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 them. The Instant Pot does all the heavy lifting here, turning a pound of dried legumes into perfectly tender, garlicky chickpeas in under an hour with almost zero hands-on effort. Smashed garlic, a bay leaf, and a touch of ground cumin infuse every bean with a subtle, savory depth that makes them delicious straight from the pot or as a base for whatever you're building. For anyone navigating grain sensitivities, chickpeas are naturally free from rye and related grains, and this recipe keeps things beautifully clean — just legumes, aromatics, and water. The reserved cooking liquid is liquid gold, by the way; don't sleep on adding it to soups or stews for extra body and flavor. Once cooled, these store well and are endlessly versatile — toss them into salads, blend them into hummus, roast them crispy, or fold them into a quick weeknight curry.
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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.
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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