Learn how to cook chickpeas from dried and use them in a variety of recipes. I absolutely love chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans.
These protein-packed legumes have a mild, nutty flavor that goes well in a variety of dishes, such as hummus, chickpea and kale soup, and chicken chickpea stew.
Because of the time involved in preparing dried chickpeas, most people resort to canned varieties. The trouble with canned chickpeas is that many contain additives for preservation, as well as high sodium content from added salt.
Making chickpeas from scratch is a much more natural way to go, and it’s surprisingly easy. This recipe, photo tutorial, and video will show you the whole process, step-by-step.
Why Soak Chickpeas?
Soaking chickpeas before cooking softens them and makes them easier to digest. You can do a quick soak (see below) or opt for an overnight soak.
Some prefer soaking them for a few days until they sprout, which may boost nutritional value. If sprouting, use cold water and change it twice a day to prevent bacteria.
For the best results, buy chickpeas from bulk bins with high turnover. Older beans can cook unevenly and stay tough.
Most recipes call for chickpeas that are soaked and boiled until tender (except falafel, which uses soaked but not cooked chickpeas). I often cook a big batch, then store extras in the fridge or freezer.
Homemade chickpeas taste better than canned, offer more control over salt, and can save you over 50%. Budget-friendly and flavorful!
Ingredients and Notes
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete details!
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) – I always make a large batch, using at least 4 cups of chickpeas. Make sure they’re dried!
- Salt – This is technically optional, but infuses the legumes with flavor, similar to cooking pasta.
How to Cook Dried Chickpeas
Before cooking, you will need to soak the chickpeas. For a quick soak, you’ll only need an hour. (See the recipe card below.) However, I recommend letting them soak overnight. Either way, make sure to drain and rinse the chickpeas before cooking. You can save the cooking liquid, known as aquafaba, to use in meringues or macarons.
- Boil. Place the soaked chickpeas in a large pot, and cover them with several inches of water. Then, bring the cooking liquid to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add salt, if desired.
- Simmer. Cook the chickpeas on the stovetop until they reach your desired tenderness.
- Cool. Drain the colander, transfer the chickpeas to a large bowl, and set them aside to cool.
How to Soak, Cook, Freeze and Store Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 4 cups dried chickpeas (you may use more or less as needed– 4 cups dried equals roughly 12 cups cooked beans)
- Salt (optional)
Instructions
- Before cooking, you will need to soak the beans. You can soak them overnight, if you have the time. Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water.
- The chickpeas will expand to over double their size, so make sure you cover by several inches of water to allow for expansion. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let them soak overnight. Drain the water and rinse the beans before cooking.
- To quick soak the beans, you will need 1 hour. Place the chickpeas into the bottom of a large pot and cover with water. The chickpeas will expand to over double their size, so make sure you cover by several inches of water to allow for expansion.
- Bring the chickpeas to a boil. Let them boil for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Let the beans soak in the hot water for 1 hour.
- Drain the water and rinse the beans before cooking.
- When you are ready to cook your soaked beans, place them in a large pot and cover with several inches of water. I use about 1 quart of water per 1 cup of soaked beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add salt, if desired. I use about 1/8 teaspoon of salt for every 1 quart of water and 1 cup of soaked beans. You may like more salt to taste, or none at all to keep them "au naturel."
- Let the beans cook for 60-90 minutes until desired tenderness. Certain dishes require very tender beans (like hummus), while other dishes call for firmer beans (like stews and soups that need to be cooked over long periods of time). Adjust cooking time to achieve the desired tenderness for your purposes. If you are freezing the beans, keep in mind that they will freeze best if they are on the firmer side, rather than completely soft. As you cook them, the beans will continue to expand a bit. Keep an eye on the water level and add additional water as needed to keep the beans covered. When the beans are fully cooked, drain in a colander and allow to cool.
- To store cooked beans in the refrigerator, place them in a covered airtight container or a plastic zipper bag without any additional liquid. Cooked beans will keep 3-4 days in the refrigerator.To store the beans longer for future use, freeze them. Remove as much moisture as possible from the beans by patting them dry with paper towels. Place the beans in reusable freezer bags or plastic zipper bags spread out in single layers; you don't want to pile the beans on top of each other, or they will stick to each other. Freeze, laying the flat single layer down to keep the beans from freezing together. You can freeze several bags this way, one laying flat on top of another.
- Alternatively, you can spread out the beans in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment and freeze the beans for 30 minutes.
- Once they are firm, pour them into a plastic zipper bag or airtight container, seal, and put immediately back into the freezer. Using this method, you don’t need to put the chickpeas in a single layer– because they are already half frozen, they will not stick together.
- Frozen beans will keep for up to 1 year.
NOTES
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Nutritional information per serving is for 1 cup of cooked chickpeas (1/3 cup dried chickpeas)– values and cook times will vary based on how what cooking method is used.
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FAQs
Use dried chickpeas in any recipe that calls for garbanzo beans, adjusting the cooking time as needed. Some of my favorite dishes include butternut squash soup with chickpeas, saffron chickpea risotto, and chicken chickpea stew.
Or, toss the chickpeas in oil and seasonings such as paprika, salt, and pepper. Then, arrange them in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and roast them in the oven until they’re golden brown with a crispy texture. Cool slightly, and use the crispy chickpeas as a topping for salads, pita sandwiches, and grain bowls. Or, enjoy them as a snack!
The general rule of thumb is that 1 cup of dried beans will yield 3 cups of cooked beans.
Yes, once cooked, chickpeas will keep fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Or, you can freeze them for 2-3 months. (See the recipe card for freezing tips.)
Thanks so much for this great tutorial! When searching ‘how to cook chick peas’ your site came up second but because I recognized your site and you had a photo I clicked and came here. I’m glad I did. Now I know I’ve got another 45 minutes or so before I’ll be ready to make my garlic scape hummus.
Appreciate it!
Thanks for the tips. Just learned a great chef’s trick if you want really smooth hummus. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to your soak water. Cover peas and leave in fridge for 18 or more hours. Rinse and continue as described above. I tried it and it made a bigger difference than I thought it would.
As far as salt, I use salt in my recipes so I don’t use it in preparing my chickpeas.
Thanks again.
I want to use a portion of previously cooked (to firm) and frozen chickpeas for hummus. Can I defrost them, and then cook them a little longer until they are softer?
Or when I originally cooked them, should I have cooked some firm and some softer, depending on the usage?
Hi Jessica, there is no harm in cooking them more after defrosting. Enjoy!
New to chickpeas. If a recipe calls for 2 cups of chickpeas, soaked – Is that 2 cups of dry peas or 2 cups of the soaked peas which would generate larger chickpeas since they swell.
Marsha, it sounds like the recipe wants you to first measure out 2 cups of chickpeas and then to soak them. If it said something like “2 cups of soaked chickpeas”, then it’d be asking for you to soak some chickpeas and then to measure out 2 cups of them. It’s all about word order. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Sorry meant to sat that I have always been told not to salt them while boiling them as it makes them tough. But the toughest thing is remembering to soak them the day before you need them. Therefore cook too many and freeze some.
Re: your previous comment – I don’t think it’s a matter of common sense; it’s just that some people (me included) never learned this kind of thing growing up. Luckily I was able to learn later in life, and now I can share the information with others. I’m glad people feel comfortable asking for advice here. My mom always said there are no stupid questions. 🙂 As for the salt, I’ve never heard that it makes them tough but that’s interesting. I’ll try it without salting next time to see if it makes a difference. I do agree that remembering to soak is important, and so many times I don’t have the foresight to do that. That’s where the quick soak method outlined above can come in handy, as well as freezing several batches ahead of time.
Oh dear, chick peas, so simple and straight forward and only a little common sense needed,which clearly some of the people above seem to lack.
Was it necessary for you to be nasty? I don’t believe “chickpea preparation” is a gauge for common sense. Not everyone was raised in an environment that taught all their children garbanzo bean technique. So no, I don’t agree the sense is all that common.
OMG
“Only fools don’t decide the path before them.” I read 10+ comments and have 4 great ideas: let them sprout before cooking, chick pea patties (will be looking for the recipe) and as a flour substitute or chopped and added to bread. Roasted chick peas, I forgot how much I loved them as a kid.
Stephi, I got your back – share on!
Hi! This post is so helpful and I check it every time I make a new batch of chickpeas. Today I am freezing some of my batch for the first time (I got a little over zealous with how many I soaked) and I am not sure how to defrost them for later use. Any tips?
Hi Mollie! It depends on what you’re making with them. If you’re adding them to a soup or stew, you can go ahead and add them frozen, they’ll defrost quickly in the hot liquid. If you’re using them for hummus or salads, just keep them in a cold water bath in the sink till they’re thawed. It shouldn’t take too long to thaw them.
Thanks for the instructions! I make chickpea patties for my baby son, as part of our Baby-Led Weaning, and discovered, to my horror, that the canned variety had too much salt!!! I’ve just followed your instructions and now have half a kilo of chickpeas ready to be frozen. 🙂
Hi! If i freeze these in batches and then defrost in the fridge how quickly to i have to use them? Still 3-4 days? And if i make into hummus still 3-4 days? Thanks so much!
Do you know what the weight substitution would be if I wanted to replace a 300g can of chickpeas with beans I will soak and cook myself? What weight of dried beans would I need? thanks
I’m guessing you are not in the United States as our canned beans generally come in containers yielding about 13.5 – 14.5 oz. (or greater) depending on the weight of the product inside. Your can is about 10.5 oz. by weight, not that it really matters, beans cook the same everywhere, it’s just that it’s such a small amount, I don’t think you really want to do this. It takes about 1.5 hours to cook chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, the same thing, different name. That is such a huge waste of energy for such a small amount of beans that I would cook at least a pound and freeze what I don’t use for future use. 1 pound of beans makes 5 – 6 cups of cooked beans. You’re talking roughly about 3 oz. dry weight of beans here. This is when having a couple cans of cooked beans on hand is helpful so you don’t have to cook insanely small amounts of things.
I have cooked and frozen beans a few times however when I use them in stews I find them quite dry. Is there anything I can do to prevent them from being dry?
I find that freezing chickpeas the way I do raw fish not only keeps them from being dry, but also preserves the fresh-cooked flavor better. In freezing raw fish, it’s best to put some water in the zip-lock bag with the fish. That preserves the fresh flavor and texture. It’s the same with chickpeas. Not a lot of water is necessary, just enough to cover them. Use the water that they were cooked in to preserve the nutritional value as well as the flavor. Don’t leave any “head” (air) space in the bag, either. The air space can cause freezer burn in spite of the plastic.
I love chickpeas! I soak them over night. Cook them for 15 minutes in pressure cooker. Then peel the skin off or else I am in agony with colic. Spice them up with a tin of tomatoes, cook them for another 15 minutes in the pressure cooker. I’m allergic to milk and soya so use chickpeas as a bread replacement.
Is it possible just to soak it overnight and then start using it from there? Is boiling it necessary?
Hi RV, it depends on what you’re making. Foods like falafel can and should be made directly after soaking, whereas hummus needs to be cooked. It really depends on the recipe, however more dishes require them to be cooked in addition to soaking.
LOVE your blog!!! The part I really think is best is that you show pictures step by step – I never have to think “Hmmm, wonder if I am doing this right?!” You make it so easy to be a healthy cook! THANK YOU!!!
i can’t believe how timely your post is, it has been in the back of mind to do some searching on how to prepare garbanzo beans, so I wouldn’t have to use the canned variety! Great post. Thanks so much!
Shabbat Shalom Tori. I always love your blog. What time would you recommend for using a slow cooker? I have 3 of them + their just sitting, waiting for good low cost recipes.
I use a similar method. I boil and soak the garbanzos, then cook in a pressure cooker to save time. This works with beans in general (pintos, white, &c).
thanks for all the info and tips! Shabbat Shalom from Eilat
How do you prepare dried chickpeas to eat as a snack? They sell them in the market but I’ve always wanted to know how to make them at home.
I will definitely cover this in a future blog Avital, maybe I’ll do it next week. They are great roasted as snacks, and so healthy too!
This is second time I am writing regarding article you promised to write regarding ” They sell them in the market but I’ve always wanted to know how to make them at home.” I am interested to read your recommendation and try it. Please let me know if there is one so I can copy it for reading. Thank you
Best regards
Siavash
how do you prepare chickpeas to eat as a snack! please
Roasted chickpeas are very easy! Dry your cooked chickpeas first. Then, you can coat them with olive oil (I massage it) and your favorite seasonings (I like to go with a spicy version – chili powder, cayenne, cumin… But you can also do a sweeter version with maple syrup + cinnamon + nutmeg… Or just salt and peppa!). Cook for 20-30 at 400F and shake the pan every once in awhile. Let cool & enjoy!!! (Ps –
Popping is normal so don’t freak out :))
Also – thanks so much for the tips Tori!!
Thanks for this pic tutorial, I used to avoid cooking these at all costs but they are my favorite bean (especially in hummus…OMG) Hope all is well Tori! Can’t wait to see what you’ll be cooking up around the holidays!
xxo em