How to Cook Chickpeas

I’ve shown you how you can sttreeecccccchhhhh a $1.50 bag of split peas, black beans, and lentils into three meals per bag. And today, we’re tackling the last (but certainly not least) pulse—chickpeas!

Just like all the other pulses out there, chickpeas (AKA: garbanzo beans) are a super affordable, delicious, sustainable, protein-packed source of fiber.

They are so tasty, versatile, incredibly healthy, and budget-friendly to cook with. The average cost of beef per serving is $1.49, whereas you can serve dry peas, chickpeas, lentils, or beans for about 10 cents per serving. TEN CENTS! If you’re looking for affordable ways to eat healthier, beans and lentils need to be on your grocery list.

Canned beans are a great deal, too, but to stretch your budget even further, drive your cart down the grocery store aisle a little more and pick up some bags of dried beans, lentils, chickpeas, or split peas. A pound of dried pulses runs between $1-$2, and trust me, you can streeeettttcchhh each of those bags into multiple meals. Today, I’m going to show you how to stretch a one pound bag of chickpeas into three delicious, healthy, meatless meals! Let’s do this.

How many cups of cooked chickpeas will I get from a pound of dried beans?

A pound of dried chickpeas is about two cups of dried beans, and they will approximately triple in size during cooking. You’ll get around six cups of cooked garbanzo beans per pound of dried beans.

Do you have to soak chickpeas before cooking?

You don’t have to necessarily, but soaking will help the beans cook faster and make them easier to digest.

To soak, cover the garbanzo beans with water in a large bowl (they will expand to almost triple their size, so leave lots of space in the bowl!). You want the water to cover the beans by 1-2 inches. The next morning, drain off the soaking water and use fresh water or stock to cook the chickpeas.

You can also use the quick soak method. Boil the beans hard for one minute on the stovetop, and then soak for one hour.

Teach me how to cook chickpeas!

Chickpeas can be cooked on the stove top or in a pressure cooker. Here’s how to do both:

For the stovetop

1. Soak the chickpeas, then drain and rinse the beans.
2. Pour the chickpeas into a large stockpot. Add a bit of salt, and cover with eight cups of cooking liquid. You can use water, but we prefer to use vegetable or chicken stock for more flavor.
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the beans are tender. This should take 1-3 hours, depending on how old the beans are.
4. Season to taste and remove beans from the liquid with a slotted spoon.

For the Instant Pot

1. Combine the beans and some salt with four cups of cooking liquid.
2. Seal and set to manual high pressure for 45 minutes.
3. Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes.
4. Stir the beans and season to taste.

How long will cooked chickpeas last?

If stored in the fridge, chickpeas will be safe to eat for up to one week. If you’d like to freeze your beans instead, they will hold their texture and quality in the freezer for 10-12 months.

How do you cook canned chickpeas?

Canned chickpeas are ready to use! Drain and rinse them, and then you can either use them straight away, or warm them gently on the stove.

What can I do with all these chickpeas?

Chickpeas have so many uses, you’ll never get bored! Put them in soups and stews, use them as a vegan replacement for meats, roast a batch for snacking…we love chickpeas!

Each of these three recipes below uses about 2/3 cups of dried chickpeas, meaning you can buy a single pound of chickpeas for a whopping $1.50 and make all three of these dishes. Now that’s how you stretch your grocery budget!

BBQ Chickpea Wraps

Chickpea Apple Spinach Salad with Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

And check out these other chickpea recipes:

• Sesame Chickpea Salad in a Jar
• Chickpea Curry
• Chickpea and Flaxseed Homemade Pasta
• Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Veggie Burgers
• Sweet and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas