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How to Cook Garbanzo Beans

bowl of cooked garbanzo beans

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Easy, detailed instructions for how to cook garbanzo beans in your pressure cooker, slow cooker or on the stovetop. My favorite method is the pressure cooker. 

I have tested each cooking method in my own kitchen, but keep in mind that there is rarely an exact cooking time for beans that works perfectly for everyone.

I've noticed that some brands of dried beans cook differently than other brands. So your garbanzo beans might take longer or shorter to cook than my garbanzo beans. However, these instructions should give you a very close approximation of how long to cook your dried chickpeas. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound dried garbanzo beans (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or  1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt)

Instructions

More details for all cooking methods are included in the blog post above.

  1. Optional: Soak the beans before cookings. See blog post above for detailed soaking instructions
  2. Combine the beans, water and salt in the cooking vessel
  3. Add additional flavors if desired (such as onion, garlic, fresh herbs - see blog post above for more ideas)
  4. Follow the cooking times below, depending on the cooking method

Pressure Cooker 

Unsoaked: Cook on high pressure for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the texture you prefer. Use a natural release when the cooking time is done. 

Soaked: If the beans have been soaked about 12 hours, then cook them 5 to 10 minutes at high pressure, depending on the texture you want. If the beans were soaked 8 hours or less, then try 15 to 18 minutes at high pressure. Use a natural release when the cooking time is done.

Slow Cooker

Unsoaked: Cook on high for 6 to 8+ hours

Soaked: Cook on high for 3 to 6+ hours

Stovetop 

I recommend always soaking dried garbanzo beans overnight before cooking them on a stovetop. (see soaking instructions in the blog post above)

After soaking, drain the beans then simmer in fresh water (uncovered or partially covered with a lid) until they reach your desired texture. Cooking time on the stove can vary a lot. Start checking the beans at 25 minutes, but don't be surprised if they take over an hour to reach a texture you like. Make sure the beans are covered with water the entire time, adding more if needed.

Notes

You can halve the recipe to cook 8 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) of dried beans.