Instant Pot chickpeas are about the easiest way to cook dried chickpeas. No soak, and no standing over a pot on the stove making sure it doesn’t boil dry. You add the chickpeas and water, set the timer, and walk away for about an hour.

What I like most is that you can keep a bag of dried chickpeas in the cupboard (they take up way less room than cans) and cook them whenever you actually need them, no planning ahead. Want chickpea soup? Cook the chickpeas, drain them, and build the soup right in the same pot.

Cooked chickpeas go into all sorts of instant pot dinner recipes too — curries, stews, a quick braise. And doing them from dried in the pressure cooker costs a lot less than buying cans.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You control the texture. Cook them a couple minutes less for firmer chickpeas that hold their shape in salads, or a few minutes more for soft, creamy ones that blend smooth for hummus.
One batch is enough for a few meals. A pound of dried makes a big batch that keeps in the fridge and freezes well, so you can portion it out and grab what you need, just like opening a can.
It’s hard to mess up. The recipe is as simple as it gets, and it halves or doubles without changing anything else.

Ingredients

Dried chickpeas. The base of the recipe. Look through them and toss any small stones or shriveled, broken beans. Older dried beans (sitting in the cupboard a year or more) can take longer to soften, so very old stock may need extra time.
Salt. Seasons the chickpeas from the inside as they cook, so they don’t taste flat. You can leave it out if you want a totally neutral base for something else.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Instant Pot Chickpeas

Sort and rinse. Tip the dried chickpeas onto a plate or into a colander and pick out any small stones or broken beans. Rinse under cool water and drain.
Add to the pot. Put the chickpeas in an Instant Pot and pour in the water. It should cover them by about an inch. Stir in the salt.
Pressure cook. Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 48 minutes. The pot takes around 10 to 15 minutes to come up to pressure before the timer starts counting down.
Natural release. When the timer ends, leave the pot alone for a 10-minute natural release, then release any remaining pressure manually.
Use. Drain the chickpeas and use or store them.

Tips for Success

Dial in your timing once, then stick with it. 48 minutes works for me, but pots and bean age vary. For firmer, lightly chewy chickpeas try 45 minutes with a 10-minute natural release; for soft, creamy ones (best for hummus) go 50 minutes with a 15-minute release. Check the texture your first time and adjust from there.
Not soft enough? Just keep going. If they’re underdone after releasing, lock the lid back on and cook another 5 minutes, then do a quick manual release. Adjust the timing next time around.
Don’t stress the measurements. The water and chickpea amounts don’t need to be exact. When in doubt, add a little more water rather than less.
Scale. You can double or halve the recipe without any other changes.

Storage

Drain the chickpeas well and let them cool, then keep them dry in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days.

To freeze, portion the cooled chickpeas into bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Freezing them flat in a bag makes it easy to break off just what you need. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or just toss them straight into soups, stews, and curries from frozen.