Beans, lentils & pulses · Chickpeas & peas
Dried chickpeas
Hard, dried chickpeas that are soaked and simmered, or soaked and ground raw for falafel.
Also called: dry chickpeas, raw chickpeas
A kind of chickpeas
Photo: Tiia Monto, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
What it is
Dried chickpeas are the uncooked seed: hard, beige and wrinkled. They need overnight soaking (they roughly double in size) and an hour or more of simmering; a pinch of baking soda in the water speeds softening. Home-cooked chickpeas are creamier than canned, and soaked raw chickpeas are essential for proper falafel.
Cicer arietinum
How it’s used
- Soaked and ground raw for falafel
- Cooked very soft for silky hummus
- Simmered for chole, cocido and harira
- Cooked and roasted for crunchy snacks
Characteristics
- Texture
- Hard when dry; firm-creamy when cooked.
- When cooked
- Soaking time and age change cooking time a lot; baking soda softens skins.
- Sold as
- dried, canned
- Cooking uses
- Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling, Suitable for frying
Kinds in our pantry
Storage
Cool, dry and dark. Store airtight in a cool, dry place; old chickpeas may never soften fully. Cooked chickpeas freeze well.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
- Do not eat dried chickpeas uncooked; falafel made from soaked raw chickpeas is safe because it is deep-fried through.
- Cool cooked legumes quickly and refrigerate; reheat until piping hot and use within a few days.
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 378 kcal
- Protein
- 20.47 g
- Carbohydrate
- 62.95 g
- Fat
- 6.04 g
- Fibre
- 12.2 g
- Sugars
- 10.7 g
USDA FoodData Central: Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, raw.
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Chickpeas — For cooked dishes, use about 2½ times the dried weight in canned; not suitable for falafel.
Related ingredients
Recipes with dried chickpeas
See all 16Avocado hummus
International · 1 h · 199 kcal · Vegan
Beetroot hummus
International · 1 h 35 min · 160 kcal · Vegetarian
Chana madra
Indian · 1 h 10 min · 348 kcal · VegetarianChana samosa (Chhattisgarh street-style)
Indian · 2 h 30 min · 641 kcal · Vegetarian
Chole bhature
Punjabi · 3 h 35 min · 727 kcal · Vegetarian
Falafel
Middle Eastern · 13 h 15 min · 432 kcal · Vegan
Ghugni (Jharkhand-style)
Indian · 1 h 5 min · 330 kcal · Vegan
Kadala curry
South Indian · 1 h 5 min · 439 kcal · Vegan
Kala chana salad
Indian · 1 h · 165 kcal · Vegan
Kondakadalai sundal
South Indian · 35 min · 216 kcal · Vegan
Kwati
Nepalese · 1 h 5 min · 200 kcal · Vegetarian
Lablabi
Tunisian · 1 h 25 min · 515 kcal
4 more
- Msabbaha (warm whole-chickpea hummus) · Levantine
- Piti · Azerbaijani
- Roasted garlic hummus · International
- Roasted red pepper hummus · International
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