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Whether you cook chickpeas on the stovetop or pressure cooker, with this recipe you’ll be rewarded with nutty-tasting home-cooked garbanzos that are plump and firm, yet creamy-soft on the inside.

A bowl of cooked chickpeas with fresh tomatoes and herb sprigs.

Canned chickpeas are always in my pantry. They’re soooo convenient. But I have to admit that when I take the extra time to cook dried chickpeas from scratch, I’m happily surprised at how good they are. When you taste them in any one of your favorite chickpea recipes, the difference in taste and texture is noticeable. Really!

In the long run, it’s less expensive to cook dried chickpeas and certainly less wasteful to buy them in bulk, especially because they’re usually packaged in metal cans or glass jars.

Home-cooked chickpeas can be refrigerated for a week’s worth of meals or snacks, and frozen for months. Use them to make the creamiest hummus ever.

Ingredient rundown

A bowl of dried chickpeas on a tiled surface, with a pot of water, dried chili peppers, garlic and bay leaf arranged around it.

Dried chickpeas: The key to cooking chickpeas that don’t take forever to cook comes down to one thing: Freshness. Try to source them from a retailer with a high turnover. Chickpeas that are harvested within a year or two of packaging should cook in less than an hour, while older ones can take 2 hours or more. I’m a fan of these chickpeas from a family farm, that are labeled with the harvest date.
Aromatics: Although not necessary, adding aromatics like garlic and spices will add a subtle flavor to your chickpeas. I keep it simple with a few crushed garlic cloves, one or two whole dried chili peppers, and a bay leaf. Get creative and add different spices and herbs you enjoy.
Water: For soaking, it’s best to cover the dried chickpeas with plenty of water —make sure to use a large bowl because they will double in size. For cooking, drain off the soaking water and cover with fresh water (I use 4 quarts for 1/2 pound).

To soak or not to soak

Four dried chickpeas and four soaked ones on a surface. — Dried chickpeas (top) and chickpeas after soaking for 6 hours (bottom).

Like most other beans, including creamy cooked cannellini beans, soaked chickpeas will cook more evenly after soaking (rehydrating) in water.
If you’re short on time but still want to cook a batch of chickpeas, try the quick-soak method: Put the chickpeas in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat. Let the chickpeas cool in the pot for an hour, then drain. Proceed with cooking as if they soaked overnight.
Electric pressure cookers come in handy for cooking dried chickpeas — they don’t have to be soaked before cooking. I have used this method almost exclusively ever since I bought my cooker.

Cooking times for dried, soaked chickpeas

Stovetop: About 1 hour
Pressure cooker: About 40 minutes

How to cook chickpeas

Perfectly cooked chickpeas are not crunchy, al dente, or mushy. Their skin should look plump and firm, with a creamy texture inside.

1. Sort through the chickpeas. Discard any that look discolored or broken.
2. Put them in a large bowl. Cover with water and soak for 6 hours or overnight. Dried chickpeas will expand to about double in size (compare the size of dried and soaked chickpeas in the photo above).

3. Cover the chickpeas with 4 quarts of fresh water. Toss in crushed garlic cloves, bay leaf, dried chili pepper and salt.
4. Cook the chickpeas on the stovetop or in an electric pressure cooker, following the instructions in the recipe. Enjoy them in your favorite chickpea salad recipe!