Instant Pot Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
These Instant Pot chickpeas are cheaper and taste better than canned! Cooking garbanzo beans is the ideal task for a pressure cooker. Updated for reliability December 2020.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes (preheat)
- Cook Time: 42 minutes (including natural release)
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Category: Main Dish, Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Instructions
- Night or day before (recommended): Place the chickpeas in the Instant Pot and cover with the water. Soak 10 to 12 hours, then drain. This makes the most tender chickpeas that are most evenly cooked (see notes below*).
- Place the chickpeas into Instant Pot and cover with water by 1 inch (about 6 cups). Add the kosher salt. Lock the lid. Place the pressure release handle (vent) in the “Sealing” position.
- Cook on high pressure 23 minutes (soaked) or 35 minutes (unsoaked*): Press the Pressure Cook button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. Wait while the Instant Pot cooks. (Note: During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.)
- Natural release for 20 minutes: After the Instant Pot beeps, wait for another 20 minutes to let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure. (Tip: We set a timer for this part so we don’t forget!) Then vent any remaining steam by moving the vent to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. Never put your hands or face near the vent when releasing steam. (The pressure indicator in the lid may drop on its own after 10 minutes, meaning that there is no remaining steam in the pot.)
- Open the lid and taste one chickpea to see if it is tender. Some chickpea brands and pressure cooker brands have require longer cook times. If it’s not tender, cook a few more minutes on high pressure and do a quick release. Once cooked, drain and use immediately, store in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days, or freeze indefinitely. We freeze the drained chickpeas in sealable containers in 1.5 cup servings, which equals 1 15-ounce can.
Notes
IMPORTANT: Read and abide by all safety precautions in your Instant Pot / pressure cooker manual.
*Soaked chickpeas make the most reliable results: they are most tender, evenly cooked, and closest to canned chickpeas. Unsoaked chickpeas can be rather dry; if you’re using them in hummus, you may need to add more water than the recipe specifies to make a creamy consistency.
