Dyed Chickpeas: Easy to Make for Sensory Play

There is nothing more satisfying than the sound of kids pouring and scooping dyed chickpeas! They’re simpler than simple to make and last for years, too.

Dyed chickpeas are where it’s at

Confession: I had seen people do these for YEARS and was always baffled at how they dyed wet chickpeas. Wouldn’t they get soggy? Moldy?

162 years later, I saw dried chickpeas in the bean section and out loud went, “Ooooooh!”

HA! I had never seen chickpeas dried before, and once I did, as they say, the rest is history.

🌟 Related: You can also dye chickpeas with watercolors and food coloring, too!

A gallon-sized zippered bag is held open and inside are chickpeas and green paint mixed together. On the table surrounding the bag are bottles of acrylic paints in several colors.

There are many methods of making dyed chickpeas

One of the best things about making dyed chickpeas is that you can use several art supplies to make them.

Some of the most popular methods include acrylic paint (shown here, I will explain more), liquid watercolors, BioColor paint (my usual method), and food dye.

Rummage through your supplies, grab your DRIED chickpeas, and let’s make a stunning sensory filler together.

🌟 Looking for more sensory table ideas? There are so many amazing ones, including these:

Seven bottles of Apple Barrel acrylic paint sit together on an orange table, all with lids removed. Blue, green, and purple are in the front. — I have the large containers because I use a lot of acrylic paint, but this company also sells small bottles which are perfect for one-time use! This brand is easy to find online, at craft stores, and WalMart.

Materials

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Dried chickpeas
Coloring – choose one:
- Acrylic paint (shown here)
- Liquid watercolors
- Food coloring
Gallon-size plastic zippered bag
Shallow tray lined with parchment paper, plastic, or foil

A gallon-sized zippered bag is held open and inside are chickpeas and orange paint on top of them. On the table surrounding the bag are bags of chickpeas. Inside of the bag there is yellow paint on the sides because it was already used to make yellow chickpeas. — Reuse the same bag over and over again! I usually do all the warm colors first, then rinse out the bag and start with cool colors next.

How to make dyed garbanzo beans

These are just as much fun to make as they are to play with!

Combine chickpeas and paint in a gallon-sized zippered plastic bag. Start with less paint than you think you need because you can always add more. Add in the beans and paint, zip closed, and shake! (Start with about 1 cup of beans to 1 tablespoon of coloring.)

Let the beans dry in a shallow tray (spread into a thin layer).

Break up the beans every few minutes while they dry if using acrylic or BioColor paints. They will dry together in a clump if you don’t break them up. I break them up twice, each just a few minutes in between.

Mix the colorful beans together once they are completely dry.

Ta-da! Just like that, you have gorgeous beans, too.

Seven bottles of paint are sitting together with their lids off (red, orange, yellow, light green, dark green, blue, and purple).

An important note about what you use to dye your chickpeas

Usually, when I dye chickpeas, I use BioColor paint because it’s my go-to paint, and I always have it on hand.

On this day, though, I used acrylic paints, which are gorgeous, too. BUT some acrylic paints can be a little stinky. So if using acrylic paints (which is totally fine), let them air-dry for a few days until the smell goes away.

Liquid watercolors and food dye have no smell, and the colors are more transparent than paints. Experiment with whatever dyeing materials you have before buying anything else.

The finished colorful dyed chickpeas have been poured on top of one another in a large shallow container.

How to avoid ROTTEN dyed chickpeas

Like ANY dyed food for sensory play, if you store it in a zippered bag or plastic container with a lid before it’s fully dry, you won’t be in for a treat.

When dyeing beans, rice, pasta, etc., I always, always, always leave it in an open container for a few days.

For example, if storing materials in a zippered bag, I leave the zipper open initially.

Even though I let my dyed chickpeas fully dry for days, they’re ready to play with usually within just minutes of making them (yay!).