Beef Free Instant Pot Chickpeas
Dried chickpeas cooked from scratch are on a completely different level from the canned stuff — creamier, more flavorful, and satisfying in a way that's hard to explain until you try it. The Instant Pot does all the heavy lifting here, turning a pound of dried legumes into perfectly tender, aromatic beans with almost zero hands-on effort. Smashed garlic, a bay leaf, and a hit of ground cumin infuse every chickpea as it cooks under pressure, so these taste like they've been simmering on the stove all day. The natural pressure release is key — it lets the chickpeas finish gently and keeps the skins intact so you get that silky, cohesive texture rather than a pot of split, mushy beans. Don't toss the cooking liquid either; it's deeply savory and works beautifully stirred into soups or used as a base for stews. Once cooled, these store well and are endlessly versatile — toss them into grain bowls, blend them into hummus, or roast them crispy for snacking. A single batch goes a long way, and knowing exactly what went into them makes every meal feel a little more intentional.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 lb dried chickpeas
- 5 cups water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Sort through the dried chickpeas and discard any shriveled ones or small stones. Rinse under cold running water in a colander until the water runs clear.
- 2
Add the rinsed chickpeas, water, kosher salt, smashed garlic, bay leaf, ground cumin, and olive oil, if using, to the Instant Pot insert.
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