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If you had told me years ago that I’d turn into the type of person who cooks beans from scratch… I wouldn’t have believed you. But that was before I wrote The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook and tried cooking beans in the pressure cooker. The Instant Pot makes the process significantly easier!
I spent the past few weeks retesting this recipe to see if I could shorten the cooking time, because some other recipes online suggest that it’s possible. However, when I tested a shorter cooking time in my kitchen, I was disappointed. (The beans don’t turn out evenly cooked.)
One thing I learned from all of my extra experiments is that soaking the chickpeas in salted water makes them more flavorful and more appealing-looking when they’re done. It’s a step you can do in the morning, and they’ll be ready to cook by dinner time.
That said, I usually skip soaking chickpeas because I’m not the type of person to plan ahead. If this is you, too, just know that they’ll turn out delicious either way!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“I made these today and I was so happy to see how creamy the chickpeas turned out. My family is new to cooking with the instant pot. One of our challenges with chickpeas is that they usually took a long time so we would make too many so we didn’t run out then we got sick of them. Now, I can make small batches, thank you so much!” -Richard
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chickpeas
- Dried Chickpeas. There’s no need to soak these ahead of time, but you can if you want to. (Tips below!)
- Water. You’ll use a 3:1 water-to-chickpea ratio when cooking them in the Instant Pot. Don’t be tempted to use any less, or the beans won’t cook evenly.
- Salt. There’s a myth that adding salt to dried beans will prevent them from getting tender, but I tested salted and unsalted beans side by side, and that’s not true. So add salt if you prefer beans with a more flavorful taste.
How to Cook Chickpeas in the Instant Pot
Step 1:
Add the dried chickpeas, salt, and water to the stainless steel bowl of the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to the “Sealing” position.
Note: Newer Instant Pot models have the valve in this position by default, so you may not need to worry about it. My older Instant Pot (purchased in 2017) requires you to move the steam release valve between the “sealing” and “venting” positions each time you use it.
Step 2:
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Use the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button to cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. In my experience, this is the minimum cooking time to get chickpeas tender.
They might still be slightly firmer at this time, so if you prefer softer chickpeas, set the timer for 60 minutes instead. The machine will take at least 10-15 minutes to pressurize, so the screen will simply read “On” until then.
Step 3:
When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release. This usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re impatient, you can move the steam release valve to the venting position after 15 minutes.
Test a chickpea for tenderness by pressing it against the side of the pot with a fork. It should mash easily; if, for some reason, the chickpeas are not as tender as you’d like, you can secure the lid and cook for 10 more minutes.
Drain the cooking water by pouring the chickpeas into a fine-mesh strainer. Then they are ready to use right away.
Safety Tip
When the floating valve in the lid drops, you’ll know the pot is no longer pressurized, and it’s safe to open the lid. As a safety feature, the Instant Pot lid is almost impossible to remove when the pot is still pressurized. So, if it feels difficult to open, don’t force it. The lid is very easy to twist off when the floating valve has dropped.
How to “Quick Soak” Chickpeas
An alternative to soaking chickpeas for 8 hours or more is to use the “quick soak” method. To do this, cover the chickpeas with at least 3 inches of water in a large pot and bring them to a boil over high heat on the stove top. Once it’s boiling, set a timer for 5 minutes.
When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the chickpeas soak in the hot water for 1 hour. They can be cooked in the Instant Pot using the timing mentioned above for soaked chickpeas.
Instant Pot Chickpeas (No Soaking!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- 3 cups water
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Cover the dry chickpeas with water, add the salt, and secure the lid. Move the steam release valve to the SEALING position. Select the "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" button and cook at high pressure for 50 minutes. This is the minimum time needed, but if you prefer more tender minutes, cook them for 60 minutes instead.
- The machine will take 10-15 minutes to pressurize, so the screen will read "On" until the countdown begins. When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes. This means you don't have to do anything until the screen reads L0:15. Then move the steam release valve to the "venting" position to release any remaining pressure in the pot.
- When the floating valve in the lid drops, it's safe to remove the lid. Test the chickpeas for tenderness by mashing one against the side of the pot with a fork. Pour the chickpeas through a fine mesh strainer to drain the cooking liquid, and then they are ready to use just like canned beans.
- Cooked beans can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. (See the tips in this post for freezing tips.)
Notes
Nutrition
How to Use Cooked Chickpeas
- Thai Chickpea Curry
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich (like tuna salad!)
- Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
- Vegetarian Chickpea Noodle Soup
If you try this Instant Pot recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how it works out for you.
Your recipe sounds delish. I will try it.
I have a quandary for you:
I’d like to make chickpea soup, but am stumped as to where to start. I’ve never used dried chickpeas before and it’s been a year or so since I’ve made pea soup in my IP. Do you have any ideas? I’ve been checking the internet for recipes, but haven’t found much for whole chickpea soup according to the Quebecois tradition(pea soup using chickpeas).
Any ideas?Or inspirations?
French Canadian pea soup is made with yellow split peas.
French Canadian pea soup is made with yellow WHOLE peas (not split)
How much water would you use for something like 6 cups of chic peas?
Have you read about the brine method of soaking your beans (from America’s Test Kitchen)? I’ve been using it for over a year and it works wonderfully! Just put 1 T of salt with each cup of beans when you soak at night. In the morning, drain and rinse. Cook in the instant pot – just covered with water – for your desired time (I do 18 minutes for chickpeas) with 1/2-1t salt, depending on how you like them.
I’ve never tried that! The Instant Pot seems more sensitive with salt water + legumes than stove top cooking, so I was nervous to introduce salt at all. When I cook green lentils in the Instant Pot, they will NEVER become tender if salt is in the mix. But it’s good to know that it works with chickpeas!
Thank you! I soaked my beans overnight and followed your instructions. Turned out wonderful! 😊
i forgot to put my beans into soak today… if i want to do the quick-soak method, should i follow the soaked method thereafter or the non-soaked method?
thank you!
If you perform a quick-soak, then you would treat the beans like they had been soaked for the rest of the recipe.
Has anyone used the liquid that’s left after the chickpeas are finished cooking as you would as if they were canned?
Thanks!
Possibly, but if it doesn’t look as thick as the canned version, I would use the Sauté function to simmer the leftover liquid until it has reduced a bit. I find that canned liquid works well in aquafaba recipes because it’s so thick!
I make a stew with cooked garbanzos and I use the cooking liquid as part of the liquid component of the stew recipe.
No. I don’t use the water / liquid. I find that the water used from the instant pot method is often very bland, and the liquid from the can is literally full of sodium.
I had to add an additional 10 minutes, totaling 60 minutes, but SO easy. thank you!
Can anyone recommend a cook time for cooking a smaller quantity? I cook solo and don’t want to waste.
Hi. I actually cook a whole bag. When they are cool I split in three portions and freeze two. they will last longer than uncooked.
chickpeas roughly double in weight from dried to cook so if you wanted the amount of chickpeas that come in a normal can i would weigh out 125 dried chickpeas. ive used the same cook time of 12 mins soaked/50 mins unsoaked then 10 mins natural release.
Worked perfectly! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this tutorial! I use your method for cooking black beans all the time, and I figured it was different for other varieties of beans. Can you tell me how to cook kidney beans in the Instant Pot? Is the timing similar to these chickpeas?
I do an hour in the instant pot for SOAKED kidney beans. It’s important you read about the different beans before applying a no-soak technique. Some, like kidney beans, contain dangerous levels of lectins, and so you should soak them for at least a few hours before pressure cooking. I soak my kidney beans overnight, and I drain and refill a couple times before cooking.