How to cook chickpeas stovetop

Cooking chickpeas in slow cooker, pressure cooker or instant pot is different than cooking them on stove. Cooking chickpeas stovetop is easy if you let them soak. Chickpeas are really hard but after a couple hours of soaking, they get soft so they’ll be done faster. But if you don’t soak the chickpeas, it will take a lot longer for them to cook.

Chickpeas are delicious, nourishing and full of magnesium, protein and fiber which are beneficial for bone health. They are recommended as a healthy and nourishing snack for children who are growing. Cooking chickpeas at home is easy and it’s better than buying canned chickpeas. You’ll save your money and you’ll prepare a healthier dish for your kids, since it won’t contain preservatives. This dish is very healthy since I don’t even use a drop of oil in it.

According to medicalnewstoday.com, chickpeas have amazing benefits, like:

• One cup of chickpeas, weighing 164 grams (g), provides 12.5 g Trusted Source of fiber.
• The iron, calcium, and other nutrients in chickpeas can all contribute to healthy bone structure and strength. Chickpeas can play a role in the diet of people who want to prevent osteoporosis.
• The fiber, potassium, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and selenium in chickpeas all support heart health.
• A small 2006 study found that participants had less low density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol in their blood when they ate a diet with added chickpeas, compared with a diet with added wheat, for 5 weeks.

In my opinion, watery and thin chickpeas are not delicious! So I’ve found a good solution to make the chickpea water thicker.

I think the best way to cook chickpeas is using beef bone. If you haven’t tried it yet, without asking any questions, pick up a beef bone and put it on the stove to cook to add it to chickpeas. After you try this, you’ll probably never cook chickpeas without beef bone again!

Beef bone broth gives a perfect flavor and consistency to chickpeas. I have explained the right method for cooking beef bone in beef bone oil recipe. I think you’re going to love this chickpea recipe.

I have a post on how to make the bone broth and how to separate the fat from it. You can make a delicious broth with cheap beef bones. I recommend reading the bone broth fat post, it will be useful for you.

Print Recipe

How to cook chickpeas stovetop

The easiest way to cook chickpeas on the stove

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Soaking Time4 hours hrs

Total Time6 hours hrs

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

• 2 cup Dry chickpeas
• 1 Onion
• Beef bone Beef bone stock and bones - optional
• ½ tbsp Thyme
• Turmeric
• Pepper
• Salt

Instructions

• Soak the chickpeas: It’s better to let the chickpeas soak for at least 4hours. Don’t forget to change their water a couple of times. The water level should be slightly above the chickpeas. Throw the water away after letting them soak.
  
• Put the chickpeas in a pot of water on the heat: put the chickpeas on the heat with some water. The water should rise up to about 1 inch above the chickpeas. First, increase the heat to bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to let the chickpeas cook over a gentle heat. If some white foam collected on the water, collect it with a ladle and throw it away.
  
• Add in the rest of ingredients: Add chopped onion, beef bone broth, thyme, turmeric and pepper.
  
• Add some salt: Add salt after the chickpeas got a little softer.
• Let the chickpeas cook: Cooking time depends on the type of the chickpeas; But it’s usually between 1 to 3 hours. Put the lid on the pot. Try the chickpeas after an hour to see if they’re cooked. If they were cooked well and had your intended consistency, turn the heat off.

  If the chickpeas were cooked but still were watery, before turning off the heat pick the lid up to let the water evaporate. Then you can turn the heat off.
• Serve the dish.

Notes

How to soak chickpeas

• To soak chickpeas you just have to put them in a container and pour water on them. It’s better if the water rises above the chickpeas. Change the water every 2 to 3 hours. You should let them soak for about 4 to 12 hours.
• Chickpeas almost get twice as big after soaking, so put them in a big container.
• If you intend on cooking them for lunch or an evening snack, let them soak overnight or do it early in the morning. They have to soak for at least 4 hours so in my opinion it’s better to let them soak overnight. This way the chickpeas will get softer and they’ll cook faster.
• Chickpeas might make sounds like making popcorn on stove while soaking, don’t get shocked!
• You might feel like the chickpeas smell rotten while soaking, but don’t worry. The chickpeas haven’t gone bad and that smell will go away after cooking.
• Letting beans soak and changing their water eliminates bloating.

Extra tips about cooking chickpeas stovetop

• I usually cook a lot of chickpeas and I keep them in the freezer so I always have chickpeas in the freezer.
• If you are allergic to beans or you get bloated, add them to your diet slowly.
• Chop the onions into very small pieces. If they are small, they’ll add more flavor to your food and make the consistency even better. You can even press the onions with your fingertips after chopping them to release the aroma of onions.

• I cook beef bone at home and most of the time I have the beef bone stock. I like to add the bones to the chickpeas other than the beef bone stock. So usually on the days I cook beef bone, I cook chickpeas too so I can add the beef bone to the chickpeas. This way all the bone marrow and the cartilage melts into the food.

 

If you don’t have any beef bone available, use one of the following methods to thicken the chickpea water:

1. Use beef stock.
2. Dissolve a tablespoon of wheat flour in half a glass of water and add it in the final stages of cooking and then let it cook for 20 more minutes.
3. Or you can add a tablespoon of barley flakes in the last half hour of cooking. If you don’t want the barley flakes to be seen in the food, you can grind them and then add it to the chickpeas.
4. Add some saffron for a better color and smell. It doesn’t matter I the saffron is brewed or dried.
5. Use 2 garlic cloves or 2 bay leaves.
6. If you don’t have access to beef bone, some onion and vegetables like thyme would be great.
7. If you used beef stock, add less turmeric and pepper.

Side effects of eating chickpeas

Even though chickpeas are very nourishing, they can make you very bloated. Chickpeas cause bloating in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, you should use them with caution. It also takes chickpeas a lot of time to digest. Therefore, while preparing chickpeas pay a lot of attention to the amount of cooking and the time of soaking. Bloating and slow digesting can cause serious problems for sensitive stomachs.

If you are looking to make a quick meal, I advise easy curry noodle salad recipe. It is prepared quickly and is healthy and homemade.

Conclusion

As you can see, cooking chickpeas stovetop is very simple. The only important thing is to let chickpeas soak in water. I think this recipe is the best recipe for cooking chickpeas stovetop, because using beef bone makes the chickpea water really thick.

I have a post about simple chickpea and rice recipes. In this post, I have introduced 8 different salad, sushi and Moroccan recipes that are made with chickpeas and rice. Maybe reading it will give you some useful ideas for tonight’s dinner or tomorrow’s lunch.

If you have any questions about this recipe or using beef bone in different foods, ask them in the comments. This is a 1 ingredient  recipe, and we use it in our Recipe Finder tool.

Nutritional facts of this recipe (Without beef bone):