Chickpeas are one of my pantry staples. I always keep some on hand, so I can make hummus as a quick appetizer. For years, those pantry chickpeas were in cans. Then I learned how easy it is to cook chickpeas in a pressure cooker.
But homemade chickpeas have a deeper flavor, and a creamier mouthfeel. And the bean cooking liquid is delicious – it adds another layer of flavor to any recipe you use it in. Try some homemade chickpeas; you will be surprised at how much better they taste. 2I’m not against canned chickpeas. They work, if you’re in a hurry. But if you have an hour, homemade chickpeas are so much better.
Pressure Cooker Chickpeas recipe – a basic technique for pressure cooker chickpeas. Use them right away, or save for later in the freezer.
Scale
Ingredients
1 pound dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
6 cups water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 small onion or 2 cloves of garlic, peeled (optional, but recommended for flavor)
1 bay leaf (again, optional, but adds flavor)
Instructions
Sort, rinse, and cook the chickpeas: Sort the chickpeas, removing any stones or dirt clods you find. Rinse the chickpeas, then put them in the pressure cooker. Add the water, onion and/or garlic, and bay leaf. Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 45 minutes in an electric PC, or 40 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release the rest of the pressure. Check a couple of chickpeas for doneness, then use the beans (and their liquid).
Notes
Use or save the chickpeas: Save the beans for later by refrigerating for up to a week, or freezing in the bean liquid for up to six months. (I like to have a couple of 2 cup containers of beans and liquid in my freezer at all times.)
Category:Basic Technique
Method:Pressure Cooker
Cuisine:American
Sorting chickpeas
Rinsing chickpeas
Ready to lock the lid
Notes: *I confess – I still keep a can or two of chickpeas in the pantry. But I’ve been using them less and less. This recipe makes four two cup servings.
That is, four servings, each two cups in size. Is there a better way to say that? It sounds awkward. Anyhow…I use one serving, and freeze the other three for use later. When it’s time to use them, I thaw them out in the microwave, and continue as before.
*If a recipe calls for drained chickpeas, I save the liquid, and substitute it for the liquid in the recipe. As I said in the opening, that’s one of the advantages of making your own beans – the liquid is an ingredient that is just as useful as the beans themselves.
Self portrait: “Reflections in a Pressure Cooker Lid”
Adapted from: Lorna Sass’s various pressure cooking cookbooks. For beans, I like her Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure. It has a handy chart on the inside covers for timings for all different types of beans, soaked and unsoaked.
*Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe using your RSS reader or by Email, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you!
I can’t tell you how I appreciate that you sneak in the directions for stovetop pressure cookers. I rarely search for “pressure cooker” recipes without finding only Instant Pot directions. I’d started thinking no one knew any other pot existed! At any rate, this recipe is exactly what I needed. Thank you. Yes
I followed your instructions, adding both the onion and garlic (plus a teaspoon of salt) and they turned out perfect. I used my 6-quart Cuisinart pressure cooker, 45 minutes, 15 minutes NPR, then quick-released the rest of the pressure. After the garbanzos had cooled down, I roasted half with olive oil and spices. With the other half (plus the flavorful cooking liquid), I made a Spanish stew, “garbanzos con chorizo”. I’m glad to report that the chickpeas were the right level of firmness for both dishes.
About your phrasing question: I would say “four 2-cup servings.” I think the hyphen adds clarity. Another way would be “4 servings, 2 cups each” although I much prefer the former to the latter.
Thank you for sharing your foolproof method of cooking garbanzos in a pressure cooker! I’ll be making them this way every time I realize I forgot to soak them overnight!
Thanks so much for a really great recipe! I needed chickpeas for Crispy Spiced Chickpeas as well as Hummus with Smoked Paprika. I used the onion, garlic (upped it to 4 cloves), a large bay leaf AND 3 whole Black Cardamom Pods (used 7 cups of water). Cooked exactly as you directed and they came out perfect! Before straining, I added 1.5 t Kosher salt and gave it a gentle stir. I strained the broth into a storage container and spread out the chickpeas on a platter to cool faster. Hard not to eat “as is” like popcorn!!!! Cannot wait to use them in the recipes I needed them for- just hope they aren’t devoured before I start! The broth is a wonderful extra “gift” as well. All around AWESOME!
I followed the recipe exactly, except I put in 4 small cloves of garlic and 1/2 TBS salt – perfect. To answer your question, I would say: Four servings of 2 cups each.
Used your instructions for my first time cooking dried chickpeas in my new IP. I soaked them for one day, (didn’t get chance to cook sooner), with a pinch of baking soda then cooked them for 22 minutes. I allowed them to natural realease for about 50 minutes before opening. They came out Great! Nice and tender and tasty. Now I didn’t season them because I am making the traditional Sicilian Pastry, (Cassateddi), for St. Joseph’s day. Thanks
I don’t want my beans to be mushy, we want to roast some of them. Would you set your IP to stay warm during natural release or turn off when pressure portion is over?
I was excited to try this. The 45 minutes in my Fagor wasn’t quite enough, so I put it back under pressure for 2 min. This time I’m trying 47 minutes from the beginning. I made the hummus recipe from Vita Mix and will be making it again into a Chickpea Shwarma dip with hummus and roasted chickpeas. Yum!
Made these today and they came out great. I was pleasantly surprised by the difference versus canned chickpeas—I didn’t think they would taste SO much better—but they do! Thanks for posting.
I leave them on the chickpeas. (Mostly. If there are loose skins, and I’m doing a recipe where I can easily pick them out, I’ll remove them – but I leave any that are still attached to the chickpeas alone.)
This absolutely works! It also works using half the amount of beans. I am truly amazed. I’ve tried many recipes. This one is simple and will be my go-to from now on. Thanks dad 🙂
I can’t tell you how I appreciate that you sneak in the directions for stovetop pressure cookers. I rarely search for “pressure cooker” recipes without finding only Instant Pot directions. I’d started thinking no one knew any other pot existed! At any rate, this recipe is exactly what I needed. Thank you. Yes
★★★★★
No salt?
This recipe is from back before I added salt while cooking. (I believed the “don’t add salt or the beans get tough” rumor.) Added it to the recipe.
Thanks ! great tips too!
★★★★★
I followed your instructions, adding both the onion and garlic (plus a teaspoon of salt) and they turned out perfect. I used my 6-quart Cuisinart pressure cooker, 45 minutes, 15 minutes NPR, then quick-released the rest of the pressure. After the garbanzos had cooled down, I roasted half with olive oil and spices. With the other half (plus the flavorful cooking liquid), I made a Spanish stew, “garbanzos con chorizo”. I’m glad to report that the chickpeas were the right level of firmness for both dishes.
About your phrasing question: I would say “four 2-cup servings.” I think the hyphen adds clarity. Another way would be “4 servings, 2 cups each” although I much prefer the former to the latter.
Thank you for sharing your foolproof method of cooking garbanzos in a pressure cooker! I’ll be making them this way every time I realize I forgot to soak them overnight!
★★★★
Thanks so much for a really great recipe! I needed chickpeas for Crispy Spiced Chickpeas as well as Hummus with Smoked Paprika. I used the onion, garlic (upped it to 4 cloves), a large bay leaf AND 3 whole Black Cardamom Pods (used 7 cups of water). Cooked exactly as you directed and they came out perfect! Before straining, I added 1.5 t Kosher salt and gave it a gentle stir. I strained the broth into a storage container and spread out the chickpeas on a platter to cool faster. Hard not to eat “as is” like popcorn!!!! Cannot wait to use them in the recipes I needed them for- just hope they aren’t devoured before I start! The broth is a wonderful extra “gift” as well. All around AWESOME!
★★★★★
I love a hyphen: four 2-cup servings.
Thanks! I think that is the best way to say it.
★★★★★
I followed the recipe exactly, except I put in 4 small cloves of garlic and 1/2 TBS salt – perfect. To answer your question, I would say: Four servings of 2 cups each.
Used your instructions for my first time cooking dried chickpeas in my new IP. I soaked them for one day, (didn’t get chance to cook sooner), with a pinch of baking soda then cooked them for 22 minutes. I allowed them to natural realease for about 50 minutes before opening. They came out Great! Nice and tender and tasty. Now I didn’t season them because I am making the traditional Sicilian Pastry, (Cassateddi), for St. Joseph’s day. Thanks
I don’t want my beans to be mushy, we want to roast some of them. Would you set your IP to stay warm during natural release or turn off when pressure portion is over?
I leave it in Stay Warm mode. There is no difference between Off and Keep Warm until the natural pressure release is done – the pot is too hot for Keep Warm to turn on the heater. See here for more details: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/cancel-keep-warm-mode-natural-pressure-release-no/
I was excited to try this. The 45 minutes in my Fagor wasn’t quite enough, so I put it back under pressure for 2 min. This time I’m trying 47 minutes from the beginning. I made the hummus recipe from Vita Mix and will be making it again into a Chickpea Shwarma dip with hummus and roasted chickpeas. Yum!
Love your site! Thanks!
Made these today and they came out great. I was pleasantly surprised by the difference versus canned chickpeas—I didn’t think they would taste SO much better—but they do! Thanks for posting.
Question…. When I cook Chic Pea’s (boil them, can’t wait to try the pressure cooker)removing the skin’s is time consuming, any tips to make it easier?
I leave them on the chickpeas. (Mostly. If there are loose skins, and I’m doing a recipe where I can easily pick them out, I’ll remove them – but I leave any that are still attached to the chickpeas alone.)
This absolutely works! It also works using half the amount of beans. I am truly amazed. I’ve tried many recipes. This one is simple and will be my go-to from now on. Thanks dad 🙂