How To Cook Chickpeas And Beans From Scratch (stovetop, Slow Cooker, Instant Pot)

Canned beans are incredibly convenient, and I always have a few on hand. Nothing, however, beats the flavor and texture of cooked-from-scratch beans. Once you get into a rhythm of cooking beans/chickpeas from scratch, I think you’ll find it effortless and satisfying.

A few years ago I discovered the brining method — soaking beans in salt water as opposed to water — for cooking beans. I’ve never looked back. I wrote about it in this post for Marcella Hazan’s Stewy White Beans , and I’ve outlined the steps in more details below.

That said, I do love my slow cooker and Instant Pot for cooking chickpeas, black beans, and other dried beans. Find instructions below for cooking beans in various methods:

• Slow Cooker Method
• Instant Pot Method
• Stovetop Method

How to Cook Dried Beans in the Slow Cooker

With a slow cooker , there’s no need to soak the beans. Simply dump the ingredients in the pot, set it, and forget it.

Here are two favorite recipes:

1. Simplest Slow Cooker Chickpeas
2. Simplest Slow Cooker Black Beans

Use the method with any bean you have on hand. You’ll want to eat the beans directly from the pot — they’re so good!

How to Cook Dried Beans in the Instant Pot

To cook beans in an Instant Pot add these ingredient into the inner pot:

• 1 lb. unsoaked, dried beans
• 6 cups water
• 1 half of a small onion, halved through the core to keep it intact, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove, smashed and halved
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Turn the valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to “Manual and High Pressure.” The times will vary depending on what type of bean you are using, and it might take some trial and error to get right. (For black beans, set it for 30 minutes. For pinto beans, set it for 40 minutes. For chickpeas, set it for 50 minutes.)
2. Let the valve release naturally for at least 20 minutes. Uncover. Taste. Add more salt to taste.

How to Cook Dried Beans and Legumes on the Stovetop (Brining Method)

1. Place dried chickpeas or beans in a large bowl and cover with water by at least 3 inches. Stir in 3 tablespoons kosher salt. Stir to dissolve. Let sit overnight or at least 8 to 10 hours.

2. Drain and rinse. Place chickpeas/beans in a pot. Cover with water. Add 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, a few sprigs thyme, a small onion, halved, and a bay leaf. (All of these aromatics are optional.)

3. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or till done — this may take more or less time depending on the age of your beans. Add water as needed to ensure beans are always submerged in water.

4. Store in cooking liquid in fridge for about a week or in the freezer for many months. As you may know, I love these deli quart containers and this mixed set of quart, pint, and cup containers .

Same process for beans:

Description

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated’s The Science of Good Cooking

See post above if you wish to cook your beans in an Instant Pot or slow cooker.

• 1 lb. dried chickpeas or beans
• 3 tablespoons + 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 small onion, halved through the core
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• a few sprigs thyme, optional
• 1 clove garlic, smashed, optional
• 1 teaspoon , crushed red pepper flakes, optional

1. Place the chickpeas or beans in a large bowl and cover with water by at least 3 inches. Add the 3 tablespoons of salt and stir to dissolve. Let sit at room temperature overnight or for 8 to 10 hours at least.
2. Drain, rinse and place in a large pot with the remaining 1.5 teaspoons of salt and the remaining ingredients. Cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook at a gentle simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans are cooked through. Note: Add water as need to ensure the beans/chickpeas are completely covered with water the entire time. Also, times will vary considerably depending on the type and age of your beans. It may take more or less than 45 minutes.
3. Let beans cool in their cooking liquid. Discard thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and onion. Store beans in their cooking liquid for 5 to 7 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

• Prep Time: 10 hours
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Beans
• Method: Boil
• Cuisine: American

Description

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated’s The Science of Good Cooking

See post above if you wish to cook your beans in an Instant Pot or slow cooker.

• 1 lb. dried chickpeas or beans
• 3 tablespoons + 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 small onion, halved through the core
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• a few sprigs thyme, optional
• 1 clove garlic, smashed, optional
• 1 teaspoon , crushed red pepper flakes, optional

1. Place the chickpeas or beans in a large bowl and cover with water by at least 3 inches. Add the 3 tablespoons of salt and stir to dissolve. Let sit at room temperature overnight or for 8 to 10 hours at least.
2. Drain, rinse and place in a large pot with the remaining 1.5 teaspoons of salt and the remaining ingredients. Cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook at a gentle simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans are cooked through. Note: Add water as need to ensure the beans/chickpeas are completely covered with water the entire time. Also, times will vary considerably depending on the type and age of your beans. It may take more or less than 45 minutes.
3. Let beans cool in their cooking liquid. Discard thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and onion. Store beans in their cooking liquid for 5 to 7 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

• Prep Time: 10 hours
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Beans
• Method: Boil
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2017/10/04/cook-chickpeas-beans-scratch-brining-method/

Tara Kitchen , a nearby Moroccan restaurant, makes the most delicious chickpea and eggplant tagine. I discovered it a few years ago, shortly after we moved to upstate New York, but only recently tried to recreate it at home. I had been deterred by the prospect of having to make a tomato jam, an ingredient essential to the sweet-and-sour flavor of the tagine. Instead, I made preserved lemons and then, with my homemade preserved lemons, a chicken tagine with green olives after learning about the process at a cooking class at Tara Kitchen .

Recently I took a stab at making the chickpea tagine, taking a shortcut with the tomato jam. Instead of making the jam separately and adding it to the tagine, I make the tomato jam as I go by sweating onions first, then cooking the tomatoes down with a hefty pour of vinegar. The chickpeas and other ingredients cook with the jam. Make sense?

I’ve been serving it with roasted delicata squash — so good. Here’s a step-by-step guide for making it:

Gather your ingredients. I’ve used both cooked-from-scratch chickpeas and canned. I prefer from-scratch, of course, but canned chickpeas work well here.

This is the ras-el-hanout from a local Moroccan restaurant, Tara Kitchen , which I’ve written about before:

Sauté an onion.

Add garlic.

Add ras-el-hanout.

Add cilantro.

Stir.

Add tomatoes.

Add cooked chickpeas and raisins.

Add water.

Simmer 30 minutes.

Add some more fresh cilantro for color and freshness.

Meanwhile, cut up delicata squash and

roast it .

Spoon into bowls and serve with plenty of good bread , of course.

Description

This recipe is inspired by the chickpea tagine at Tara Kitchen, a Moroccan restaurant in Schenectady, New York.

Ras el hanout, which translates to “head of the shop” or “top of the shop,” is a blend of many spices, often including turmeric, paprika, cumin, coriander, cardamom, and cinnamon, to name a few. I purchase mine from Tara Kitchen, but you can find the blend from many sources or you can make your own .

I prefer cooking chickpeas from scratch , but you can use canned chickpeas here with fine results. You’ll need two 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed. If you use from scratch-cooked chickpeas, save the cooking liquid for the tagine.

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, thinly sliced to yield about 1 1/2 cups Kosher salt to taste 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon ras el hanout ½ cup finely diced cilantro, plus a few tablespoons for sprinkling at the end 4 to 6 Roma (plum) or other tomatoes, finely diced to yield 2 heaping cups (or 2 cups crushed tomatoes, I like Pomi, finely minced) 3 cups cooked chickpeas ¼ cup golden raisins ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar Bread for serving, optional

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it shimmers add the onion and immediately turn the heat down to medium. Season the onion with salt. Cook until the onion softens, stirring occasionally, and turning the heat down if necessary to ensure the onion isn’t browning, about 10 to 15 minutes. (A little browning is fine.) 2. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the ras el hanout and cook for another minute. Add the cilantro and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, season with a big pinch of salt, and stir to distribute. Cook for another minute, then add the chickpeas, raisins, vinegar, and 1.5 cups of the chickpea cooking liquid (if you cooked the chickpeas from scratch) or water. Bring to a simmer, then adjust heat so mixture is gently simmering. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the liquid hasn’t reduced too much. If it gets low, add water by the 1/4 cup. 3. When the chickpeas have simmered for about 30 minutes, taste the mixture. Add salt to taste. Because I cook the chickpeas from scratch and use the cooking liquid, which has salt in it, I rarely need to add much salt at the end. If you are using water, you may need to add more salt at the end. Just taste it, and add salt as needed. Stir in the reserved chopped cilantro.
2. To serve, spoon chickpeas into bowls and serve with bread alongside.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Moroccan