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Cooking Dried Chickpeas and the Resulting Chickpea Stock

How to Cook Dried Chickpeas & Chickpea Stock

More than any other bean, cooking dried chickpeas at home, taste so much better than canned or jarred and you get the unparalleled chickpea stock.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Cuisine: Indian, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Moroccan
Diet: SOS Free, Vegan, WFPB
Servings: 8

Tools Used in this Recipe

  • large prep bowl or pot to soak the chickpeas
  • colander
  • large stock pot or Dutch oven
  • spice bag or tea ball
  • strainer or large slotted serving spoon
  • storing containers

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried chickpeas also called garbanzo beans
  • 8 cups or so of filtered water for soaking
  • 10 cups filtered water for cooking Add more water as needed. Add I cup every 20 minutes of time over 40 minutes.

Spice Bag: (optional)

  • 1 tbls whole cumin seeds
  • 1 tbls whole coriander seeds
  • 15 black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions

  • Check for non-bean particles like small pebbles that sometimes get in along with the beans. Pour the chickpeas in a large bowl or pot that you will use to cook them in.
    1 lb dried chickpeas also called garbanzo beans
  • Fill the bowl or pot with tap water and rinse the beans and drain the water, repeat 2–3 times,
  • Add filtered water and the drained chickpeas in the large prep bowl or pot, cover and let soak for 8–16 hours, changing the water after 8 hours. A little foam may rise to the top.
    8 cups or so of filtered water for soaking
  • Drain the beans in the colander and rinse.
  • Heat a large stock pot or Dutch oven and add the beans in the pot plus the 10–12 cups or so of filtered water. The water to chickpea ratio should look about 4:1. Bring to a boil.
    10 cups filtered water for cooking
  • Meanwhile, fill the spice bag with the spices if using and set aside.
    1 tbls whole cumin seeds, 1 tbls whole coriander seeds, 15 black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves
  • As the water starts to boil, foam is released from the chickpeas. Skim off any foam that rises to the top and discard. Let boil again and keep skimming until no foam is left, 2 to 3 times.
  • Once the water is clear of foam and boiling, add the spice bag if using.
  • Cover the pot with the lid, but not all the way. If completely covered it will boil over and the liquid will spill all over the stove top. I use a clothes pin on the side of the pot to keep the lid slightly off the pot. Clothes pins have a groove that the lid can rest on so the lid stays in place (see the photo above).
  • Let the chickpeas simmer at a rolling boil until done. Check at least 3 beans as they can vary in doneness. Chickpeas can cook to the right tenderness in as little as 20 to 30 minutes minutes and up to 90 minutes after water has come to a boil. Check at 20 minutes just in case. The average time is 40 minutes for the chickpeas I purchase regularly from a local Mediterranean market. If more than 40 minutes is needed add about 1 cup of water and check again in about 20 minutes.
  • Once the chickpeas are the tenderness you like, lift them out with a strainer or large slotted spoon and they are ready for use in your dish or dishes. The chickpeas will stay good to use in the refrigerator for up 4 days.
  • Let the remaining chickpea stock cool before storing in the refrigerator or freezer. Date your storing containers and store and/or use in your dish. Tip: if using a felt pen or sharpie to date the outside of the jar, write the date on the jar before adding the stock so the jar is dry.