Instant Pot Chickpeas (Without Soaking)
Making Instant Pot Chickpeas is super simple, and these step-by-step directions will show you how to go from raw beans to cooked beans in less than an hour!
Making chickpeas in your Instant Pot is a game-changer because it drastically cuts down cooking time, giving you tender, perfectly cooked chickpeas in under an hour without the need for soaking. It’s an easy, hands-off way to enjoy nutrient-packed chickpeas for salads, soups, and plant-based dishes!
We eat a LOT of chickpeas on a regular basis. I have included a lot of recipes that use chickpeas on this website including these recipes for healthy oil-free hummus and my favorite sandwich of all time made with my chickpea avocado salad. For even more ideas, take a peek at the article, 11 Fabulous Chickpea Recipes.
What are chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans?
Chickpeas–also known as garbanzo beans–are a legume that originated in the Middle East around 7,500 years ago and are now widely used in kitchens all over the world.
They are a key ingredient in healthy oil-free hummus and falafels and are also commonly used in salads, vegetable soups, stews, and nutritious plant-based snacks, and can even be ground into flour. These versatile chickpeas can be added to dishes whole, or they can be blended smoothly for use as creamy bases.
Chickpeas are good for you
Chickpeas are nutrient-dense and are a great source of protein and fiber. They also contain folate, iron, zinc, potassium, and other phytonutrients.
Research shows the benefits of chickpeas in helping prevent diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Reasons you will love cooking chickpeas in your Instant Pot
- Faster Cooking – The Instant Pot cuts down chickpea cooking time to under an hour, even without soaking, making meal prep a breeze.
- Hands-Off Convenience – With the Instant Pot, you can cook chickpeas with minimal effort, freeing up time for other tasks.
- Perfect Texture – Enjoy consistently tender and creamy chickpeas, ideal for hummus, salads, soups, and more.
- Healthier and Cost-Effective – Making chickpeas from scratch in the Instant Pot is healthier and more affordable than canned, with no added preservatives or sodium.
How to make chickpeas in an Instant Pot
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Rinse the dry uncooked chickpeas in a colander under water and remove any bad ones found.
STEP #2: Place 1 pound of chickpeas (2.25 cups) into your Instant Pot and cover with water (6 cups) by about 1 inch.
STEP #3: Lock the lid and place the pressure release handle in the SEAL position. Press the PRESSURE COOK button making sure it is set to HIGH and set the timer for 35 minutes.
STEP #4: After the Instant Pot beeps to signal that cooking has finished, wait another 20 minutes to allow it to naturally release. Once the 20 minutes is up, slide the release handle to VENTING to release any additional pressure.
STEP #5: Once all of the pressure has been released, open the lid and taste-test one chickpea to make sure they are nice and tender.
If they need any additional cooking, cook another 10 minutes and give them another try.
STEP #6: When finished, drain the liquid and serve or use immediately in hummus or other recipes like my oil-free roasted chickpeas.
Tips & Suggestions
- Aquafaba- Don’t throw that bean broth out though! Believe it or not, it’s a very valuable byproduct called aquafaba that has many amazing uses including an egg binder and even whipped topping for desserts.
- Small portions- Freeze in measurements of 1.5 cups to make using in recipes easier, as canned beans are 15 oz, which equals 1.5 cups.
Optional seasonings for chickpeas
Sometimes, you may just want to cook a batch of chickpeas in your Instant Pot to eat as a side dish, and they will need a little seasoning. These are some of my favorite seasonings to include in the pot before cooking.
- Veggie broth (replace the water with veggie broth)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup onion
- 2 bay leaves
Have you cooked RICE in your Instant Pot? This Flawless Instant Pot Rice recipe can help guide you through it! You should also try my Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas.
Reducing gas by soaking
Some people feel that soaking beans helps to remove some of the indigestible sugars that can lead to gas and bloating, but my experience has been that I can’t tell a difference. That being said, for those who do experience discomfort, soaking might be worth giving a try.
Soaking is NOT necessary, but if you would like to try presoaking beans in an Instant Pot, simply add dried beans and water and set to MANUAL for 2 minutes.
Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then remove any additional pressure by sliding the release valve to the VENT. Go ahead and rinse and drain the beans before cooking as you would beans that had been soaked overnight the traditional way.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, soaking is optional. The Instant Pot cooks unsoaked chickpeas in about 45-50 minutes, while soaked chickpeas take around 15-20 minutes.
For every 1 cup of dried chickpeas, use about 4 cups of water to ensure they cook evenly and have enough liquid to expand.
Yes! After cooking, let the chickpeas cool, then portion them into airtight containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
For firmer chickpeas, reduce the cooking time by a few minutes. You can also do a quick pressure release instead of a natural release to avoid overcooking.
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from EatPlant-Based
Instant Pot Chickpeas (No Soaking)
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry chickpeas 2-1/4 cups
- 6 cups water or veggie broth or combination of both
Instructions
- Rinse the dry uncooked chickpeas in a colander under water and remove any bad ones found.
- Place 1 pound of chickpeas (2.25 cups) into your Instant Pot and cover with water (6 cups) by about 1 inch.
- Lock the lid and place the pressure release handle in the SEALING position.
- Press the PRESSURE COOK button making sure it is set to HIGH and set the timer for 35 minutes.
- After the Instant Pot beeps to signal that cooking has finished, wait another 20 minutes to allow it to naturally release. Once the 20 minutes is up, slide the release handle to VENTING to release any additional pressure.
- Once all of the pressure has been released, open the lid and taste-test one chickpea to make sure they are nice and tender. If they need any additional cooking, cook another 10 minutes and give them another try.
- When finished, drain liquid and use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (up to 5-6 days) or freeze. Don't throw that bean broth out though! Believe it or not, it's a very valuable byproduct called aquafaba that has many amazing uses including an egg binder and even whipped topping for desserts.
- Freeze in measurements of 1.5 cups to make using in recipes easier, as canned beans are 15 oz, which equals 1.5 cups.
- If planning to serve them as a side dish, take a look at some of the seasoning options I've included in the article above.
Video
Notes
- Aquafaba- Don’t throw that bean broth out though! Believe it or not, it’s a very valuable byproduct called aquafaba that has many amazing uses including an egg binder and even whipped topping for desserts.
- Small portions- Freeze in measurements of 1.5 cups to make using in recipes easier, as canned beans are 15 oz, which equals 1.5 cups.
- Veggie broth (replace the water with veggie broth)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup onion
- 2 bay leaves
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
I’ve been buying the Palouse Brand for years! The best! I’ve been soaking then cooking in IP for 3 minutes but they still are overcooked! I can’t wait to use your method! Thank you
I just tried this in my Instant Pot this morning. It worked great! The chickpeas were not overcooked…the perfect texture. Thank you!
Hi Pat- Awesome! I’m glad they turned out perfect for you. This is my new thing, and love having cooked chickpeas available all the time. 🙂
To freeze the cooked chickpeas, do you just measure out the 1 1/2 cups and place them in the freezer bag? No liquid needed?
Hi Donna- That’s a great question. I completely drain the liquid from mine, and some people even pat theirs dry before freezing. I then put mine in a freezer-safe container. Some folks freeze them in freezer bags and lay them flat to make sure the beans don’t freeze together and become difficult to separate. I don’t do that because I always defrost them in the refrigerator, and they come right apart.
I make chick peas all the time in the Instant Pot. I never throw out the liquid (aquafaba).