Beans are a vital staple in many plant-based diets and cuisines around the world. While canned beans are convenient, it doesn’t get better than dried beans!
Dried beans, peas and lentils—otherwise known as legumes or pulses—are the seeds of mature, fresh beans that have been dried. As one of the oldest cultivated crops, dried beans are an excellent source of protein, dietary fiber, and complex carbohydrates.
In this post, you’ll learn how to prepare dried beans for cooking and ways to incorporate them into a variety of dishes from side dishes to soups to entrees.
Chart: How to cook dried beans
Below is a chart with estimated times for cooking a variety of beans at sea level, ranging from Lentils to Lima Beans. Keep this chart handy for easy reference!
Note: If you’re at a higher altitude, you may need to increase cooking times. Additionally, all times with the exception of lentils and split peas) below are based on being soaked for at least four hours before cooking.
|
Beans 1 cup |
Water Add more as needed during cooking process |
Cooking Time If pressure cooking, times will be cut by over half |
Yield |
|
Adzuki |
4 cups |
45 – 55 min |
3 cups |
|
Anasazi |
2 1/2 – 3 cups |
45 – 55min |
2 1/4 cups |
|
Black beans |
4 cups |
1 – 1 1/4 hrs |
2 1/4 cups |
|
Black-eyed peas |
3 cups |
60 min |
2 cups |
|
Cannellini (white kidney beans) |
3 cups |
45 min |
2 1/2 cups |
|
Cranberry beans |
3 cups |
40 – 45 min |
3 cups |
|
Fava beans, skins removed |
3 cups |
40 – 50 min |
1 2/3 cups |
|
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) |
4 cups |
1 1/2 – 2 hrs |
2 cups |
|
Great northern beans |
3 1/2 cups |
1 1/2 hrs |
2 2/3 cups |
|
Green peas, whole |
6 cups |
1 – 2 hrs |
2 cups |
|
Kidney beans |
3 cups |
60 min |
2 1/4 cups |
|
Lentils, brown |
2 1/4 cups |
45 – 60 min |
2 1/4 cups |
|
Lentils, green |
2 cups |
30 – 45 min |
2 cups |
|
Lentils, red |
3 cups |
20 – 30 min |
2 – 2 1/2 cups |
|
Lima beans, large |
4 cups |
45 – 60 min |
2 cups |
|
Lima beans, small |
4 cups |
50 – 60 min |
3 cups |
|
Lima beans, Christmas |
4 cups |
60 min |
2 cups |
|
Mung beans |
2 1/2 cups |
60 min |
2 cups |
|
Navy beans |
3 cups |
45 – 60 min |
2 2/3 cups |
|
Pink beans |
3 cups |
50 – 60 min |
2 2/3 cups |
|
Pinto beans |
3 cups |
1 1/2 hrs |
2 2/3 cups |
|
Soy beans |
4 cups |
3 – 4 hrs |
3 cups |
|
Split peas, green |
4 cups |
45 min |
2 cups |
|
Split peas, yellow |
4 cups |
1 – 1 1/2 hrs |
2 cups |
Cooking with dried beans: Recipes for soups, dips, and bowls
Once you learn how to easily cook dried beans, you’ll see how easy it is to incorporate them into an endless number of dishes. See below for a sample of the many creative uses of beans!
-
Soups: Transform your beans into a hearty and luscious soup like this Minestrone Soup and Braised Turmeric Chickpea Kale Stew.
-
Bowls: Add beans to bowls for texture and flavor, such as the Burrito Bowl and Spicy Peanut Buddha Bowl.
-
Salads & Sides: Want a protein packed side? Try the Mung Bean Salad and Chana Sundal.
-
Dips: Puree beans to make many delicious dips like these Refried Black Beans and Hummus bi Tahini.
Overall, incorporating more beans is a highly nutritious, easy, and inexpensive way to expand your cooking repertoire and diversify recipes.
See more cooking tips for how to cook with more vegetables and two amazing one-pot vegetable chili recipes.
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Peter Lethusang M. ( 2yr ) – I’m highly impressed
Swich C. ( 2yr ) – happy to hear that! :)
Alice C. ( 2yr ) – I have always like different kinds of beans. Good info on how to prepare them. Thanks
Swich C. ( 2yr ) – You’re very welcome!
Cindy S. ( 2yr ) – Thanks for this great info. We love beans at our house, and the cooking tips for smaller amounts will be very useful.
Swich C. ( 2yr ) – Happy you found this useful!
Leslie C. ( 2yr ) – I always thought you had to soak the beans first overnight before cooking them. Is there any advantage to soaking them first? Thank you.
Swich C. ( 2yr ) – Hi Leslie! Soaking beans overnight reduces their cook time.
Teresa T. ( 2yr ) – I have always bought canned beans, but I want to start cooking them at home. This was just the info I needed!
Swich C. ( 2yr ) – We’re so happy you found this helpful :)