked chickpeas in the fridge, spoon them into any container that has a lid. I like these Weck Jars, but old jam jars, Ball jars, or even empty yogurt containers work fine as well.
Personally, I like to store cooked chickpeas with a bit of the cooking liquid poured over top, as it prevents them from drying out. Your chickpeas will last for about 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Option 2: Freezing chickpeas
Can you freeze chickpeas? You bet you can! This is a great option for having cooked beans on hand and ready to use, fast.
To freeze chickpeas, simply spoon them into freezer bags or other freezer-proof container. I love these resuable silicon bags for freezing cooked beans (and other things!). You can also use glass jars - just be sure you leave adequate space at the top for expansion.
Your chickpeas will last 3-6 months in the freezer.
Pro tip: freeze your chickpeas in commonly used portions so you don't have to chip apart a block of frozen chickpeas. Many recipes call for 14-ounce cans, which are equivalent to about one and a half cups of cooked chickpeas. If you're making a soup or stew, you can just toss the whole frozen block in at once.
If you'd prefer to have a bag of loose frozen chickpeas that you can reach in and grab a handful from, then start by flash freezing them in a single layer on a sheet pan, then transfer the frozen chickpeas to a freezer bag.
There are some great tips in this post on How to Freeze Fresh Produce from Sustainable Cooks.
In what way does an Instant Pot make cooking chickpeas easier?
Cooking chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) in the Instant Pot is significantly faster than cooking them stove top. You can cook a big batch and have them come out perfectly every time by following these instructions.
Do I have to soak chickpeas before cooking?
Nope! No soaking required! To be honest, soaking dried only speeds up stovetop cooking by about 10 minutes, and Instant Pot Chickpeas are so fast it hardly matters.
Some folks find beans that have been soaked overnight easier to digest than unsoaked chickpeas, so if you have tummy troubles you may want to take that into consideration.
Help! My beans are too firm!
The thing about cooking dried beans is that newer beans cook MUCH faster than old beans... but it's hard to know what you've got. If you've had a bag kicking around the back of your cupboard since who knows when, it's a pretty safe bet they'll need extra time.
My advice is to try different brands of dried beans (or buy bulk, where they tend to be fresher) and once you've got one you like you can use that as your benchmark. If you finish your cooking cycle and find that your beans are undercooked, you can pressure cook for an additional 3-5 minutes for softer beans.
Ways to use cooked chickpeas
So, how do you put your cooked chickpeas to good use? I thought you'd never ask! Here are a few of my favourite vegetarian chickpea recipes:
Slow Cooker Chickpea Curry
Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup
Curried Cauliflower Chickpea Wraps
Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas
Chickpea Mason Jar Salads
Chickpea Blondies
Vegetarian Dumpling Soup
How can you tell if chickpeas have gone bad?
Just follow your nose! If cooked chickpeas develop a foul, funky smelling odour, a strange appearance, or if they're moldy, please don't eat them.
Looking for more beans?
Be sure to check out our other guides to cooking dried beans!
Instant Pot Chickpeas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried chickpeas not soaked!
- 5 cups cold water
- ½ medium yellow onion optional
- 1 clove garlic, smashed optional
- t teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- Place your dried chickpeas into a mesh strainer and rinse well. Check for any stones or broken chickpeas, and discard those.1 pound dried chickpeas
- Place the rinsed beans into the insert of your Instant Pot, together with 5 cups of water and any aromatics.5 cups cold water, ½ medium yellow onion, 1 clove garlic, smashed, t teaspoon salt
- Seal the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the vent is set to "sealing". Set to Manual / High Pressure for 40 minutes (for firmer chickpeas) or 45 minutes (for softer chickpeas). It will take about 20 minutes to come up to pressure.
- Once the pressure cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15-20 minutes. Then, flip the vent to "venting" to release the remaining pressure.
- Open the lid and remove any aromatics. Strain the cooked chickpeas, and use as you wish.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only and are based on 10 servings of cooked chickpeas.
- If the chickpeas are too firm when the cooking cycle is complete, you can pressure cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Cooked chickpeas can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 3-6 months.
- You can easily make more or less beans as needed. Use 1 cup water per every 100 grams of dried beans.
Mary
Katie, first off let me say you are my go to for healthy recipes and how to’s.
Question regarding beans on your black bean post you had a great note about how much dried beans you needs to make a can equivalent and how much it makes ie 1 = 3 do you have this worked out for chickpeas ( and all beans in fact) I usually guess and have leftovers ( which I use or freeze in others recipes) but it would be lovely to get amounts right without the leftovers to deal with. Thanks for all your help in the kitchen
Katie Trant
Hi Mary! The calculation you saw on the black beans post is true for all dry bean types. In general, they triple in volume once cooked, so you can use the 1:3 ratio regardless of bean type!
Sarah - Sustainable Cooks
I made a batch of these for a tomato, cucumber, and chickpea salad and they came out perfectly! So tender and I love not having to soak them.
Inge
Hi Katie, I used to cook chickpeas like that that, it’s so convenient, but then I read somewhere it’s healthier to soak them, so then I started soaking them again and reduced the time it cooks in the instant pot. What are your thoughts on that? Is it actually fine not to soak them? Thanks!
Kris
Do you have directions for other beans, black beans, kidney, red, pinto, etc?
Katie Trant
Hey Kris, I am slowly working my way through all the bean types! So far I've done mung beans (https://www.heynutritionlady.com/how-to-cook-mung-beans/), pinto beans (https://www.heynutritionlady.com/instant-pot-pinto-beans/) and black beans (https://www.heynutritionlady.com/spicy-black-bean-ragout/) in addition to the chickpeas.
Heather
So easy and so much cheaper than canned chickpeas. Thanks!