Citric Acid Free Instant Pot Chickpeas
Dried chickpeas cooked from scratch in the Instant Pot are a revelation — creamy all the way through, with none of that chalky bite you sometimes get from the stovetop. Canned chickpeas are a common shortcut, but many brands sneak in citric acid as a preservative, which makes starting from dried beans the smarter move for anyone avoiding that additive. Here, the only flavoring is smashed garlic, a bay leaf, a touch of ground cumin, and a drizzle of olive oil — nothing processed, nothing hidden. The pressure cooker does the heavy lifting, transforming a pound of dried legumes into a big, tender batch in under an hour of hands-off cooking. Saving the cooking liquid is a bonus move; that silky, seasoned broth is wonderful stirred into soups or stews. Once cooled, the chickpeas store beautifully and are ready to toss into salads, blend into hummus, or roast until crispy whenever the craving hits.
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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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