Dried Chickpeas
Dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are a nutty, dense legume that forms the backbone of dishes across the Mediterranean, Middle East, and South Asia. Cooking them from dried gives firmer texture and better flavor than canned, and is essential for frying applications like falafel.
How to buy
Choose chickpeas that look uniformly tan and plump, without cracks, dust, or shriveling. Buy from a source with good turnover, since older dried chickpeas can take drastically longer to soften no matter how long they're soaked. Bulk bins are fine if the store moves through them quickly.
How to store
Keep dried chickpeas in an airtight container in a cool, dark pantry, where they stay good for a year or more, though they soften faster the fresher they are. After soaking or cooking, refrigerate in their liquid for up to 5 days or freeze cooked chickpeas for several months.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Nutty, earthy, and mildly sweet, with a denser, more savory flavor than canned chickpeas once properly cooked. They take on other flavors well, especially garlic, cumin, and lemon.
- Texture
- Rock-hard dry, chickpeas need an overnight soak and long simmer to become tender but still hold their shape, unlike split peas or lentils which break down. Properly cooked, they're creamy inside with a slight bite.
- Aroma
- Mild and faintly nutty while cooking, with little aroma until combined with aromatics like garlic, cumin, or tahini.
How to prepare
- Soaked and boiled — Soaked overnight then simmered until tender, the base step for most chickpea dishes.
- Ground raw for falafel — Soaked but uncooked chickpeas are ground with herbs and spices, then fried, since cooked chickpeas turn to mush when fried this way.
- Pureed — Cooked chickpeas blended smooth with tahini and lemon into hummus or similar spreads.
- Fried into fritters — Mashed cooked chickpeas bound and shallow-fried, as in Sicilian panelle made from chickpea flour.
- Simmered in stews — Added whole to long-cooked stews and tagines where they absorb broth and spice.
Classic dishes
American
- American chickpea salad — A simple deli-style salad of cooked chickpeas tossed with vegetables and a vinaigrette.
Italian
- Pasta e ceci — A rustic Italian soup-stew of chickpeas and short pasta in a rosemary-scented broth.
- Panelle — Sicilian chickpea flour fritters, fried until crisp and often served in a sandwich.
Indian
- Chana masala — Chickpeas simmered in a spiced tomato and onion gravy, a North Indian staple.
- Chole bhature — Spiced chickpea curry served with deep-fried leavened bread.
- Chana chaat — A tangy Indian street snack of boiled chickpeas tossed with onion, chile, and chaat masala.
French
- Socca — A thin, crisp chickpea flour pancake from Nice, traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven.
Mediterranean
- Chickpea tagine with apricots — A slow-cooked Moroccan-style tagine where chickpeas soak up sweet and savory spiced broth.
Greek
- Revithia — A simple Greek Sunday chickpea soup slow-baked with olive oil, onion, and bay leaf.
Spanish
- Cocido madrileño — A multi-course Madrid stew built on chickpeas simmered with meats and vegetables.
- Espinacas con garbanzos — An Andalusian tapa of chickpeas and spinach simmered with cumin, garlic, and bread for thickening.
Middle Eastern
- Hummus — A smooth dip of cooked chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon, and garlic.
- Falafel — Deep-fried patties made from ground raw, soaked chickpeas and herbs.
- Harira — A hearty North African soup of chickpeas, lentils, and tomato, traditionally eaten to break the Ramadan fast.
- Leblebi — A Tunisian chickpea soup finished with cumin, harissa, and a poached egg.
- Chickpea and lamb stew — A slow-braised stew where chickpeas thicken the broth and complement tender lamb.
Caribbean
- Trinidadian curry channa and aloo — Chickpeas and potatoes simmered in a yellow curry seasoned with cumin and garam masala.
Substitutions
- White Beans — A reasonable swap in stews and salads, with a softer texture and milder flavor than chickpeas.
- Black Beans — Works in salads and bowls, though the flavor is earthier and the color much darker.