Chickpeas are well-known as a quality source of vegetable proteins, complex carbohydrates, and digestive fiber. They also contain high levels of antioxidants, as well as vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin E, molybdenum, manganese, and beta carotene. In plain English, garbanzo beans are super healthy! In study after study, chickpeas have been shown to lower blood sugar levels, improve satiety and weight loss, and improve digestion.
Over the years, many of our readers have asked us, “Do you need to boil chickpeas for hummus?” So we thought we’d answer that question here.
Boiling Chickpeas for Hummus
Most people buy chickpeas in cans or bags. These wet chickpeas have been dried and then boiled already, so they are ready for making hummus. However, many stores offer them in dried form—and in that case, you do need to soak or cook chickpeas for hummus, in order to soften them enough for blending into hummus’ signature creamy texture.
Soaking is a common alternative to boiling chickpeas for hummus. This method requires putting chickpeas in a large pot along with at least twice their volume in water, and then covering them and letting them sit overnight. When the beans are tender, they are ready for blending!
However, sometimes you’re tight on time. If you don’t have a nice 12-hour window to soak your beans, then boiling chickpeas for hummus is the best way to go. So if you’re ready for some stovetop magic, then all you need to know is how long to boil chickpeas for hummus! Times can vary slightly based on your altitude, but the general answer is fairly consistent:
- 30 minutes is how long to boil chickpeas for hummus.
Related Question: Can You Cook Hummus?
Once you’ve soaked your chickpeas and made them into hummus, what can you do with them? Obviously you can use it as a dip or spread, but maybe you want to get creative… so maybe you’re wondering, can you cook with hummus?
Absolutely you can cook hummus! There are so many cooked recipes for pasta, meat, and even baking that make use of our favorite superfood. Check out our kitchen for awesome dishes you can make! Whether you’re looking for Jalapeño Red Deviled Eggs, Spicy Avocado Mexican Quinoa, Baked Black Garlic Hummus Pizza, Creamy Hummus Pasta, or Hearty Tomato Hummus Soup, we’ve got you covered.
However, many of the tastiest dishes use flavored hummus as a base, which means you might want to stop by the store and pick up a container of hummus to skip all the fuss! Then you can stop asking, do you cook chickpeas for hummus? You can stop wondering how long to boil chickpeas for hummus. That’s why we created HOPE Hummus: to give you all the quality of homemade hummus, as well as awesome and creative flavors, so you don’t have to be boiling chickpeas for hummus instead of munching delicious and healthy treats!
So, do you cook chickpeas for hummus? Yes. Can you cook hummus? Yes. But should you just stop by the store and pick up a container of Jalapeño Red, Buffalo Bleu, or Black Garlic hummus instead? We think that’s a definite “Yes!”
Take the HOPE Challenge: stop by the store, pick up any container of HOPE, and see if it’s not the best hummus you’ve ever tasted. We know you’ll love it.
Cheers and happy eating!
