Instant pot chickpeas are an easy and convenient way to get perfectly cooked chickpeas that you can use in any recipe. Once you've learned how to make chickpeas in the instant pot, you'll never use canned chickpeas again, I promise! Both soak and non-soak methods included.
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Why cook chickpeas in the instant pot?
I can think of 3 very good reasons to cook chickpeas in the instant pot.
1. It's a dump-and go, hands-off recipe. Just dump the chickpeas in water, add salt (or not), push a button and walk away! How much easier can it get, seriously?
2. It's much healthier to cook chickpeas from scratch than using the canned stuff. There is always some preservative in a can plus the lining contains materials that leach into the food inevitably. Not a good thing. I can't claim that I have never used canned food, but when you can do something as easily as these instant pot chickpeas, it becomes a no-brainer to go with the latter, right?
3. It saves you money. If you're looking to get the best bang for your bucks, buying a packet of dry chickpeas makes more sense than buying cans. Just simple math.
The ratio of chickpeas to water
As a general rule, the ratio of beans to water is 1:2 in the instant pot. So, if you have 1 cup of beans or legumes (including kidney beans), 2 cups of water will be enough to cook them to a soft doneness. Increase the amount of water proportionately as you increase the quantity of beans.
Soak method
Overnight soaking (8-10 hours) is recommended for chickpeas if that's the route you want to go down.
Soak the chickpeas in double the amount of water in a steel dish. Don't use plastic, aluminum or non-stick dishes as these are not good materials for storing or cooking food. The chickpeas are going to expand quite a bit so if you don't want them spilling over, use a large vessel.
One question that arises is whether to throw the water in which the chickpeas were soaked or not. Some people say that this water contains substances that promote flatulence so they advise throwing the water and rinsing the chickpeas before cooking them. But a downside to doing this is that you will also end up throwing the minerals and vitamins that have seeped into this water.
Ultimately, it's your call. I don't see any difference either way, i.e. I have experienced no bloating or flatulence on keeping or throwing the water, but I generally end up throwing it and adding fresh water to the chickpeas more often than not now.
Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas for 30 minutes with 10 minutes NPR to get soft yet firm chickpeas which hold their shape.
No-soak method
Forgot to soak the chickpeas the night before? I used to forget fifty percent of the time when I was not using an instant pot and would end up not making the recipe for fear of it not turning out right! Not any more.
Unsoaked chickpeas cooked in the instant pot are perfectly done if you know the time they are supposed to be cooked for. 50 minutes pressure cooking with 10 minutes NPR is just right to get cooked through yet firm chickpeas. If you want very soft chickpeas that break upon handling, increase the time by another 10 minutes.
Ingredients
Only three ingredients are required, one of which is optional!
- 2 cups dry chickpeas
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional) - you can add salt later when you are making your recipe of choice with these cooked chickpeas. Or you can add it along with the chickpeas while pressure cooking them. Entirely up to you.
How to make instant pot chickpeas
If you've soaked the chickpeas the night before, drain the soak water and rinse the chickpeas well. If you're using unsoaked chickpeas, rinse them once or twice in a colander and proceed.
- Put the chickpeas in the steel insert of your instant pot.
- Add water and salt (if using) and secure the lid. Make sure the steam release handle is on sealing. Press the pressure cooking button on high pressure ('manual' button in older models) and set the time. 30 minutes for soaked chickpeas and 50 minutes for unsoaked chickpeas.
- When the timer beeps, wait for 10 minutes, then release pressure. Open the pot and stir the chickpeas once. They are ready to be used in your favourite recipe!
Recipes with cooked chickpeas
What good are cooked chickpeas with no recipes to use them? Here are a few carefully selected ones so that you can pick and choose the ones you like. The first three are from my blog and the rest from some blogger friends of mine. All are vegetarian:)
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chickpeas
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot Duo
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry chickpeas
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
Preparation (optional)
- Soak the chickpeas in 2 cups water in a steel container for 8-10 hours or overnight. In the morning, drain the water, rinse the chickpeas and proceed with the recipe.
Cooking
- Put the chickpeas in the steel insert of your instant pot.
- Add water and salt (if using) and secure the lid. Make sure the steam release handle is on sealing. Press the pressure cooking button on high pressure ('manual' button in older models) and set the time. 30 minutes for soaked chickpeas and 50 minutes for unsoaked chickpeas.
- When the timer beeps, wait for 10 minutes, then release pressure. Open the pot and stir the chickpeas once. They are ready to be used in your favourite recipe!
Notes
- The ratio for chickpeas to water is 1:2 in the instant pot. You can increase or decrease the quantity of chickpeas according to this ratio.
Nutrition
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