How to cook legumes: chickpeas, beans, lentils, peas and ful
How to cook legumes that come out tender and whole: chickpeas and beans soak overnight and simmer for one to one and a half hours, while lentils need no soaking and are ready in 10 to 30 minutes. Here are all the times, the quick soak, baking soda, the pressure cooker, yields and amounts per person.
IllustrationHow to cook legumes: four rules
Soaking
Large legumes, chickpeas, beans, ful and whole dried peas, are soaked before cooking. They take up water, double in weight and cook evenly. Lentils and split peas need no soaking.
Plenty of water
Soak in 3-4 times their volume of water, because they swell. On a hot day, or for more than 8 hours, soak in the fridge so they do not start to ferment.
Gentle simmer
After the first boil and skimming, cook on low heat with the lid half on. A rolling boil bursts skins and leaves the centres hard.
Acid at the end
Tomatoes, lemon and vinegar slow softening, so add them only once the legumes are tender. Salt, on the other hand, can go in from the start.
How long to soak each legume
In cold water, 3-4 times the volume of the legumes
| Legume | Needs soaking? | Soaking time | Quick soak works? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas | Yes | 12-24 hours, at least 8 | Yes |
| White beans | Yes | 8-12 hours | Yes |
| Red kidney beans | Yes | 8-12 hours, at least 5 | Yes, with 10 minutes of hard boiling |
| Black beans | Recommended | 8-12 hours | Yes |
| Egyptian ful, small and brown | Yes | 12-24 hours | Possible, but a long soak is better |
| Whole dried peas | Yes | 8-12 hours | Yes |
| Split peas, green or yellow | No | Not needed | Not needed |
| Split peeled fava | Optional | 2-4 hours shortens cooking | Not needed |
| Green and brown lentils | Optional | 2-4 hours saves about 10 minutes | Not needed |
| Black lentils | No | Not needed | Not needed |
| Red lentils | No | Just rinse | Not needed |
Pour off the soaking water and cook in fresh water.
Quick soak, for when you forgot
- Rinse
Rinse and pick over the legumes.
- Cover
In a pot, with water 5 cm above them.
- Boil
Bring to the boil and boil 2-3 minutes. Red kidney beans: 10 minutes of hard boiling.
- Wait an hour
Turn off the heat, cover and leave for an hour.
- Cook
Drain, rinse and cook in fresh water for the soaked times. Sometimes it needs 10-15 minutes more.
How long to cook legumes
Gentle simmer on the stove. Pressure cooker: high pressure, then 10-15 minutes natural release
| Legume | Stove, after soaking | Pressure cooker, soaked | Pressure cooker, unsoaked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas for salads and stews | 60-90 minutes | 12-15 minutes | 35-45 minutes |
| Soft chickpeas for hummus | 90-120 minutes | 18-20 minutes | 45-50 minutes |
| White beans | 60-90 minutes | 6-10 minutes | 25-35 minutes |
| Red kidney beans | 60-90 minutes, after 10 minutes of hard boiling | 8-10 minutes | 25-30 minutes |
| Black beans | 60-90 minutes | 6-8 minutes | 20-25 minutes |
| Egyptian ful | 2-3 hours | 35-45 minutes | Not recommended |
| Whole dried peas | 60-90 minutes | 10-15 minutes | Not recommended |
| Split peas | 40-60 minutes, 60-90 for thick soup | 8-10 minutes | Same time |
| Split peeled fava | 30-45 minutes | 8-10 minutes | Same time |
| Red lentils | 10-15 minutes | 4-5 minutes | Same time |
| Green and brown lentils | 20-30 minutes | 8-10 minutes | Same time |
| Black (beluga) lentils | 20-25 minutes | 8-10 minutes | Same time |
Old legumes, hard water and acid all lengthen the time. Taste 3-4 grains, not just one. Fill a pressure cooker no more than half full and add a spoon of oil to reduce foam.
Lentils: which colour for which dish
Per cup of dry lentils, no soaking
| Lentils | Cooking time | Water per cup | Texture | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 10-15 minutes | 3 cups | Break down to a purée | Soup, dal, patties |
| Green or brown | 20-30 minutes | 3 cups, drain the excess | Soft and whole | Majadra, stews, soup |
| Black (beluga) | 20-25 minutes | 3 cups, drain the excess | Whole and glossy | Salads, sides |
| Small dark green (Puy) | 25-30 minutes | 3 cups, drain the excess | Firm | Warm or cold salads |
Dress lentils for a salad while they are still warm: they absorb the dressing better.
How to cook chickpeas for hummus, step by step
- Pick over
Spread 500 g of dried chickpeas on a light tray, remove stones and damaged ones, and rinse.
- Soak
In 2 litres of cold water with a teaspoon (5 g) of baking soda, 12-24 hours, in the fridge on hot days.
- Drain
Pour off the soaking water and rinse well. The chickpeas have doubled in weight.
- Boil
In a big pot with 3 litres of water and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Bring to the boil and skim the foam for 10 minutes.
- Simmer
On low heat, lid half on, 90-120 minutes. A chickpea is ready when it crushes easily between thumb and finger. Add a teaspoon of salt halfway.
- Keep the liquid
Before draining, save 1-2 cups of the cooking water to loosen the hummus.
- Blend warm
Blend while still warm with raw tahini, lemon, garlic and cooking water. Warm chickpeas blend smoother.
- Yield
500 g dry gives about 1.15 kg cooked and about 1.7 kg of finished hummus, 12-15 servings.
Cooked yield, amounts per person and protein
Cup = 240 ml. Protein per 100 g of cooked legumes
| Legume | One dry cup | Weight gain after cooking | Side per person (dry) | Main or soup per person (dry) | Protein per 100 g cooked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas | 200 g | 2.2-2.4 times | 50 g | 80-100 g | about 9 g |
| White beans | 200 g | 2.3-2.5 times | 50 g | 80-100 g | about 8 g |
| Red kidney beans | 185 g | 2.5 times | 50 g | 80-100 g | about 9 g |
| Black beans | 195 g | 2.5 times | 50 g | 80-100 g | about 9 g |
| Lentils, all colours | 190 g | 2.5-3 times | 50 g | 75-90 g | about 9 g |
| Split peas | 195 g | 2.5-3 times | 50 g | 75-90 g | about 8 g |
| Ful | Depends on size | 2.5-3 times | 50 g | 80-100 g | about 7.5 g |
A 400 g can gives about 240 g of drained legumes, equal to about 100 g dry. 100 g of dry lentils contain about 25 g of protein.
What to cook with each legume
Chickpeas
Hummus, masabacha, hamin and soups such as harira and lablabi. Falafel is made from soaked, uncooked chickpeas.
White and red beans
White for beans in tomato sauce and bean soup, red for spicy stews and salads.
Red lentils
They fall apart within a quarter of an hour, which makes them the base of red lentil soup and dal.
Green, brown and black lentils
They hold their shape. Brown and green for majadra, black for salads, where they stay whole and glossy.
Split peas
Green or yellow. They melt into a purée and thicken pea soup with nothing added.
Egyptian and split fava
The small brown ones for breakfast ful medames, split peeled fava for bissara and fava spread.
What happens in the pot: soda, salt, acid and foam
Baking soda
Soda makes the water more alkaline, so the pectin in skins and cell walls breaks down faster. A teaspoon (5 g) per 500 g of chickpeas in the soak and half a teaspoon in the cooking water are enough. More gives a soapy taste and a mushy texture.
Salt
Salt in the soak or at the start of cooking does not toughen legumes. Sodium replaces calcium and magnesium in the skins, which makes them softer.
Acid and hard water
Acid strengthens pectin, so legumes that go into tomato sauce hard stay hard. Hard water, rich in calcium, does the same and lengthens cooking.
Foam and gas
The foam that rises on boiling is proteins and saponins; skim it for a cleaner taste. Soaking and changing the water remove some of the complex sugars that ferment in the gut and cause gas.
Red kidney beans
Dried red kidney beans contain a lectin that is destroyed only by a full boil. After soaking, discard the water and boil hard for at least 10 minutes. A slow cooker alone does not get hot enough, so boil them in a pot first.
Storing legumes safely
hours of soaking in the fridge
Long soaks, and any soak on a hot day, go in the fridge so the legumes do not ferment.
minutes of hard boiling
For red kidney beans, after soaking and before any slow cooking.
days in the fridge
Cooked legumes in their cooking liquid, in a closed container.
months in the freezer
In 1-2 cup portions with a little cooking liquid. Thaw in the fridge or add frozen to a stew.
Checking, sorting and Passover
Check before soaking
In a kosher kitchen, dried legumes are checked before soaking: spread them on a light tray and look for grains with a small round hole, a sign of insects, and for small stones. Any grain with a hole comes out.
Passover
In Ashkenazi custom legumes, and rice, are not eaten on Passover. Many Sephardi and Mizrahi communities do eat them, and check them before the festival to make sure no wheat grains are mixed in.
Canned legumes
Canned legumes are already cooked. Rinse them in a sieve to wash off salt and starch, and add them to a stew in the last 10 minutes so they do not fall apart.
Frequently asked questions
How long should you soak chickpeas?
12 to 24 hours, at least 8, in 3-4 times their volume of water, in the fridge when it is hot. Pour off the soaking water before cooking.
How long do chickpeas take to cook?
Soaked chickpeas take 60-90 minutes for salads and stews and 90-120 minutes for soft hummus. In a pressure cooker 12-15 minutes, or 18-20 for hummus, plus 10-15 minutes natural release.
How do you cook black lentils?
Rinse 1 cup, add to 3 cups of boiling water and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes until tender and whole. Drain, and for a salad dress them while warm.
Do you need to soak green lentils?
No. Soaking 2-4 hours cuts about 10 minutes of cooking. Unsoaked, they are ready in 20-30 minutes.
How do you cook red lentils?
Rinse, cover with 3 times their volume of water and cook 10-15 minutes. They break down to a purée, which suits soup and dal rather than salad.
How much baking soda for chickpeas?
A teaspoon, about 5 g, per 500 g of chickpeas in the soak, and half a teaspoon in the cooking water. More gives a soapy taste.
How do you cook white beans?
Soak 8-12 hours, drain and simmer gently in fresh water for 60-90 minutes. Add tomato sauce only once the beans are tender.
How much protein is in lentils?
About 9 g per 100 g of cooked lentils, and about 25 g per 100 g dry. Black, green and red lentils are very close to each other.
How do you cook chickpeas in a pressure cooker?
Soaked, drained chickpeas, water 3 cm above them and a spoon of oil, the pot no more than half full. 12-15 minutes at high pressure with natural release; unsoaked, 35-45 minutes.
Why won't my chickpeas soften?
Old chickpeas, hard water or acid in the pot. Add half a teaspoon of baking soda and keep cooking, and add lemon and tomatoes only at the end.
Order instead of cooking
Ready food for Shabbat, an event or the office, from our kitchen in Tel Aviv.
Where to go next
IllustrationRed lentil soup
Red lentil soup is the quick, thick winter soup of the Israeli home: red lentils, carrot, celery and cumin…
IllustrationChickpea soup
Chickpea soup the Moroccan way is a pot of chickpeas simmered slowly with onion, celery and carrot in cumin,…
IllustrationSplit pea soup
Split pea soup is the thick winter soup of the Israeli home: split peas, carrot, celery and potato cooked for…
IllustrationBissara
Bissara is a thick, smooth soup of dried peeled fava beans, garlic, cumin and paprika, served with a pool of…
IllustrationHummus
Hummus is a warm purée of chickpeas cooked until they collapse, blended with raw tahini, lemon and garlic…
IllustrationMujaddara
Mujaddara is rice and brown lentils cooked together in one pot and crowned with a heap of onions fried to a…