Recipe: Instant Pot Chickpeas
This is less a recipe and more an encouragement to get out that Instant Pot and make dried beans! If you’re a chickpea lover like me, and even if you aren’t; let’s see if I can’t convert you with this simple recipe for a nutrient-packed snack. More than just a snack, cooked chickpeas can be thrown on salads, buddha bowls, and included as a side to many other dishes.
Tip: If you love making more complex recipes, great, but for times when you’re short on time or energy, don’t let that hold you back from having simple, whole-food snacks and meals available in the fridge. Tastebuds can adjust to healthier foods just as they do to high salt, sugar, and fat foods.
Instant Pot Chickpeas
Don’t be daunted by the number of steps. These are simple steps for those making dried beans in the Instant Pot for the first time. If you’re already comfortable using the Instant Pot, follow the instructions in blue.
Serving size: 6 cups cooked beans
Where to buy: You can buy dried chickpeas in the bulk section at many grocery stores, including Whole Foods.
Step 1: Measure 2 cups dried chickpeas.
Step 2: Rinse dried chickpeas in water to remove any debris.
Step 3: Add the chickpeas, 6 cups of water, and 1 tsp salt to the pot.
Step 4: Put on the lid, adjust the venting nozzle to closed, and set the cooking time on Manual pressure to 45 minutes.
Step 5: When the 45-minute cooking time is complete, let the Instant Pot naturally release for 10 minutes. You don’t have to press any buttons on the Instant Pot for natural release. You can either keep an eye on the Instant Pot’s timer, which will automatically start counting up from 0:00 once the cooking time is over, or you can set a separate timer for 10 minutes — recommended.
Step 6: After 10 minutes of natural release, turn the venting nozzle to the release position and manually release the rest of the pressure in the pot until the silver pin drops.
Step 7: Open the lid and dump the contents of the pot into a colander to discard the water.
Step 8: Spread out the cooked chickpeas on a cookie sheet or similar to dry. There’s no requirement that the chickpeas be dried, but I recommend this if you plan to store them in the fridge. I don’t have a rule for how dry they should be, use your judgment, this is not a make-or-break. I’d say somewhere between 15 and 45 minutes. Don’t leave them out for hours.
Step 9: The chickpeas are ready to enjoy!
Step 10: Store the cooked chickpeas in the fridge. Consume within 5 days.
Notes
This recipe does not require soaking the beans before cooking.
This recipe is specific to using the chickpeas as a snack and in other dishes. Therefore, the 45-minute cooking time yields a firmer bean. If you’re cooking the beans for something else, e.g. hummus, use a longer cooking time.
For stovetop instructions, check out this post from Food52.
I love eating these plain, so I don’t typically add spices, but spices are great, you’re welcome to add whatever you like.
I don’t always rinse my beans before adding them to the pot, but I recommend it.
Chickpea nutrition facts
1 cup of cooked chickpeas contains:
Total fat: 4.2 grams
Saturated fat: 0.4 grams
Fiber: 12 grams
Protein: 15 grams
Calcium: 80 mg (6% DV*)
Iron: 4.7 mg (26%)
Potassium: 477 mg (10%)
*DV = daily value. The %DV is how much a nutrient in a single serving of food contributes to your daily diet.
The Instant Pot has been a game-changer for me. Once the cooking time has been set and the lid is on, you’re in set-it-and-forget-it mode. You don’t have to keep an eye on what’s happening in the pot, nor is there an exposed heating element to worry about.
Have you made chickpeas in the Instant Pot? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
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