Whenever I would make a recipe that required chickpeas, I always used canned chickpeas. But then I realized that cooking dried chickpeas in the Instant Pot is easier, cheaper, and tastier. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still use canned chickpeas in a pinch but it’s nice to have options. Like the option to transform a pound of dried beans into a week’s worth of chickpeas for meal prep!
I chose not to pre-soak the beans, which puts the cook time to 45 mins. Soaking the beans the night before is an option, which lowers the cook time to about 20 mins.
How to: Instant Pot Chickpeas

How To: Instant Pot Chickpeas
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Rinse the chickpeas before adding them to the Instant Pot.
- Pour water over the chickpeas until they are covered by 3-4 inches of water.
- Sprinkle with salt and close the lid making sure the valve is closed.
- Set the Instant Pot to bean/chili setting for 45 mins.
- Once you hear the beep indicating the time is done allow the pressure to come down naturally which usually takes 15 mins.
Notes
If beans are not tender enough, put them back under pressure for 5-10 minutes.
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Step by Step
I grabbed a bag of Goya Chickpeas but any brand will work.
Rinse the chickpeas before adding them to the Instant Pot. Pour water over the chickpeas until they are covered by 3-4 inches of water.
Sprinkle with salt and close the lid making sure the valve is closed. Set the Instant Pot to the bean/chili setting for 45 mins. Once you hear the beep indicating the time is done allow the pressure to come down naturally which usually takes 15 mins.
Thanks for this! I am guessing just add the salt at the end of cooking?
Glad you enjoyed this one Sue! The salt goes in right after pouring in the water.
Why put salt in at the beginning. You never do that for stove top cooking on beans.
Hey Diane! There seems to be a great debate on when to add salt to a pot of beans. I’ve found that added salt at beginning makes the beans more flavorful and tender.
Do you still need to pop/peel the skin off the chickpeas after cooking them in the instantpot or is that only with canned chickpeas?
Removing the skin off the chickpeas would be the same and will result in a creamier texture but personally I don’t find it is worth the effort.
When I put 5 cups of water, it’s not the same as 3-4 inches of water above. Which is better?
It is better to add more water so that everything is submerged by 3-4 inches.
Thank you so much for this recipe! This makes cooking dry beans such a breeze.
★★★★★