Chickpeas are the main component in two of the best foods: hummus and falafel. And to make the best versions of those foods, you need good quality, well-cooked garbanzo beans. Canned chickpeas are also a great base for a quick meal—drained, rinsed, and tossed with oil, red onions, oregano, salt, pepper, and vinegar. And don’t even get us started on how much a humble chickpea can elevate bean salads.
But are all canned chickpeas the same? No. We can say that with confidence because we tried a bunch of canned garbanzo beans over the course of two separate taste tests—along with crisp chickpea snacks—in order to find the best chickpeas to buy.
To conduct our taste tests, we opened up a bunch of cans of beans, drained them slightly, and ate them with a spoon. We made sure to keep some of that liquid in the can so I could also taste the flavor of the brine itself. We judged each bean based on texture first and foremost; we want beans that have a firm outside, but a creamy texture on the inside. Chickpeas shouldn’t be too grainy and coarse; they should feel quite luxurious. Texture and quality were the most important factors, but any additional salt or sugar did help score some extra points. We were genuinely surprised by how different all these beans were.
And what about those chickpea snacks? We were looking for crispy, salty chickpeas that transcended dried legume and entered the realm of tasty snacks. The best chickpea snacks should be airy and light and satisfy your snacky cravings.
Here are the best canned chickpeas, the best chickpeas for hummus, the best chickpea snacks, and even the best pre-sauced chickpeas to heat and eat.
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- Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans
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These chickpeas are a total blank slate. There’s no salt added, so they’ve got a low, low amount of sodium per serving (30 mg), and there’s not much flavor beyond the garbanzo bean itself. However, these are big honkin’ garbanzo beans and they have that amazingly buttery and creamy texture that I look for in a perfectly cooked bean. I cook a lot of dried beans at home so that I can achieve this wonderful texture, and Eden did a good job of getting close to that quality. The only problem is the flavor (or lack thereof), but you can take care of that on your own, right? — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Great Value Chick Peas
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These are budget garbanzo beans for budget kings and queens. They are really firm, and a bit grainy, and almost undercooked, but pleasantly salty. This can of chickpeas comes with microwave instructions, which definitely implies what these are best for: A good struggle meal. I have eaten many cans of chickpeas while living on a budget, so there is something rather nostalgic about these for me. Personally, I like cold beans with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of vinegar if I’m feeling like a quick and cheap meal, but microwaving them isn’t a bad idea either. Look man, it costs 94 cents. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- The Good Bean Sea Salt Crunchy Chickpeas
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A lot of the chickpea snacks we tried were way too chickpea-y. I know that should be a tick in the pro column, but they ended up tasting like stale chickpeas. I was tired of eating them after the first couple. But these chickpeas snacks are different. They’re light and airy and not too salty. They still retain enough garbanzo bean flavor, while also having a much snackier texture than the others. The best chickpea snacks are snacks—not just dried chickpeas in a bag. And these fit the bill. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Bush’s Best Garbanzos
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Bush’s Best Chickpeas are cooked perfectly and feature a great deal of flavor. The brine they come in is quite salty, and when you check the ingredients you’ll know why: They pack 480 mg of sodium per serving. For comparison, our pick for the number one best canned chickpeas has 350 mg of sodium per serving. Personally, I love the salinity here. It only adds to the savoriness of the beans themselves. Overall, the texture is fine, but lacking in the creaminess department compared to the very best canned garbanzo beans. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Green Valley Organics Garbanzo Beans
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Green Valley’s garbanzo beans contain much less sodium than the other brands (140 mg per serving), but also an added gram of sugar. This gives them a clean, unadorned flavor. I think these beans taste wonderfully earthy and grassy. The garbanzo beans themselves are a little bit on the smaller side, too. As far as texture goes, they’re not grainy, but they’re not ultra creamy either. Green Valley excels because of the beans’ natural flavor. And they’re the best canned chickpeas if you’re looking for organic chickpeas. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Garbanzo Beans
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Trader Joe’s canned chickpeas taste noticeably sweeter than the other garbanzo beans on the list due to the extra four grams of sugar listed in the ingredients. The sweetness is subtle, but nice, and I think it enhances the overall savoriness of the garbanzo bean itself. These chickpeas also have a delightful texture; it’s not grainy or sandy. These are just nice, buttery beans with a hint of extra flavor. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Trader Joe’s
- Masala Mama Cha-Cha Chickpeas
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These saucy, vegan, Indian-inspired chickpeas come in a pouch, which you can heat in the microwave and dump into a bowl (or eat right from the bag, like I did). The sauce, a tomato-based gravy flavored with spices, pomegranates, and mango, is bold and tangy with a hint of heat from some serrano peppers. The chickpeas themselves are tender. You definitely get more sauce than pea, but the sauce is good, so I’m not complaining. If you’re looking for a ready-to-eat side dish or something to pour over rice, these are the best chickpeas to buy. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Goya Organics Low Sodium
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These canned chickpeas might be low sodium but they’re not low flavor. (That’s probably because they still have 135 mg of sodium per serving.) They’re big, meaty boys with taut skins and creamy texture. These are some of the best chickpeas for hummus because they’ll provide a blank canvas but not a bland canvas—you still taste the earthy chickpea flavor. And you’ll get a really creamy humus. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Cento Ceci Beans
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These canned chickpeas are rather big—maybe the largest garbanzo of the whole bunch. I love the size because it makes the bean itself feel more creamy; there’s just more chickpea to savor. Plus, the texture is perfect—not too soft, and not too firm. I had to try a lot of bad garbanzo beans to figure out why Cento’s chickpeas are so good, and what I came up with is this: A lot of canned chickpeas are just too grainy, dry, and coarse. Garbanzo beans should feel kind of buttery; they should melt in your mouth, which is exactly what Cento chickpeas do. And it’s why they’re the best canned chickpeas around. There’s a decent amount of sodium here, too (230 mg per serving), which adds good flavor. Use these chickpeas for hummus, salad, stews, or to make my favorite: a delightful, summery bean salad. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
Best No Salt Added
Best Budget
Best Chickpea Snacks
Best Salty
Best Organic
Best Grocery Store Brand
Best Sauced Chickpeas
Best Lower Sodium
Best of the Best
Other chickpeas we tried: S&W Garbanzos, Goya Garbanzos, Good & Gather Chickpeas, Progresso Chick Peas, Dakota’s Pride Garbanzo Beans, Saffron Road Sea Salt Chickpeas, Saffron Road Korean BBQ Chickpeas, Biena Sea Salt Chickpeas, Delallo Chickpeas, Sadaf Chickpeas, S&W Organic Low Sodium Chickpeas, Bush’s Organic Chickpeas, Westbrae Organic No Salt Added Chickpeas, Melissa’s Peeled & Steamed Chickpeas