Who is this choice for?

People keeping an eye on the salt in their homemade bread

If your recipe calls for cooked chickpeas, compare the ingredients list and “salt” value before deciding how much salt to add to the rest of the mixture.

People who want to skip the soaking

You’re looking for chickpeas that are already cooked for a recipe that calls for them in this form, while checking whether they need to be drained.

People who care about organic produce and origin

You want to find this information on the product without assuming that an organic label also tells you how much salt it contains.

What should you check?

For bread, start by checking which form of chickpeas the recipe calls for. If it specifies cooked chickpeas, compare the salt content and net drained weight, and consider how much preparation time you have.

Criteria What to check Who it matters to
Salt Compare the “salt” value per 100 g on similar products and check whether salt is listed among the ingredients. If I want to control how much salt I add to the rest of my dough, I look at the nutritional information rather than relying on the front-of-pack claim alone. Around 50% of consumers would make controlling salt their priority.
Form and preparation Check whether the recipe calls for cooked or dried chickpeas, aquafaba, purée or flour; for a tin or jar, check the net drained weight. When I’m short on time, I prefer an ingredient that’s ready to add, but only if it suits the step specified in the recipe. Speed and the right format would be the top priorities for around 30% of consumers.
Organic status, origin and packaging Check the organic and origin information separately, along with the pack size and “salt” value. If the origin of the chickpeas or the packaging matters most to me, I want to be able to identify it without inferring the salt content. This would be the priority for around 20% of consumers.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming “no added salt” means “zero salt”

    Auchan’s product listing for the D’AUCY organic jar with no added salt still shows 0.08 g of salt per 100 g.

    To compare two products, check their “salt” value per 100 g as well as their ingredients lists.

  • Using the total weight instead of the drained weight

    The D’AUCY jar listed by Auchan has a net drained weight of 215 g; the liquid is not necessarily the ingredient you need to weigh for the recipe.

    If the recipe specifies a weight of drained, cooked chickpeas, follow the jar’s draining instructions before weighing them.

  • Substituting one form of chickpea for another without checking the recipe

    A recipe calling for aquafaba, flour or purée does not necessarily call for whole, cooked chickpeas.

    Check the exact ingredient and the step where it is used before choosing between tinned and dried chickpeas.

    If you choose dried chickpeas, allow time to prepare them: E.Leclerc recommends soaking them overnight, then cooking for around 1 h 30 in a saucepan or 40 minutes in a pressure cooker.

Brands to consider

D’AUCY

The brand offers, among other products, an organic jar with no added salt and a steamed chickpea option; their ingredients are not the same.

  • According to Auchan, the 215 g net drained weight organic jar with no added salt contains chickpeas and water, and has 0.08 g of salt per 100 g.
  • The D’AUCY steamed chickpeas listed by Auchan also contain salt, so check which version you choose.

Bonduelle

Carrefour and Auchan list a cooked chickpea option “in very little juice”.

  • This option may be suitable when a recipe calls for cooked chickpeas.
  • If you’re choosing based on salt content, check the ingredients and nutritional information for the product you select.

Notre Jardin

The 530 g chickpea product listed by E.Leclerc provides a comparison with a jar labelled no added salt.

  • E.Leclerc’s product listing shows 0.7 g of salt per 100 g, a figure you can use to compare this specific product.
  • This figure should not be applied to all tinned chickpeas or to all Notre Jardin products.

Carrefour Classic’

Carrefour offers, among other products, a tin of chickpeas with a net drained weight of 265 g.

  • The net drained weight makes it easier to compare the contents with the amount of cooked chickpeas required by a recipe.
  • The Classic’ name alone doesn’t tell you how much salt the product contains, so check the label on the tin you choose.

Joybuy products

Related products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

Does “no added salt” mean the chickpeas contain no salt?

No. The claim doesn’t mean the “salt” value is zero: the D’AUCY organic jar with no added salt listed by Auchan shows 0.08 g per 100 g. Check the nutritional information and ingredients for the product you’re considering.

Do you need to drain chickpeas before making bread?

Yes, if your recipe calls for drained, cooked chickpeas and the packaging instructs you to drain them. Auchan says to drain the D’AUCY organic jar with no added salt before use. If your recipe calls for the liquid instead, check its instructions before discarding it.