Instant Pot Chickpeas | No Soak Method

Use this Instant Pot Chickpeas no soak method to cook chickpeas to perfectly tender, ready for any recipe you need them for. I'll show you how to cook unsoaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker - this turns out perfect every time. The texture of the cooked chickpeas is perfect for homemade hummus recipes because the beans are super soft after pressure cooking and the skins come off really easy.

If you're like me and love the thought of being prepared and soaking beans the night before cooking, but somehow just never remember to actually do it then this method for no soak chickpeas in a pressure cooker is for you.

Or if you often get a craving for homemade hummus (like me) but don't have any cooked chickpeas on hand, then keep reading this post because I'll show you step by step, with photos, how to cook chickpeas in a pressure cooker - and you will not have to remember to soak the chickpeas the night before! Yay!

I love this method because you'll have chickpeas about an hour after you start. And only like 2 minutes out of that hour actually contain hands-on work. You'll rinse the chickpeas, cover them in water, salt them and then cook. Easy. Peasy.

These pressure cooker chickpeas will come out so perfectly tender and the skins will just slide off - making them my number one choice for homemade hummus. I usually make about a pound of chickpeas, but sometimes I'll make 2 pounds and freeze the extras - great for meal prepping days.

Use the table of contents below to jump to any section of this blog post, including information about the ingredients, substitutions you can make, how to store this recipe, step-by-step photos, and a printable recipe card. You can also use the jump to recipe link above to get right to the card.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• How long to pressure cook unsoaked chickpeas
• Substitutions
• Storage
• How to Freeze Cooked Chickpeas
• How to Thaw Frozen Cooked Chickpeas
• Recipes using chickpeas
• Recipe
• Recipes FAQs

Ingredients

About the ingredients for this recipe. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.

• dried chickpeas aka garbanzo beans - I make about a pound of chickpeas at a time - this yields 6-8 cups of cooked chickpeas.
• salt - I use kosher salt when I cook beans in the pressure cooker and I use 2 teaspoons per pound of beans. If you're using table salt or sea salt, use only 1 teaspoon.

Equipment

I use a 6 Qt Instant Pot Duo Ultra. I use it for everything from beans and lentils, to rice and potatoes, for hardboiled eggs, and for curries.

Instructions

This is how I cook chickpeas in a pressure cooker when I'm going for the basic chickpea for meal prepping purposes, as opposed to flavored chickpeas with onions and spices that I'll be eating on their own as a side dish.

I'll use these basic chickpeas for hummus most often and also for my chickpea patties. I also use chickpeas in soups, pasta, and curries. There is no soaking required, we'll just cook the dried beans as they are.

I always clean my unsoaked chickpeas first and pick through them before I rinse them. Sometimes there will be little broken bits or peas that don't quite look like chickpeas so I remove those.

Add a pound of chickpeas into a mesh strainer and stream water over them, swishing them around with your hands. Drain them. (Photo 1)

Add the chickpeas to the pot insert of your pressure cooker. Add 5-6 cups of water - this should be enough water to cover the chickpeas by an inch or so. Make sure your water level stays under the halfway mark on your pressure cooker - I use a 6 qt pressure cooker. Beans get very frothy when cooking in a pressure cooker. (Photo 2)

Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. If you're using regular table salt or sea salt, use only about 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir.

How long to pressure cook unsoaked chickpeas

Add the lid to the pressure cooker and make sure the pressure release knob is set to sealing. Select "pressure cook" and set the time to 34 minutes at high pressure. The pressure cooker will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure and will then start the 34 minutes of actual cooking time. (Photo 3)

You can cook for 36-38 minutes if you want softer chickpeas. I prefer to cook mine at 34 minutes.

Once the cooking time is done, let the pressure cooker do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes. (Photo 4)

What is a natural pressure release? A natural pressure release means don't touch any buttons, just let the pressure cooker release some of the built-up pressure on its own. A quick pressure release means you turn the sealing knob to venting and release all of the built-up pressure immediately. Don't do this for beans.

Why wait? When beans cook in a pressure cooker they get really foamy. Letting the pressure release a bit before doing a quick pressure release (releasing the rest of the pressure) prevents all of that foam from splattering all over the place and potentially clogging up the sealing knob on your pressure cooker.

My pressure cooker counts the time since cooking has stopped. Once it says 10 minutes, I do a quick pressure release by setting the sealing knob to venting. The rest of the pressure will release and then you can open the lid. (Photo 5)

Remove the cooked chickpeas from the pot, drain them and let them cool. You can save this cooking water - this is also called aquafaba. Let it cool and use it, refrigerate it or freeze it.

Let the cooked chickpeas cool and then either use them, refrigerate them or freeze them.

Did you know? Chickpeas are also commonly called garbanzo beans.

Substitutions

✔ This recipe is vegetarian

✔ This recipe is vegan

> To add more flavor you can add in dried herbs or spices like:

• a bay leaf
• dried oregano
• onion
• garlic
• chicken or vegetable stock instead of water

Storage

Store the chickpeas in the fridge in a container with a lid or sealed bag for up to 5 days or so.

You can freeze the chickpeas in a container or a freezer bag. They'll stay good for about 6 months.

Source: Alberta Pulse Growers

How to Freeze Cooked Chickpeas

1. Cool the chickpeas to room temperature.
2. Dry the chickpeas by rubbing them with a clean kitchen towel.
3. Measure 1.5 cups of chickpeas into a container or freezer bag.
4. Freeze for up to 6 months.

• There are 1.5 cups of chickpeas in a 15 oz can.

How to Thaw Frozen Cooked Chickpeas

Use one of the following methods to thaw frozen chickpeas:

1. Move the chickpeas from freezer to fridge 24 hours before use.
2. Sit a bag or container of chickpeas in a bowl of cool water until defrosted.
3. Use the defrost setting on a microwave.

Recipes using chickpeas

• Thai Red Curry Chickpeas
• Vegetarian Instant Pot Curry Chickpeas
• Chickpea Salad Sandwich Filling
• Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes and Cucumbers
• Avocado Cilantro Lime Hummus
• Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus
• Chickpea Patties/Falafel

Recipe

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.

Recipes FAQs

Save this image to your Instant Pot board on Pinterest.