Instant pot Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) - Soaked & Unsoaked

Are you struggling to cook chickpeas to perfection? This Instant Pot Chickpeas recipe ensures tender, buttery chickpeas every time. Discover how soaking and the Instant Pot can simplify your meal prep!

Curious about cooking beans from scratch in the Instant Pot? Check out my Instant Pot Basics & How-Tos for Indian Cooking guide. It covers cooking times, soaking tips, storage, and more for all your favorite Indian beans and lentils.

What are chickpeas

Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, are a type of legume rich in protein, iron, and folate(1). Chickpeas have a nutty taste and creamy texture that blends well into many recipes. 

There are two types of chickpeas. One is Kabuli Chickpeas (the white chickpeas, most common in the US), and the other is brown chickpeas (Also called black chickpeas & desi chickpeas)

Do we need to soak chickpeas?

I usually soak chickpeas overnight or at least 8 hours and recommend soaking them before cooking. Though we might need to plan a day before, it will yield perfectly cooked chickpeas every single time.

Soaking chickpeas before cooking

• Will yield uniformly cooked chickpeas every time.
• Will reduce the cooking time significantly.

How to cook chickpeas in the Instant pot

In this recipe, I will show you how to cook soaked and un-soaked chickpeas using an Instant pot easily at home, and you will never buy canned chickpeas again!

Prep work (Optional)

• Soak the chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight. If you are soaking for more hours, do it in the refrigerator, as beans will start fermenting.
• Discard the water from the soaked chickpeas and wash them a couple of times. There might be white foam on the top. Rinse it well to remove the foam altogether.
• Before cooking, you can refrigerate the soaked chickpeas for 2 to 3 days.

Soaked Chickpeas

• Wash the soaked chickpeas thoroughly 2 to 3 times. Then, drain them completely and add these to the instant pot inner pot.

• Add 3 cups water, salt and close the instant pot with its lid.

• Start the Instant Pot in manual or pressure cooker mode and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure.
• 12 to 14 minutes on high pressure will yield soft chickpeas, ideal for making hummus.
• Once the instant pot beeps, wait for 10 minutes and do a quick pressure release. You can leave it aside and let the pressure release naturally, also.
• Your Instant pot chickpeas are ready. Drain the chickpeas and reserve the water. This reserved water can be added to hummus for a thinner consistency or make soup and curry.

Dried Chickpeas

• Wash the chickpeas a couple of times. Then, drain them thoroughly and add these to the instant pot inner pot.
• Add water and close the instant pot with its lid.
• Start the Instant Pot in manual or pressure cooker mode and cook for 45 minutes on high pressure.
• Once the instant pot beeps, wait for 10 minutes and do a quick pressure release. Or wait for a natural release of pressure.
• Drain the chickpeas and save chickpeas and cooking liquid (you can make aquafaba using it) separately.

Cooking times and water ratio

Chickpeas ( 1 cup)	Water	Pressure cook time
Soaked	3 cups	10 minutes
Dried	4 cups	45 minutes

Dried chickpeas - Cooked & Canned chickpeas

One cup of dried chickpeas will yield around 3 cups of cooked chickpeas. And 3 cups of cooked chickpeas will be almost equivalent to 2 15oz canned chickpeas.

Variations & flavorings

Though plain chickpeas taste well, you can flavor the chickpeas to enhance them. Choose the flavors according to the recipes you want to make with cooked chickpeas.

• Bay leaf - Add a couple of bay leaves to flavor the chickpeas. And use the liquid collected from draining cooked chickpeas to make a soup or curry. 
• Vegetable broth - Instead of plain water, you can use vegetable broth or chicken broth to cook the chickpeas.
• Whole garlic or onion - Slice the whole garlic into half and add it to the chickpeas to make garlic-flavored chickpeas. Once they are cooked, discard the garlic from the chickpeas. These chickpeas will taste good for hummus.
• Salt - Though salt is optional in this recipe, I always add a little not to overcook chickpeas. And a simple salt will flavor the chickpeas very well.
• Fresh herbs - You can add fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, mint, and cilantro stalks to flavor the garbanzo beans.
• Kombu - Kombu will help beans cook quicker, so I often use it when using a stovetop recipe. Kombu will give umami flavor to the chickpeas.

Recipe Notes

• Old beans take a longer time to cook. So make sure to use the beans as early as possible. If not, increase the pressure cook time.
• If your beans are aged, it might take around 15 minutes on HIGH pressure to cook soaked chickpeas. And for unsoaked chickpeas, it will take about 55 minutes.
• Buy the beans from the bulk section, as they will be fresh.
• Chickpeas will be relatively smaller in size if you get them from Indian supermarkets. They will usually take less time. I cook them for 8 minutes on HIGH pressure for soaked chickpeas.
• Chickpeas from American supermarkets will be larger, so cook soaked chickpeas for around 10 to 12 minutes on HIGH pressure.
• Adding salt and acidic agents like tomatoes will hinder the cooking process, and chickpeas will take a little more time to cook.
•  As chickpeas will start fermenting, only soak the beans for 12 hours at room temperature.
• Dried beans will more than double in volume, so do not fill the instant pot with more than half.
• Aged chickpeas will take more time to cook. So if your chickpeas are sitting for a long time in the cupboard, cook the soaked chickpeas for 15 minutes under high pressure. And for unsoaked chickpeas, it will take about 55 minutes.

How to store cooked chickpeas

Always drain the cooked chickpeas before storing them in the freezer or refrigerator.

To refrigerate the chickpeas:

1. Divide them into portion-sized containers and keep them.
2. When needed, take the required amount and use the chickpeas.
3. Do not refrigerate them again; discard them if they smell or taste differently.
4. Refrigerated chickpeas stay good for about 2 to 3 days.

To freeze the chickpeas:

1. I usually freeze them in portion-sized steel containers.
2. You can use freezer-safe containers and store them.
3. Take the required amount of chickpeas and thaw them overnight in the fridge or for a couple of hours at room temperature.
4. Use the beans immediately, and do not refrigerate them again.
5. Frozen chickpeas stay good for about 3 to 4 months.
6. If you want to store all chickpeas in a single container, freeze them in a baking tray for an hour and then store them in a freezer-safe container. This way, you can take the required amount of chickpeas and use them.

Common FAQ

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