Chickpeas (Dried)

Dried garbanzo beans are the same thing as chickpeas. Buy from a store with good turnover: beans that sat in a warehouse for two years never fully soften, and if yours have been in the pantry over a year, expect cook times to run 30–50 percent longer. Rinse and pick through for small stones before soaking and save the cooking liquid (aquafaba) since it whips like egg whites for baking. Cooked chickpeas keep 4–5 days in the fridge or freeze for 3 months in their liquid. I always cook a double batch because half disappears into hummus before dinner.

Dried chickpeas cost about a third of canned and cook up creamier, nuttier, and firm enough to actually hold their shape in a salad. The big question is always how long to cook them: figure 45–60 minutes on the stovetop after an overnight soak, 90–120 minutes with no soak, or 35–40 minutes in an Instant Pot straight from the bag. If you want ultra-creamy chickpeas for hummus, add a half teaspoon of baking soda per cup to the soaking water and cook them past tender until they start to collapse. Every method and time is below.