How to Cook Chickpeas (As Fast As Possible)

cooked chickpeas from scratch in a strainer over a black pot.

How to Cook Chickpeas (As Fast As Possible)

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to cook chickpeas

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 121kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

I don't know why I used to be so intimidated by cooking chickpeas from scratch. If you soak them ahead of time (by covering them with water before work or bedtime), they are ready to eat in less than an hour, with almost zero hands-on effort. And if you forget to soak your garbanzo beans ahead of time 🙋‍♀️ I'll show you how to cook them without soaking them first, too.

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Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas
water

Instructions

For the fastest cooking time, start by covering 1 cup of chickpeas with 3 cups of water in a large mason jar. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the soaking water, if desired. Let this rest on the counter for 8-10 hours. This is perfect to do before work or bedtime. Drain and rinse well before moving to the next step.
Add the dried chickpeas to a 4.5-quart pot and cover them with at least 8 cups of water. The beans should be covered in 3 to 4 inches of water, since they will triple in size as they cook. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. (My stove takes about 20 minutes for the water to rapidly boil.)
Once the water is boiling, lower the heat. The water should barely move, but it's okay if you see a bubble every now and then. Set a timer for 40 minutes.
When the timer goes off, check on the chickpeas and water level. If you started with unsoaked chickpeas, continue checking the water level every 30 minutes to ensure they remain fully submerged as they plump up. If the chickpeas start to stick out of the water, they won't cook properly. Unsoaked chickpeas require 90 minutes to 2 hours to cook, so be patient.

If you started with soaked chickpeas, there's a good chance they're done cooking after 40 minutes. Test one by smashing it against the side of the pot to check for tenderness. If it's easily mushed, you can taste test one, too. Chickpeas should feel very tender, not at all "al dente," when cooked. If you're happy with the texture, you can stop cooking them now.

When the chickpeas are tender, drain off the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer and let them cool slightly. Transfer the cooked beans to an airtight container with a lid and refrigerate for up to a week.

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for approximately 1/2 cup of chickpeas. This is automatically calculated using an online ingredient database, so it's just an estimate, not a guarantee.

Quantity Note: 1 cup of dried chickpeas yields approximately 3 cups of cooked chickpeas, or the equivalent of 2 15-ounce cans. Feel free to double the recipe if you need to make more.

How to "Quick Soak" Chickpeas: Pour the chickpeas into a saucepan and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring them to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let them cool for 1 hour.

Covering the Pot: You can cover the pot with a lid as the beans cook, which may make them softer-- and you won't have to worry about evaporation as much. I found that cooking beans with the lid off made them more flavorful, so that's what I recommend doing if you don't mind checking on the liquid levels every now and then.

Nutrition