What Can You Use Instead of Chickpeas?

If you do not have chickpeas, white beans or cranberry beans (borlotti beans) are the closest substitutes in most recipes. The 2 substitutes have a similar starch content and mild, nutty flavor, so they can readily replace chickpeas in hummus, salads, and soups. What role do chickpeas play in recipes? Once cooked, chickpeas hold their shape in salads while remaining slightly firm. When mashed, they form the base of creamy dips such as hummus. Chickpeas can be used whole or mashed, so a substitute should work well in these 2 forms. Even the liquid from canned chickpeas (aquafaba) has a consistency that can replace egg whites in vegan recipes, so chickpeas contribute to a dish through their liquid as well as the beans themselves. Which beans are the closest substitute? White beans stay about as tender as chickpeas when cooked and have a similar creamy texture when mashed. Blended into hummus with tahini and lemon, they may go unnoticed by someone unfamiliar with the flavor. Cranberry beans (borlotti beans) have a stronger flavor, so you can use a little less in salads to keep them from overpowering the other ingredients. Lentils can also replace chickpeas in some soups, but they cook much faster and break apart, so they are not suitable for dishes where the beans need to stay whole. What should you keep in mind? Dried legumes have different soaking and cooking times, so monitor them as they cook instead of relying only on the time on the package; some beans may take a little longer to cook than chickpeas. If using canned beans, drain and rinse them, and do not add the salty brine to the recipe. Can you reduce the difference in texture? White beans and cranberry beans may break apart more easily than chickpeas, so for salads, shorten the cooking time by a minute or two to keep them firm. This difference does not matter as much in dips such as hummus, since the ingredients are processed until smooth. Color is another consideration: cranberry bean skins turn light brown when cooked, so they do not look as bright as yellow chickpeas. This is only a visual difference and does not affect the flavor or texture, though the finished dish may look a little different. Some stores also sell frozen chickpeas alongside dried and canned ones. Frozen chickpeas shorten the cooking time and have a texture closer to canned chickpeas, so they can be a good choice for salads where the beans need to stay whole. Whichever legume you choose, adding a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water may shorten the time it takes to soften. Use it sparingly, since too much can make the beans fall apart. Overall, soaking dried legumes ahead of time and cooking them carefully lets them take over much of chickpeas’ role in a recipe. Buying two kinds of legumes on your next grocery trip makes it easier to keep cooking whichever one you have on hand.