Cooking chickpeas in the instant pot is faster than stovetop and you don’t have to soak them overnight. Now you can enjoy chickpeas in your favorite Chickpea Salad or homemade Hummus without needing to plan a day ahead. I included instructions for cooking chickpeas to your desired doneness (i.e. slightly chewy for salads and very soft for hummus).
The Instant Pot has gained so much popularity in recent years because it shaves hours of cooking time from recipes that require slow cooking to tenderize like Instant Pot Beets (which is genius), Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, and of course instant Pot Chickpeas!
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Instant Pot Chickpeas Video Tutorial
Watch this quick video and learn how to cook chickpeas in the instant pot. This is such an easy method and the hardest part is peeling the skins – thankfully that’s optional!
Chickpeas in the Instant Pot is Genius!
Homecooked chickpeas are less expensive and taste so much better than canned. Making them in the instant pot is super fast and easy. You don’t even have to prep ahead since there is no soaking required and they come out tender, creamy, and buttery. A full batch is enough to make 2 batches of hummus so we use half and freeze the other half for another day (see make-ahead tips below).
How to Cook Chickpeas in the Instant Pot
The ingredients and process are simple. All you need is dried chickpeas or garbanzo beans, water, and salt.
- Rinse the chickpeas and pick out any debris or shriveled/bad chickpeas then drain.
- Add beans to the 6-quart Instant pot, add enough to cover the chickpeas by 1-inch of water and add salt.
- For slightly lightly chewy chickpeas (used for salad): Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.
- For soft and tender chickpeas (used for hummus): Pressure cook on high pressure for 50 minutes followed by a 15 minute natural pressure release.
Pro Tip: If your chickpeas aren’t soft enough, you can cover and pressure cook another 5 minutes followed by a manual pressure release.
Common Questions
You can pre-soak the night before. If you pre-soak the beans, they will cook much faster. You can cook on high pressure for just 15 minutes for firm chickpeas or 18 minutes for very creamy and tender chickpeas, followed by a quick pressure release.
Before cooking, discard any stones and discolored, shriveled, or grey chickpeas which indicates bad chickpeas.
Keep some of the liquid for storing the beans. You can also use it in hummus or soups to add more flavor.
Peeling is optional. For some recipes such as hummus, where a smoother texture is desirable, you can peel the chickpeas. Transfer drained chickpeas to a bowl of water and rub them between your hands then skim off the skins.
Chickpeas are the same thing as garbanzo beans and the terms are used interchangeably. They are a type of bean in the legume family.
How to Serve Chickpeas
These are our favorite ways to serve chickpeas, but as they have gained popularity in recent years, people have gotten really creative. I’d love to hear how you use Chickpeas with your cooking in the comments below.
- Chickpea Salad – topping your salads with cooked chickpeas adds great protein, wonderful nutty and buttery flavor, and a fun crunchy texture.
- Soups – add them to soups as you would other beans.
- Hummus – homemade hummus is so much better than store-bought and cooking the beans in the instant pot takes it to the next level.
Make-Ahead
Refrigerator Storage – Cool beans to room temperature then transfer to an airtight container with a little bit of cooking liquid and store for 3-5 days.
How to Freeze – Place cooled chickpeas along with some liquid in a freezer- safe zip bag, squeeze out all of the air and seal tightly. Freeze flat for quick thawing and store in the freezer for 2-3 months. Package in portions that you know you will use when thawed, for example, we freeze half of the batch for hummus.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner, or want to skip some cooking time like with Instant Pot Beets to add to your favorite Beet Salad, you will love these recipes:
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken and Gravy
- Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
- Instant Pot Ribs
- Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot
Instant Pot Chickpeas (No Soaking Required)
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried chickpeas, 2 cups
- 6 cups water
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Rinse and chickpeas and remove any debris then drain well.
- Transfer chickpeas to a 6-quart instant pot and add 6 cups water or enough to cover the chickpeas by 1-inch of water. Add 1 tsp salt.
- For slightly lightly chewy chickpeas (used for salad): Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.
- For Soft and Tender Chickpeas (used for hummus): Pressure cook on high pressure for 50 minutes followed by a 15 minute natural pressure release.*
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi Natasha,
I’ve made this a few times, and it has turned out perfect everytime. I typically cool them and freeze them in ziplocks, and they thaw really well. I was wondering if this recipe does well doubled? Or would the timing need to be adjusted at all? I have an 8 quart instant pot 🙂
Hi Lenya! I think it could work to just double the ingredients. You shouldn’t need to adjust the time cooking time, but it will take longer to come to pressure and release.
Thank you, Natasha! This method has worked brilliantly for me at least a dozen times now. Thanks to this recipe I always have economical, frozen garbonzo beans ready for quick use. Save me money and time? Yes, please 🙂
Hello Natasha, I am wondering if I have to make any modifications because my instant pot is only a 3 quart size. If I halve the recipe, will that do it? Or do you think I need to adjust cooking times? Thanks so much!
Hello Lena! You can cook it in half and maintain the original cooking time.I also suggest keeping an eye on the vent during cooking, if you see foam starts to build up, you can lift the pressure cooker off for a while from the heat to reduce the pressure and prevent spillage.