Can I freeze chickpeas?

[jeanhall]

Bought a HUGE can of chickpeas from Costco a few weeks ago but have been deterred from opening it because, well, it's 6 lbs of chickpeas! Can I freeze the remaining chickpeas right out of the can?

Thanks!

[luckyfatima]

I do freeze chickpeas but I have to make sure that they are cooked till just tender and not cooked till very soft because I notice when I freeze very soft ones, the skins all come off when defrosting and then it's a big mess because I have to pick out the skins or the dish looks ugly.

[freia]

Yes! But what I would do is rinse the chickpeas really well, then put them in a couple of ziplock bags, so that they can lie flat in one layer or so. Then just keep going down to the freezer and mix the bag up to prevent the chickpeas from sticking together. Once they're frozen pretty much individually, then put them all in one ziplock.
I do my own chickpeas from dried (I cook them up) and freeze them this way. The advantage is that you don't get a soggy chickpea which can happen if frozen in liquid. Softer chickpeas aren't really a problem if you're planning to make hummus or something or if you like the softer chickpea, but if you want a firmer chickpea for say a curry or something that requires a firmer chickpea, rinsing and freezing in one layer works really well.

[FoodFuser]

Freia, you're really on track here
of freezing the beans until singly frozen.

I use a sheet pan, with layer of parchment paper
to ensure they remain individuals.

Final transfer to ziplocs
yields to frozen beans magical.

[erica]

I freeze canned chickpeas in their liquid, in a plastic container. They've been fine on thawing.