For a quick, hearty soup, purée or hummus, tinned or frozen chickpeas that are already cooked save you the long cooking time needed for dried chickpeas. Simply mash or blend them to the texture you want. Dried chickpeas need more planning ahead. If you have been prescribed a modified texture because of a swallowing difficulty, the format you buy alone cannot tell you whether a dish is suitable: follow the advice of the healthcare professional supporting you.
If whole chickpeas aren’t the texture you’re after, you can mash or blend a ready-cooked option to make soup or purée. If you have a diagnosed swallowing difficulty, follow the personalised advice of your healthcare professional.
Tinned and ready-cooked frozen chickpeas let you get straight to making your dish, unlike dried chickpeas, which need to be cooked first. Depending on the recipe, you’ll still need to allow time to adjust the texture.
A format you can keep in the cupboard or freezer can be used for several soups and purées. The pack size, ingredients and storage instructions can help you choose the right option for how often you cook.
Choose this if: you want to take out the amount you need and heat it before mashing or blending. The product details for Auchan’s 600 g pack say it can be heated without defrosting first.
Bear in mind: you’ll need freezer space and must follow the pack instructions. For this Auchan product, that includes not refreezing it after defrosting.
Choose this if: you want ready-cooked chickpeas in the cupboard for a recipe you can blend without a long cooking time.
Bear in mind: the liquid in the tin or jar isn’t included in the drained chickpea weight, and storage instructions after opening vary by product.
Choose this if: you can cook a batch in advance to use in several dishes.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to cook them before making a soft-textured dish. The product details for Auchan’s 1 kg pack of dried chickpeas say the second stage of cooking in a saucepan takes around two hours on a low heat.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Dish texture | Check whether the chickpeas are already cooked and whether you can mash or blend them for your recipe. If you have been prescribed a particular texture, you’ll need personalised advice. | If whole chickpeas aren’t right for the meal you have in mind, you’ll want to be able to adjust the consistency of the dish. Around 40% of consumers would put texture first. |
| Preparation time | Tell dried formats apart from ready-cooked ones, and read the preparation instructions for the product you choose. | If you can’t plan ahead for a long cooking time, a ready-cooked option is a better choice. Speed would be the priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Usable quantity | For tinned chickpeas, check the net drained weight; for frozen chickpeas, check the pack weight and the portions listed. | If you want to prepare just the amount you need, distinguish the pack contents from the chickpeas you can use after draining. This quantity would be the top consideration for around 20% of consumers. |
| Label and storage | Read the ingredients, any allergen information, and the instructions for storing the product after opening or defrosting. | Before choosing a large pack, you’ll want to know what it contains and how to store any leftovers. These details would come first for around 10% of consumers. |
Tinned or ready-cooked frozen chickpeas save you a long cooking time, but whole chickpeas may still not have the texture you’re looking for.
Plan to mash or blend them to suit your recipe. If you have been prescribed a particular texture because of a swallowing difficulty, ask your healthcare professional to confirm the right way to prepare them.
Tinned chickpeas also come with liquid, so the net weight alone doesn’t tell you how much chickpea you’ll have once drained.
Check the net drained weight of the product you choose, and allow for cooking time if you’re considering dried chickpeas.
Ingredients and ‘may contain’ information vary between products. Monoprix’s product details for its 265 g pack, for example, mention traces of gluten and soya.
Read the label on the exact product to check the ingredients, salt content and any allergen information that matters to you.
Instructions vary by pack: an Auchan tin says to use the contents within two days of opening, while its ready-cooked frozen chickpeas should not be refrozen after defrosting.
Choose a pack size that suits your portions and follow the storage instructions on the packaging.
These products offer a point of comparison between formats. The details of one product don’t necessarily apply to the rest of its brand’s range.
A cupboard staple to consider if you want tinned chickpeas to mash for a recipe.
The products featured include dried, tinned and ready-cooked frozen chickpeas.
Tinned options to consider, depending on how much you need for your recipes.
A tinned chickpea option for recipes made with a ready-cooked base.
A tinned option whose product details let you check ingredients and ‘may contain’ information before buying.
Lidl’s GOLDENSUN range of organic dried pulses includes chickpeas.
These chickpea formats may suit recipes where you’ll mash or blend them. Choose a quantity that suits your portions, and check the preparation instructions for each product.
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For a recipe where you’ll mash or blend the chickpeas, check the texture before serving. This pack contains 820 g; check the label for the drained weight and ingredients of the exact product.
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If you’re making a small amount of purée or hummus, this 540 g pack may be a good fit for your portions. Check the drained weight, then adjust the texture by mashing or blending the chickpeas.
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If you’re cooking a batch in advance, check the preparation instructions for this 900 g pack. If the chickpeas are dried, allow time to cook them fully before mashing or blending them for your dish.
Ready-cooked chickpeas save you a long cooking time, but you may still need to mash or blend them to get the texture you’re after. If you have been prescribed a modified texture because of a swallowing difficulty, follow the advice of your healthcare professional rather than relying on the format you buy alone.
Cooking time depends on the product and its instructions. For its 1 kg pack of dried chickpeas, Auchan specifies an initial cooking stage, followed by around two hours in a saucepan on a low heat for the second stage. Check the instructions on the pack you’re using.
Follow the instructions for the exact product. The product details for Auchan’s 3 × 125 g tin say to transfer any leftovers to an airtight container, keep them in the fridge and eat them within two days. For its ready-cooked frozen chickpeas, the instructions say not to refreeze them after defrosting.
Start by checking the ingredients, any allergen information, the drained weight where applicable, and the storage instructions. Nutritional information can also help you compare products, particularly their salt content. Always check the details on the exact pack you plan to use.