How To Cook Dried Beans So They’re Perfectly Tender Every Time
Photography by Erik Putz. Food styling by Matthew Kimura. Prop styling by Madeleine Johari.
Dried legumes are a cheap, nutritious and shelf-stable ingredient to keep in your pantry. Rehydrate them with an overnight soak and stovetop cook—or more quickly in an instant pot. Here's how:
Dried bean cooking guide
- Black Beans
- Navy Beans
- Chickpeas
- Brown And Green Lentils
- How To Cook Dried Beans In A Slow Cooker
- Why You Should Add Baking Soda To Your Cooking Water
- How To Cook Beans To Prevent Gas
- How To Store Dried Beans—And How Long They Last
- Do You Need To Rinse Dried Beans?
- How To Season Dried Beans While Soaking
- What To Do With Dried Bean Cooking Liquid
- How To Freeze Dried Beans—And How Long They Last In The Freezer
Black Beans
Stovetop: Cover 2 cups rinsed beans with 6 cups cold water in a pot. Set aside to soak for 6 to 8 hrs or overnight. Stir in 1/2 tsp each salt and baking soda. Transfer pot to stovetop, without changing water. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until beans are tender and water has thickened slightly, 60 to 90 min.
Instant Pot: Combine 2 cups rinsed beans with 6 cups cold water and ½ tsp each salt and baking soda in Instant Pot insert. Put the lid on. Close the pressure-release valve. Press Pressure Cook button, on High, and set for 40 min (it will take 10 min to come to pressure). When cooking finishes, carefully open pressure-release valve to depressurize, 2 to 3 min. Makes 4 ½ cups.
Navy Beans
Stovetop: Cover 2 cups rinsed beans with 6 cups cold water in a pot. Set aside to soak for 6 to 8 hrs or overnight. Drain beans, then add 6 cups fresh water and 1/2 tsp each salt and baking soda. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 60 min.
Instant Pot: Combine 2 cups rinsed beans with 6 cups cold water and ½ tsp each salt and baking soda in Instant Pot insert. Put the lid on. Close the pressure-release valve. Press Pressure Cook button, on High, and set for 30 min (it will take 10 min to come to pressure). When cooking finishes, carefully open pressure-release valve to depressurize, 2 to 3 min. Makes 4 cups.
Chickpeas
Stovetop: Cover 2 cups rinsed chickpeas with 5 cups cold water in a pot. Set aside to soak for 6 to 8 hrs or overnight. Drain chickpeas, then add 6 cups fresh water and ½ tsp each salt and baking soda. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until chickpeas are tender, about 90 min.
Instant Pot: Combine 2 cups rinsed chickpeas with 5 cups cold water and ½ tsp each salt and baking soda in Instant Pot insert. Put the lid on. Close the pressure-release valve. Press Pressure Cook button, on High, and set for 50 min (it will take 10 min to come to pressure). When cooking finishes, carefully open pressure-release valve to depressurize, 2 to 3 min. Makes 5 cups.
Brown And Green Lentils
Stovetop: Combine 1 cup rinsed lentils with 2 1/2 cups cold water and ¼ tsp salt in a pot. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, using a spoon to skim off any foam that rises to the top occasionally, until lentils are tender but still have a bite to them, about 30 min. Makes 2½ cups.
Directions developed with the 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo Plus. Results may vary on different models
How To Cook Dried Beans In A Slow Cooker
Soak your beans overnight, drain them and then throw them in your slow cooker. Cover with water and then set your device on low. Let your beans cook for about eight hours, but check them earlier for doneness.
Why You Should Add Baking Soda To Your Cooking Water
Adding 1/2 tsp baking soda speeds up the cooking process—it softens the beans faster (especially if the beans are old, or notoriously tough, like chickpeas.)
How To Cook Beans To Prevent Gas
Worried about the, er, digestive effects of beans? There are a couple of ways around this! If you are new to introducing more pulses into your diet, start slow—maximum 1 serving per day—and work your way up. There are also tricks to break down the oligosaccharides (the complex sugars responsible for gas buildup) while cooking with two ingredients used in traditional Japanese and Mexican cooking. The first is kombu, a large-format style of seaweed that is often sold dried in East Asian grocery stores. The second is epazote, a strong, earthy herb sold dried in Latin American grocery stores. In both cases, a strip or teaspoon's worth of kombu or epazote per cup of beans should do the trick.
How To Store Dried Beans—And How Long They Last
Store your dried beans in a dark, cool and dry place. While all dried legumes are shelf-stable, older ones will take longer to cook than newly packaged ones.
Do You Need To Rinse Dried Beans?
Yes! Always rinse dried legumes before soaking or cooking to remove stones and grit.
How To Season Dried Beans While Soaking
Want to season your beans while rehydrating them? Get creative with aromatics: Add half an onion, bay leaves, garlic cloves or a few peppercorns during the stovetop or Instant Pot stage of cooking, and remove them once the beans are done.
What To Do With Dried Bean Cooking Liquid
Save the seasoned cooking liquid from your rehydrated beans; it’s flavourful and can be substituted for broth and other liquids in your recipe.
How To Freeze Dried Beans—And How Long They Last In The Freezer
Portion drained cooked legumes in resealable containers or bags and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.
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Chantal Braganza is a writer and editor living in Toronto. She is deputy editor, food at Chatelaine, a cookbook nerd, lover of vintage dish ware, and currently training for yoga teacher certification. Her first book, Story of Your Mother, is out with Strange Light Press.
