If you’re trying to cook chickpeas at home instead of using canned, this is the guide for you! We’re sharing our favorite way to cook chickpeas in the Instant Pot.
The result is tender, buttery chickpeas perfect for salads, sandwiches, dips, and more! We love using this technique because it’s faster, more consistent, and less hands-on than stovetop methods. Plus, home-cooked chickpeas taste SO much better than store-bought and are far less expensive! Let us show you how it’s done.
How to Cook Chickpeas in an Instant Pot
First, soak the chickpeas in water overnight (or for at least 6-8 hours). This helps them soften and cook more fully. We also like adding a teaspoon of baking soda to soften them even more.
We tested unsoaked versions and found that soaked were much better. Unfortunately, the unsoaked chickpeas just would not soften in the center.
Once the chickpeas have soaked, they will plump up and expand in size (see photo below).
Next, you’ll rinse the soaked chickpeas and add them to the Instant Pot. Then cover with just enough water to submerge them, but not so much that you’ll end up with a lot of excess liquid after cooking.
Then add seasonings of choice, if desired, and close the lid. Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes, or up to 17-18 minutes for super buttery, tender chickpeas. Note: If you soaked your chickpeas for longer than 8 hours (overnight or 10+ hours), you may even be able to get away with cooking for 12-14 minutes!
Then quick release and drain off the excess cooking liquid. Or, to concentrate the flavors, you can press “Cancel” and then “Sauté” for ~5 minutes (stirring frequently) to evaporate excess liquid.
How Do You Add Flavor to Chickpeas?
While chickpeas have a naturally delicious, slightly sweet and buttery flavor, we enjoy taking them up a notch by adding the following:
Onion & garlic – for a savory, fragrant element.Olive oil – to add richness.Fresh herbs (such as thyme or rosemary) – for earthiness. However, if using chickpeas in a dish that already has a lot of flavor or where the flavors would not be complimentary, omit the herbs.Salt & pepper – because, always!
We hope you LOVE these Instant Pot chickpeas! They’re:
Creamy
Buttery
Tender
Versatile
Easy
& Delicious!
They’re perfect in nearly any recipe where you might use canned chickpeas. Or enjoy as a quick and easy side for weeknight meals or make a larger batch for meal prep or to freeze for future use!
How to Use Chickpeas
Chickpea Sunflower SandwichCurried Quinoa Chickpea Burgers1-Pot Chickpea Tomato Peanut Stew& More!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Instant Pot Chickpeas
How to cook chickpeas in the Instant Pot! Our easy technique yields perfectly tender chickpeas perfect for salads, sandwiches, dips, and more! Print SAVE SAVED
from votes Prep Time 6 minutes Cook Time 23 minutes Total Time 29 minutes Servings 3 (Cups)Course SideCuisine Gluten-Free, VeganFreezer Friendly 1 monthDoes it keep? 5 Days
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Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
CHICKPEAS
1 cup dry chickpeas1 tsp baking soda (helps soften the beans)~3 cups water
FOR COOKING
~2 – 2 ¼ cups water (just enough water to cover the chickpeas)1/4 white onion (leave whole, don’t dice)2 cloves garlic, peeled1 Tbsp olive oil (if oil-free, omit)1 handful fresh herbs (we prefer thyme or rosemary)1 healthy pinch each sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
Add chickpeas and baking soda to a bowl and cover with cool water by about 3 inches (ensuring they’re well submerged). Soak overnight, or for at least 6-8 hours at room temperature.Drain and rinse chickpeas well, then add to Instant Pot and cover with just enough water to submerge (as original recipe is written, we found 1 cup soaked chickpeas to require ~2 – 2 ¼ cups water).For more flavor, add onion, garlic, oil, herbs, salt, and pepper.Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes, or up to 17-18 minutes for super buttery, tender chickpeas. For chickpeas with some bite, try 13-14 minutes. NOTE: If you soaked your chickpeas for longer than 8 hours (for instance, overnight or 10+ hours), you can likely cook your chickpeas even faster (anywhere from 12-14 minutes).Quick release* (always being careful of the steam). We prefer picking out the onion, garlic, and herbs before serving. Drain off any excess cooking liquid as well. You can also reserve the cooking liquid as it’s quite flavorful and can be added to soups and stews (though we don’t believe it would be effective for using as aquafaba).These beans are ready to enjoy! We find them especially well suited for things like our Chickpea Buddha Bowl, Hummus From Scratch, or 1-Pot Curried Chickpea Soup! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*Cook time includes both active cook time (15 minutes as recipe is written) and the time it takes for the Instant Pot to heat up (~8 minutes).
*In this recipe we recommend a quick release to get chickpeas on the table faster! However, the Instant Pot manual recommends a natural release with foods that expand to avoid splatter. Using a cloth or towel over the valve when quick releasing can help avoid a mess. Exercise caution when using the quick release method.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without seasonings.
Nutrition (1 of 3 servings)
Serving: 1 cup Calories: 202 Carbohydrates: 33.7 g Protein: 10.9 g Fat: 3.2 g Saturated Fat: 0.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.42 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.72 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 9 mg Potassium: 358 mg Fiber: 9.4 g Sugar: 5.9 g Vitamin A: 33.21 IU Vitamin C: 1.6 mg Calcium: 60.27 mg Iron: 3.55 mg