Chickpeas are versatile, delicious, and super-healthy. The only problem with them is that there never seems to be enough in a can to make decent amount of falafel or hummus. Here is how to cook them from dried, and when to use the canned ones.
Cooking chickpeas is very easy: soak overnight, rinse, and then cook in the Crockpot on HIGH, with plenty of salted water, for 3 hours.
Well, that’s the quick answer! Now, simply click on this handy Table of Contents for the most-asked-for answers on cooking chickpeas:
Table of Contents
- Do chickpeas need to be soaked before cooking? What happens if you don’t soak chickpeas?
- How do you cook canned chickpeas?
- How do you prepare chickpeas?
- How long do I boil chickpeas for?
Do chickpeas need to be soaked before cooking? What happens if you don’t soak chickpeas?
You really do want to soak chickpeas before you cook them. If you tried to cook them without soaking first, they would take a very long time to cook, and would be very hard to digest.
How do you cook canned chickpeas?
Canned chickpeas are already cooked. You can eat them right out of the can, if you like. They are very high in protein, too, making them a great source of food in an emergency, power outage, or camping trip.
How do you prepare chickpeas?
As mentioned above, canned chickpeas are ready to go! Dried chickpeas, on the other hand, need an overnight soak, followed by a couple hours of boiling. After that, your chickpeas are ready to use, just like canned. My favorite ways to use this protein-rich legume are;
- In minestrone soup
- In a Caesar salad
- Mashed with bread crumbs, egg, and garlic, formed into patties, and fried (falafel)
- Mashed with garlic, lemon, olive oil, and yogurt (my version of hummus, no tahini needed)
How long do I boil chickpeas for?
Because they are so thick and dense, chickpeas take longer to cook through than most beans, a couple of hours. That’s why my favorite way to prepare them is to cook a pound or two for 3 hours in the Crockpot – I can put the Crockpot out on my deck on a hot, summer day. When they’re done, I simply rinse and cool them. Then, I bag them up in Ziploc sandwich bags and freeze them for salads and hummus.
