Instant Pot Chickpeas

Speedy garbanzo beans

Hello friend! Welcome to my nerd cave. 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—no soaking required! 

Cooking chickpeas in the Instant Pot is significantly faster than cooking them on the stovetop. You can cook a big batch and have them come out perfectly every time by following the instructions in this post.

Unlike my 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 as an ingredient in pretty much any recipe you can think of—check our archive of healthy Chickpea Recipes for inspiration!

I'll talk you through different cooking times for a slightly firmer bean, like you'd want to use in a salad or to make crispy roasted chickpeas, 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.

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!

Step 1: rinse

Start by giving your dried chickpeas a good rinse. Check for any stones and discard broken chickpeas. 

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until it’s translucent, stirring frequently.

Stir in the diced pepper and zucchini. Sauté for 3-5 minutes more, or until the vegetables are heated through. Add the corn, stir in the salt and spices, and remove the pan from the heat.

Step 2: add water and aromatics

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.

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 3: pressure cook

Seal the lid on your Instant Pot and ensure the vent is flipped to "Sealing". 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. 

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. 

Remove any aromatics you may have used, strain the beans, and enjoy!

Pro tip: If you're making Instant Pot Chickpeas as part of your meal prep, freeze your chickpeas in commonly used portions. 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.