--- title: "Chickpea: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "Chickpeas are round, nutty legumes used in hummus, curries and salads. In the US they are also garbanzo beans, in India chana, in Italy ceci." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/chickpea" --- # Chickpea Chickpeas are round, nutty legumes used in hummus, curries and salads. In the US they are also garbanzo beans, in India chana, in Italy ceci. Also called Garbanzo bean, Chana, Kabuli chana, Ceci, Kikärtor, Pois chiche. Chickpeas are round, beige legumes with a nutty taste and a firm, creamy texture once cooked. They are sold dried, canned and ground into flour. They are the base of hummus and falafel, and are used in [curries](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/curry), stews, salads and soups from India to the Mediterranean to Mexico. ## How to do it To cook dried chickpeas: 1. Soak them in plenty of cold water for 8 to 12 hours. They roughly double in size. 2. Drain, cover with fresh water by 5 cm (2 inches) and bring to a boil. 3. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 1 to 2 hours, until a chickpea crushes easily between your fingers. 4. Salt the water in the last 30 minutes. For very soft chickpeas for hummus, add ½ teaspoon [baking soda](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/baking-soda) per liter of soaking or cooking water. 100 g dried gives about 200 to 250 g cooked. ## How to use it Chickpeas go by many names: * Chickpeas in most English-speaking countries. * Garbanzo beans in the US, especially on cans, from the Spanish word _garbanzo_. * _Chana_ in India. The large, pale chickpea is _kabuli chana_. The small dark one is _kala chana_, and split, skinned chickpeas are _chana dal_, cooked as a [dal](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/dal). * _Ceci_ in Italy and _pois chiche_ in France. * _Kikärtor_ in Sweden. A 400 g can gives about 240 g drained, which is about 1½ cups. See [can sizes](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/can-sizes). Keep the liquid from a can or the pot. That liquid is [aquafaba](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/aquafaba), which whips like egg white. For hummus, blend warm chickpeas with [tahini](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/tahini), lemon, garlic and a little ice water. ## How to store it Dried chickpeas keep a year or more in an airtight jar, but very old ones may never soften. Cooked chickpeas keep 4 to 5 days in the fridge in their liquid, or 3 months frozen. ## Common mistakes * Using very old dried chickpeas. They stay hard however long you cook them. * Boiling them hard. They break apart on the outside before the middle is soft. * Not rinsing canned chickpeas when you want a clean taste. The canning liquid is salty and starchy. ## In recipes You will see "1 can (400 g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed", "1 cup dried garbanzo beans, soaked overnight" and "chickpea flour", also called gram flour or _besan_ in Indian recipes. ## Recipes that use it 103 recipes from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Roasted-Red-Pepper-Hummus-12.jpg)Roasted Red Pepper Hummuswww.skinnytaste.com · 10 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/chick-pea-and-roasted-pepper-dip/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/Roasted-Chickpeas_09.jpg)Roasted Chickpeaswww.skinnytaste.com · 45 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/roasted-chickpea-snack-2-pts/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Chickpea-Milanese-6.jpg)Chickpea Milanesewww.skinnytaste.com · 25 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/chickpea-milanese/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Air-Fryer-Falafel-6.jpg)Air Fryer Falafelwww.skinnytaste.com · 165 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/air-fryer-falafel/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Italian-Sub-Broccoli-Spoon-Salad-5.jpg)Italian Sub Broccoli Saladwww.skinnytaste.com · 15 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/italian-sub-broccoli-salad/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/Slow-Cooker-3-Bean-Turkey-Chili.jpg)Slow Cooker 3-Bean Turkey Chiliwww.skinnytaste.com · 35 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-3-bean-turkey-chili-3125-pts/) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2014/02/Crispy-Roasted-Chickpeas.jpg)Crispy Roasted Chickpeaswww.onceuponachef.com · 15 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/crispy-roasted-chickpeas.html) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Grilled-Chicken-Feta-Chickpea-Salad-5.jpg)Grilled Chicken Feta Chickpea Saladwww.skinnytaste.com · 5 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/grilled-chicken-chickpea-salad/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Salad-Platter-1-4.jpg)How To Make An Antipasto Salad Platterwww.skinnytaste.com · 10 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/how-to-make-an-antipasto-salad-platter/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Chickpea-Salad-3.jpg)Chickpea Salad Recipewww.skinnytaste.com · 10 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/chickpea-salad/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Chickpea-Tuna-Salad-1.jpg)Chickpea Tuna Saladwww.skinnytaste.com · 5 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/chickpea-tuna-salad/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Sheet-Pan-Baked-Feta-with-Chickpeas-Broccolini-and-Tomatoes-9.jpg)Sheet Pan Baked Feta with Broccolini, Tomatoes and Chickpeaswww.skinnytaste.com · 45 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/sheet-pan-baked-feta-with-broccolini/) ## Related terms * [AquafabaAquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. It whips like egg white and replaces eggs in vegan meringues, mousses, mayonnaise and baking.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/aquafaba) * [TahiniTahini is a smooth paste of ground sesame seeds. It is the base of hummus and tahini sauce. How to thin it, why it seizes, and what to swap in.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/tahini) * [Can sizesA 400 g tin in Europe and a 15 oz can in the US are close but not the same. See the common can sizes and how to swap one for another.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/can-sizes) * [Baking sodaBaking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a strong leavening that needs an acid to work. In the UK it is bicarbonate of soda, in Ireland bread soda.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/baking-soda) * [DalDal is both the split lentils, peas and beans of South Asian cooking and the spiced stew made from them. See how to cook it soft and finish it with tadka.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/dal) * [CurryA curry is a spiced dish of meat, fish or vegetables in a sauce, from South Asia and beyond. See how to build one, from frying spices to the final simmer.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/curry) [More in regional names](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/regional-names)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)