DIY: How to Prepare Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)

Garbanzo Beans, also known as chick peas, are a highly nutritious, often overlooked food source and can be whipped into delicious dishes with minimal effort. Canned Garbanzo beans, although convenient, are more expensive than their dried counterparts and are less nutritious. Here’s a simple, do it yourself guide to preparing garbanzo chickpeas to use in your favorite recipes . . .

1 Pound of Dried Chickpeas = about 6 1/2 cups of Prepared Beans
1 15oz can of Garbanzo Beans = 1 1/2 c. Prepared Beans

You’ll Need:
1 lb Dried Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans)
6-8 Cups of water
dash of salt

If you have the time, an overnight soak is the easiest method, requiring the least amount of effort. Simply pour the package of dried beans into a colander or strainer, check for any residual materials (aka small stones, which can sometimes happen in dried beans). Rinse briefly.

Dump the rinsed garbanzo beans into a large pot, add about 8 cups of cold water, cover and set on the stove overnight. (With the burner off, of course!) In the morning, drain and rinse and follow directions below to cook the beans.

If you have slightly less patience and don’t feel like waiting overnight, you can use the following quick soak method.

Quick Soak Method:

Simply pour the package of dried beans into a colander or strainer, check for any residual materials (aka small stones, which can sometimes happen in dried beans). Rinse briefly.

Bring 8 cups of water to a rapid boil over high heat, add the rinsed beans, cover Bring to a rapid boil and boil the beans for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, leave covered for 1 hour.

Cooking Directions:

Regardless of which method you used above, once your garbanzo chickpeas have been soaked, drain and rinse them. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and a couple of quick shakes of salt to a boil.

Add the Beans, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook until desired tenderness is attained, generally about 1 1/2 -2 hours. Drain immediately in a colander. They are now ready to use in your favorite garbanzo bean recipes!

What are Chick Peas/ Garbanzo Beans Good For?

These versatile beans are great in tons of recipes and can even be used to create gluten free, low fat desserts, like this deep dish cookie pie recipe or in recipes for homemade hummus

Budget101 Breakdown:
1 pkg Dried Garbanzo Beans .88

Nutrition Data: Dried Garbanzo beans have significantly higher nutritional content:

Source of Information: WHFoods.com