Chickpeas might just be one of the most versatile and transformable ingredients out there. From hummus to buddha bowls and falafel to vegan cookie dough, there are a ton of great ways to use these cheap nutrition powerhouses. I eat chickpeas in one form or another almost daily, so when I got my Instant Pot, cooking them in their dried form was the first item on my to-do list.
I had always bought chickpeas by the can, for convenience purposes, but I had heard rumors that cooking them in the InstantPot was quick, easy, and super tasty. I also knew that dried beans were cheaper and more nutritious than their canned counterparts, so I decided to give it a go.
After searching the web and testing a few different methods, I have found a fast and simple chickpea-cooking method that results in flavor-packed and magically creamy beans that work just as well atop a salad as they do mashed into a veggie burger.
If you are also obsessing over your new InstantPot and looking to save a few bucks on a week’s worth of vegetarian protein, pick up some dried chickpeas at the store this week and give some of these recipes a shot.
Instant Pot Chickpeas
Ingredients
Instructions
The night before meal prep day, place the dried chickpeas in a colander and rinse under cold water. Look out for any rocks or non-chickpea items that may have snuck into the package as well.
Dump the chickpeas into a clean bowl and cover them with water, and let them grow overnight.
The next day (about 12 hours later), drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas, and dump them into your instant pot. Cover them with about 3 inches of water.
Toss in your bay leaf, salt, garlic, and any other flavor-boosters you have on hand. (Onions and spices work great as well.)
Close your InstantPot and set it to high pressure for 11-14 minutes. (The longer they go, the creamier they will be).
Wait about 15 minutes before releasing the pressure manually.
Strain your chickpeas and let them cool completely before packing them up in your fridge for a week’s worth of delicious chickpea meals.
Recipes
So, now you’ve got a tub of plain and perfect chickpeas in your fridge. How can you use them this week? Give some of these recipes a try and you’ll be batch cooking your beans every Sunday.
There are tons of ways to eat chickpeas all day long. Need something to munch on between classes? Toss your chickpeas in the oven with some spices and oil for a crispy, crunchy snack. Toss another handful in the blender with tahini, spices, and pretty much anything else you want for a batch of personalized hummus. If you need something sweet, give these no-bake vegan cookie dough bites a go.
At mealtime, these guys make for the perfect addition to any grain bowl, like this quinoa chickpea salad. They also taste delicious mashed up into a hardy veggie burger or a falafel waffle. You could also throw them into a pot of chickpea spinach curry, eggplant stew, or pesto pasta for some added protein and fiber.
Once you start cooking dried chickpeas, you won’t look back. You can say goodbye to those cans of chickpeas you have always relied on, and hello to the creamiest, most flavor-packed beans you’ve ever tried. Make a batch this weekend and you’ll be thanking yourself all week as you mix them into breakfast, lunch, and dinner.