Spanish chickpea stew with spinach, or garbanzos con espinacas, combines pressure-cooked dried chickpeas with carrots, tomato, and warm spices in a brothy main dish. After an overnight soak, the stovetop pressure cooker quickly tenderizes the chickpeas and creates flavorful liquid for finishing the stew.

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Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Stew (Garbanzos con Espinacas) with chickpeas, spinach, carrots, and tomato broth, served in a white bowl with a spoon

Why You'll Love Spanish Chickpea Stew with Spinach

Cooked From Scratch: Starting with dried chickpeas gives the stew tender chickpeas and a useful cooking broth.
Layered Flavor: Tomato, cumin, sweet paprika, and hot smoked paprika create a warm, savory base.
Adjustable Consistency: The reserved chickpea cooking liquid lets you make the stew as thick or brothy as you prefer.
Good for Making Ahead: The flavors deepen in the refrigerator, so the stew works well for preparing in advance.

When I want something warm and familiar, I return to legumes, vegetables, olive oil, and spices from Spanish home cooking. This stew takes a little planning, but the overnight soak is worth it. It belongs in the same part of my cooking as my Spanish lentil soup: both turn modest ingredients into something substantial enough to serve as the main meal. My Spanish sautéed mushrooms and Spanish tuna and tomato salad follow that same uncomplicated Spanish approach, but this chickpea and spinach stew is what I choose when I want something especially warming.

What I enjoy most is how tender chickpeas, soft carrots, wilted spinach, and brothy tomato base create contrasting textures together. The cumin tastes earthy, the sweet paprika adds warmth, and the hot smoked paprika brings gentle heat and smokiness without overpowering the vegetables. Pressure-cooking the dried chickpeas with onion, garlic, carrot, bay leaves, and optional whole spices builds flavor directly into their cooking liquid before it reaches the pan. Unlike my creamy lemon chickpea soup, this stew keeps the chickpeas whole for more texture, while my Spanish cod stew uses a similar combination of chickpeas, spinach, tomato, and paprika with fish. For me, this method works because the seasoned chickpea liquid becomes part of the final broth, allowing every cooking stage to contribute flavor without requiring a separate stock or sauce.

Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Stew (Garbanzos con Espinacas) in a white bowl with chickpeas, spinach, carrots, and a rich tomato-based sauce

Key Ingredients in Spanish Chickpea Stew

These ingredients each contribute something important to the texture, broth, or warm Spanish-style flavor.

Dried Chickpeas: I begin with dried chickpeas because pressure-cooking them produces both tender chickpeas and the cooking liquid needed to finish the stew.
Onion, Garlic, Carrot, and Tomato: For me, these vegetables form the foundation of the dish, with the carrot adding gentle sweetness and the tomato building the base of the broth.
Cumin, Paprika, and Whole Spices: I combine cumin, sweet paprika, and hot smoked paprika for warmth, while the optional cinnamon, cloves, and dried chile make the cooking liquid more aromatic.
Fresh Spinach: I add it near the end so it wilts gently while retaining its bright color and tender texture.

How to Make Spanish Chickpea Stew

The complete quantities appear in the recipe card, but this overview shows how the two cooking stages come together.

1. Soak and Pressure-Cook the Chickpeas: Soak the dried chickpeas overnight, then pressure-cook them with the onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, salt, water, and optional whole spices until tender.

2. Build the Tomato Base: Sauté the chopped onion with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the garlic, followed by the diced tomato, and cook until softened.

3. Add the Spices and Spinach: Stir in the cumin, sweet paprika, and hot smoked paprika briefly, then add the fresh spinach and cook until wilted.

4. Combine and Simmer: Add the cooked chickpeas and enough reserved cooking liquid to create a brothy stew. Dice and return the cooked carrot, then simmer before serving.

Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Stew (Garbanzos con Espinacas) served in a white bowl with tender chickpeas, wilted spinach, carrots, and a rich tomato-based broth

My Tips for Spanish Chickpea Stew

Give the Chickpeas Room to Soak: I cover them generously with water because dried chickpeas expand considerably overnight.

Check the Chickpeas: The simmer blends flavors, so I ensure they are tender before removing them from the pressure cooker.

Season at the End: Since the chickpea liquid contains salt, I taste the finished stew before adding any more seasoning.

Storage

I store leftover Spanish chickpea stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. The flavors deepen as it sits, and I often find the broth tastes even more developed the following day.

What to Serve with Spanish Chickpea Stew

I like serving this stew with ciabatta to soak up the paprika-rich broth. A simple marinated tomato salad or potato salad without eggs works well alongside it when I want to make the meal more substantial.