People say beans take too long to cook. The good news is that – if you are inclined to cook instead of using canned (and no judgment either way, I do both!) – there are tricks to shorten bean cooking time. Some of these are easier to do than others, but here is what the scientific literature has to say! Plus, at the bottom of this post, I included a link to a handout on how to reduce bean cooking time AND a video on how to cook dry beans.
Updated by Kayla Colgrove and reviewed by Cami Wells and Tammie Ostdiek. This article was originally written by Alice Henneman.
If you have avoided cooking dry beans from scratch because “it takes too long,” consider the actual “hands-on” time can be just minutes! All it takes is a little planning ahead for a time to soak the beans and a time to cook them.
In testing done by North Dakota State Extension, it was found that pre-soaking the beans was not always necessary. The pre-soaked beans tended to split and bubble more. However, soaking the beans cuts down on cooking time and may reduce the occurrence of intestinal gas when eating the beans. Many of the gas-causing carbohydrates are released into this soaking water that can be discarded after soaking.
Cooking the beans makes them edible and digestible. Use cooked beans in your favorite recipes or refrigerate beans in shallow containers if they are to be eaten later. Freeze any extra beans within 4 days after cooking them. Beans can be cooked by using the stovetop or a multicooker/pressure cooker.
Should you soak beans before cooking in a multicooker/electric pressure cooker? Always refer to the manufacturers instructions to learn more about specific cooking recommendations for your model. You may need to experiment to determine the optimum recipe and process with your pressure cooker model.
How Can You Speed Bean Cooking Time?
- Soak – soaking beans and other pulses (like chickpeas) can shorten their cooking time. Generally, you do not need to soak lentils.
- Note: If you have hard water (with lots of minerals in it), this can actually make beans take a very long time to cook. More to follow on the why in a future post. If your beans are never cooking, it may be worth testing your water, and there are cheap water hardness test strips available.
- Soak in salts – common salts you likely already have around the house can shorten bean cooking time. For example, adding a little salt (here meaning sodium chloride in the form of sea salt, table salt, kosher salt, etc.) or baking soda (aka sodium bicarbonate) to the soaking water has been shown to reduce cooking time, and sometimes dramatically! It depends on the type of pulse, but baking soda can reduce cooking time by up to about 50% more than just soaking in water. Sea salt reduces cooking time as well, but not as much as baking soda. However, the sea salt can result in a better flavor. So play around with it and see what works best for you!
- We’re not talking a lot of baking soda or salt, either. Maybe like 1.5 Tbs of salt in about 8 cups of water for soaking 1 lb of beans. And you will then discard the soaking water and rinse the beans before cooking, so you are not eating all of that salt.
- Note that there is a myth that salting beans prevents them from softening – this is not true!! Unless you have a salt-restricted diet, do no wait to salt. Your beans will cook faster and taste more delicious.
- Avoid acids – adding acid to beans can lengthen cooking time and prevent them from softening. A little acid is not going to kill you (or the beans), but you may want to wait until the beans have softened, especially if you are using a lot of acidic ingredients, like tomatoes and lemon.
- Store your beans well – beans are known for their long shelf-life, but it is still important to store them properly. For example, storing in hot and/or humid conditions can lengthen the cooking time of beans. Storing in cool places away from humid or moist conditions is ideal.
- Get fresh(er) beans – as beans age, they become harder to cook. Now, getting fresher beans is easier said than done because often the age of the beans is not labeled. However, if you do have the opportunity to get beans that were more recently harvested, they tend to absorb the water better and cook up more quickly.
I would truly love to hear your thoughts about cooking beans and other pulses (pulses are lentils, dry beans, chickpeas, dry peas, etc.)! I am doing my PhD on pulses, so if that doesn’t convince you that I am truly interested, I’m not sure what will.
Basically: Wondering anything about cooking pulses? Let me know – I’m here to help!
Preparing Beans // Quick Soak Method
FAQ
How do you make dry beans cook faster?
How do you cook dried beans quickly without soaking?
Why are my dry beans taking so long to cook?
Is it better to soak dry beans before cooking?
How do you cook dried beans?
The dried beans are exposed to boiling water briefly, then sit off the heat for gentle absorption for one hour. Plus, the beans retain their characteristic taste because they sit in the water for a shorter period of time. Soaking the beans in salted water helps to soften the thick outer skin.
What is the best way to eat beans?
The best way to eat beans is to first cook them in a large pot of water, about 4 cups of water to every 1 cup of beans. Adding lemon grass or other herbs to the water can improve the flavor. Once beans are cooked the best thing to do is combine them with cooked rice, this is because beans are low in methionine and rice is low in lysine, so combining them makes a more complete protein.
How long do you soak dried beans?
Pick over and discard any broken dried beans. Add beans to a colander and rinse with cold water for 1 to 2 minutes. In a large saucepan or dutch oven add beans, 1 ½ tablespoons salt, and 8 cups water, stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and cover the beans for 1 hour of soaking.
How do you clean beans after cooking?
Pick over the beans to remove any things hanging out with them that aren’t beans (i.e. pebbles). Put the beans in a colander or sieve and rinse them clean in cool running water. Put the rinsed, drained beans in a large pot and cover them with cool water. The water should cover the beans by about 3 inches. Bring the beans and water almost to a boil.