Instant Pot Tomato-Braised Chickpeas With Tahini Recipe (2024)

To forestall the inevitable questions about whether the chickpeas are soaked or not: they are NOT. Note that the recipe overview says that if the beans have been soaked and drained, cook time should be reduced to 13 minutes from 35 minutes. A note about this in the actual instructions would, I suggest, save a lot of people a lot of heartache.

Stuck with the recipe as written. Wife thought I was a cooking deity. I can see this recipe as ripe for kitchen jazz variations; chicken thighs, roasted peppers, maybe adding fish/shellfish while beans are staying warm.

Cooked on stovetop in a soup pot. I used two 14.5 oz cans of chickpeas (rinsed and drained). 1/2 cup of water (you can add more if needed). Had fresh mint and cilantro at home so tossed those in at the end. This only cooked for 15 ish minutes. It was amazing. Also, after drizzling the bowl tahini sauce into the served portion, I stirred it well - even better flavor explosion.

It can be made on the stovetop but if I were to do it that way, I would likely soak and cook my beans separately, then combine with the tomato mixture and simmer gently until the flavors come together. Or use canned chickpeas.

I'm not the recipe developer but my advice would be, cook the chick peas as you would normally cook them (1-1/2 to 2 hours depending upon their freshness). In a separate skillet, saute the onion, garlic, spices, add the tomatoes. Then add this mixture to the chickpeas about halfway through their cooking,

It isn't salt, it's the tomatoes. Never add acidic ingredients to raw beans.

I had the same issue with the sauce separating. But just trust and keep adding ice water and it definitely does come together with a really strong whisk. I needed more lemon juice though.

Adding to my last note in case this happens to anyone else: when I looked up another tahini sauce recipe it told me that I just need to add more ice water… And I did, and it finally did turn into a delicious sauce!

This was excellent. I soaked my chickpeas and I found 18 minutes to be perfect. One suggestion: this is very similar to the tahini sauce that forms the base of multiple hummus recipes, including a couple by Melissa Clarke. I assume she wrote this to be whisked for a recipe with less dishes to wash, but a small food processor makes a perfect sauce very quickly without you having to whisk like mad to get through the “broken” sauce stage.

Depends upon how old your chick peas are. I would look for a reliable retailer (Rancho Gordo or another source like that) where you know they don't keep products around for very long. That might be the issue -- chick peas that were on the shelf for too long.

This is delicious! A very favorable work to benefit ratio. :-)

Addictive. Placed a few boneless country pork ribs (about a pound) on top before pressure cooking. Followed the rest of the directions as written and served with rice. I always soak beans and do not add salt before they soften so I was curious how it would work. Flawless. I chose ribs because they can hold up - chicken would likely overcook. This will be a weekday staple but also I can't wait to serve to friends. A little different and festive.

My experience with using dried chickpeas in cooking is that they tend to have more "tooth" than the ones out of cans. Much more flavor, too!

The chickpeas were a little too firm after 35 min (plus 7 added) of pressure. (Had a hint of crunch rather than a buttery texture.) Maybe because I have an older IP? I will extend next time. But it did turn out tasty and I had no issues with the tahini sauce. I added some heat in the form of chili salt and cayenne.

What if you don’t have a pressure cooker?

Made a few adjustments and this turned out SO delicious. Recommend the following:- adding 1 tbsp of tomato paste and 1 tbsp of harissa with the canned tomatoes; the harissa turned out to be especially welcome for its heat and depth- upping turmeric to 1 tsp- tripling herb quantity!Re: chickpea cooking time - I followed others’ suggestions (45 mins pressure cook 20 mins natural release) and they turned out a bit too soft. Maybe happy medium would be 40 mins pressure cook.

I doubled the amount of garlic and dried seasonings (minus the salt), and this still came out somewhat bland. Not inedible by any means, but I was looking for more flavor. Perhaps next time I'll triple the dried seasonings and add more tomatoes or broth instead of 4 cups of water. I'll also add another 10 minutes to the 35 min. cook time.

Delicious! Cooked dried chickpeas in my pressure cooker. I used homemade veggie stock instead of water and added tomato paste as another commenter suggested.

Used canned because that's what I had. The tahini sauce comes in like a redeemer. If I were Melissa Clark's husband, I'd weigh 500 lbs.

This was super easy and delicious. Made it pretty much exactly as written but added about 1 tbs of better-than-bouillion instead of the salt. Used 3 cans of chickpeas and just enough water to almost cover the chickpeas. Tahini is great on top!

Made yesterday with canned chickpeas (as I’ve never had success cooking dried chickpeas in acid). I have to admit I deglazed after the onions with a warm-spiced vermouth and added tomato paste and harissa. Those were my only mods! My fiancée was very pleased - as was I. We ate it with crusty bread and saved the rest for weekday lunches. It’s not the *most* exciting BUT we have all of these ingredients as pantry staples so I’ll likely make this and slight variations often.

I soaked my chickpeas in salted water and put in the instant pot for 20 minutes. Turned out great, although I put in too much water, if you’ve soaked them you only need an inch or so of water above the chickpeas

Made this last night for dinner, as written. Had to increase time in IP by 5 minutes, otherwise it was easy-peasy delish!! The tahini sauce was easy also. I had no issues getting it to emulsify with a small whisk.

Made this for dinner last night, pretty much to the directions except I only had a vidallia onion and used mint for the herb. It was good from the pot, but I brought leftovers for lunch, and decided to try it cold since I had been out for a walk in the summer heat. It was very light and refreshing, and I think I liked the seasoning a bit more in the cold dish.

I make this recipe a few times a month, and everyone loves it. I presoak the chickpeas and cook on high pressure for 13 minutes in my pressure cooker (not Instant Pot). I recommend adding a second red onion since it provides the base for this rich and flavorful broth. Often I garnish with cooked garlicky kale or red chard, or else a chopped avocado in addition to the tahini sauce. Delish!

Used leftover chickpeas to make hummus (still added garlic, lemon, tahini, etc.) The seasonings added a lot!

Definitely could use a bit longer in the pressure cooker. Maybe 20 more minutes of high pressure? I served it with roasted potatoes. Flavors were a big hit with my kids. Next time I’ll make it with naan and top it with feta

Delicious. Very easy to make. A bit soupier than expected. I used a can of chickpeas and a can of diced tomatoes and pressure cooked it for 13mins with less liquid as indicated in the description at the top. Will make this again. This dish is also accidentally vegan, a bonus for when we have vegans visiting.

Diced some grape tomatoes bc it’s what I had on hand and it turned out delicious. The tahini sauce is quite versatile; made a double batch and used it again on salad (added a teaspoon of Dijon and used less oil) and the next day on roasted potatoes. So good.

I just cooked this for lunch, because I had all the ingredients, except I used shallots instead of red onions. It’s a great pantry meal and we found it quite tasty and quick, since I used canned chick peas. Next time, I think I would add some harissa before the tomatoes, for a kick.