Like children, it’s impossible to pick a favorite bean. Chickpeas, however, certainly rank high on our list. They star in some of our favorite dishes: falafel, chana masala, pasta e ceci, and lest we forget, classic hummus (and ricotta-beet hummus and curried sweet potato hummus). You can even use aquafaba, the liquid in a can of chickpeas, as a vegan substitute for egg whites. Fun!
Among the earliest crops cultivated worldwide, some evidence suggests chickpeas were first farmed in the Fertile Crescent thousands of years ago. Today, the versatile legume grows all over the world and goes by many names: garbanzo beans, chana dal, and Egyptian peas, among others, and you may see it spelled as one word (chickpeas) or two (chick peas).
Though you can certainly soak dried chickpeas overnight or even cook fresh chickpeas in season, canned chickpeas offer a convenient alternative, no planning required. But which brand of canned chickpeas is best? We put 10 contenders through a brand-concealed taste test to find the ideal garbanzos to keep in your pantry.
How we picked the products
We started by compiling a comprehensive list of chickpea brands available at grocery stores nationwide. We reviewed insights from previous bean-focused tastings, including our own refried beans taste test and canned baked beans taste test. From this long list, we narrowed down to 10 finalists, prioritizing products with broad availability. To capture a representative range of options, we included both salted and unsalted varieties, as well as organic and conventional chickpeas.
How we set up our taste test
We placed the chickpeas in anonymized ramekins and warmed them in a 100-degree oven for about 20 minutes, bringing them to just above room temperature. Since we were tasting both salted and unsalted canned chickpeas, we grouped like with like, starting with the unsalted contenders to avoid blowing out our palates before moving on to the salted varieties.
How we evaluated the beans
The quality of canned chickpeas hinges on texture. That’s the promise of the shortcut: perfectly cooked beans, without having to hover by the stove or finagle a pressure cooker. Tasters wanted chickpeas that were tender and creamy, not mushy, grainy, or slimy. The cardinal texture sin, chalkiness, is often caused by undercooked interiors or residual starch.
Although chickpeas have a mild flavor, it is distinct. A good chickpea, tasters said, should have a delicate, earthy, and nutty taste. Red flags included bitterness or any metallic notes the beans may have picked up during processing.
The best unsalted chickpeas: Westbrae Natural Organic Garbanzo Beans
Founded more than 50 years ago, Westbrae focuses on creating products made with organic ingredients, from lentils to black beans to, yes, chickpeas. The ingredients listed on a can of its organic, no-salt-added option are organic garbanzo beans and water. Can’t get much simpler than that.
Why it won us over: Among a fierce field of competitors, Westbrae stood out for its texture. “Creamy rather than pasty,” marveled senior service editor Kelsey Jane Youngman. Even the skin around the bean had a distinguishable bite, clinging to each chickpea rather than turning slippery or wispy. The flavor stood out too. Senior cooking editor Joe Sevier was pleased with the beans’ distinct savoriness, a quality not shared by other samples. Overall, tasters agreed that, despite being unseasoned, Westbrae’s chickpeas still had plenty of character.
We’d love it in: warm chickpea bowls with lemony yogurt or creamy spinach and chickpeas.
The best salted chickpeas: Cento Chick Peas
Cento is a familiar name in our taste tests thanks to its wide availability and expansive product lineup. While we haven’t always ranked the brand highly (see our canned tuna and anchovies taste tests for more), these chickpeas were a clear favorite. The ingredient list is as no-frills as it gets—chickpeas, water, and salt—and that simplicity works in Cento’s favor.
Why it won us over: Cento’s chickpeas had a smooth, tender bite that tasters flipped for. Each bean was perfectly seasoned with a flavor Kelsey described as earthy and sweet. “I would eat these out of the can,” proclaimed associate Test Kitchen manager Inés Anguiano.
We’d love it in: Happy Fridge Salad with store-bought broccoli slaw and Peppadews, or a smashed chickpea salad to pile on toast.
- 365 Garbanzo Beans No Salt Added: These beans had a great meaty texture, but a not-great oniony aftertaste.
- 365 Organic Garbanzo Beans: Our tasters found them unpleasantly grainy.
- Brad’s Organic Garbanzo Beans: Some of the beans were perfectly salted and cooked, others not so much.
- Brad’s Organic No Salt Added Garbanzo Beans: An undercooked texture along with a slight bitterness prevented these beans from being ranked higher.
- Bush’s Best Chick Peas: A metallic undertone was a deal-breaker.
- Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans No Salt Added: Chalky texture took them out of the running.
- Goya Chick Peas: They were gorgeously plump, but a little grainy and crumbly for our tasters.
- Goya Organic Chick Peas: Like their nonorganic sibling, these chickpeas didn't meet expectations in the texture department.
