Smoky Spanish Instant Pot Chickpea Soup

Smoky Spanish Instant Pot chickpea soup is a flavorful vegan recipe with dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans), roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and a finishing touch from a spicy nut blend.

Tender pressure cooker chickpeas star in recipes like Instant Pot vegan chana dal or chickpeas in Greek kapama sauce. Hearty chickpea soup is another example of fuss-free, mess-contained Instant Pot cooking. 

I'll teach you several ways to soak inexpensive dried chickpeas in this post. Plus, how to make this delicious soup on the stove top using dried or canned chickpeas.  

⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Oven-roast red peppers and use dehydrated sundried tomatoes for a low-fat, oil-free recipe. 
• Learn my 3 top ways to soak chickpeas and other beans that you can apply to new recipes. 
• ​A savory and renewing soup with deep, sultry flavors of roasted red peppers and sundried tomatoes.

📋 Recipe Ingredients

Chickpeas. This recipe is made with dried chickpeas with an optional stovetop soup using canned chickpeas provided. 

Roasted red peppers. The cheapest and healthier roasted red peppers come from your oven. Prep the rest of the veggies while they roast for 20 minutes. Alternatively, use two 12-ounce jars of roasted red pepper. Rinse them in warm water and pat them dry to get rid of the excess olive oil. 

Sundried tomatoes. I used dehydrated sundried tomatoes to avoid excess oil. Soak them in hot water for a couple of minutes to rehydrate them. This makes them easier to chop. There are options for sundried or semi-dried tomatoes with minimal oil at many grocery stores. Or make sundried tomatoes in the oven.

Garlic. 5 garlic cloves aren’t excessive unless you don’t have a garlic press. This is about 1 ½ tablespoon if you are using the pre-minced stuff. 

Diced tomatoes. I like diced tomatoes packed in juice or fire-roasted tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes are also a good option. 

Smoked paprika. Spanish recipes use a lot of smoked paprika, ranging from fiery hot to sweet and mild.  

Sherry vinegar. Sherry vinegar has a sweet and mild flavor. Red wine vinegar is a good substitute.  

Almonds. The almond spice mix is optional. But seriously, don't skip it! It's a quick chop of almonds, fresh parsley, and red pepper flakes. 

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.

📖 Recipe Variations

After making Instant Pot pinto beans and rice, I was inspired to replace chickpeas with pinto beans. It's quite nice! Another option is soaked and dried red kidney beans or white beans.  

🥘 How to Soak Chickpeas

Overnight soak. Add the chickpeas to a pot or bowl and cover them with three times the amount of water. 

Quick soak. Boil chickpeas in twice the amount of water for 2 minutes. Remove them from the heat and let them soak in the water for 2-4 hours. 

Insta-soak. Add 2 cups of chickpeas plus 6 cups of water to the Instant Pot. Close the sealing valve and cook for 5 minutes on High Pressure. Let the steam naturally release for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. 

⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Soak the chickpeas using any of the above methods. 

Step 2: Roast the red peppers in the oven. 

Step 3: Cook the onions, then add the spices, peppers, and tomatoes. Turn the Instant Pot off. 

Step 4: Stir in chickpeas, vinegar, and vegetable stock. Clear the bottom of the Instant Pot. 

Step 5: Cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes with 10 minutes NPR.

Step 6: Make the almond spice mix while the soup cooks. 

Stovetop Instructions

Using Dried Chickpeas. Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot of Dutch oven to medium-high heat. Cook the onions, then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir the bottom of the pot, cover, and simmer the soup for 45 minutes until the chickpeas are tender and the soup is thick. 

Using canned chickpeas. This is the quickest method yet. Follow the recipe until after you add the tomatoes. Add the entire contents of 3 cans of chickpeas plus 1 cup of water or broth. Allow the soup to simmer for 15 minutes. 

🔪 Pro Tips

• Roast the peppers on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Peppers are notoriously messy. 
• Rinse (and other beans) after soaking them. This reduces indigestion. 
• Avoid the Instant Pot burn notice by turning the pot off between the saute and high-pressure settings. Use a wooden spoon to clear the bottom of the pot after adding the vegetable broth. 

🥄 Serving Suggestions

Serve big bowls of smoky chickpea soup topped with the spicy almond and parsley mix. Try baked hemp seed parmesan or garnish with chopped parsley or fresh cilantro for a nut-free option. 

💭 Frequently Asked Questions