I know many of you Budget Byters already cook your own beans but I wanted to make this post for all of the newbies out there. Beans are one of the most economical and nutritious foods available so I try to use them in recipes as often as possible. Canned beans are quick and convenient but with a little planning ahead, dry beans can be just as easy and HALF the cost of canned.
Many people (including myself) shy away from cooking dry beans because it seems like such a daunting chore with the overnight soaking and hours of cooking. What I’ve discovered is that cooking beans can be as easy as “setting it and forgetting it” and, thanks to Kalyn’s recent post, I now know that presoaking is not even necessary! If you cook a large batch, the beans can be divided up into two cup containers, frozen and then pulled out of the freezer as needed. Taking frozen beans out of the freezer is just as convenient as opening up a can!
Last night, I cooked up a batch of black beans for today’s soup. The final cost for one can equivalent of dry beans was $0.40 cents. Compare that to a store bought can which usually runs me about $0.79 and I’ve cut the cost in half. Plus, I’ve eliminated salt, preservatives and a lot of wasted packaging. Have I convinced you yet?
*NOTE* This method is not advised for kidney beans or beans in the kidney bean family (like white kidney beans or cannellini) because they contain a naturally occurring substance called Phytohaemagglutnin, which can be toxic to humans and cause severe GI distress. The beans must be cooked in a full boil for at least ten minutes to break down this substance, and most slow cookers do not achieve this level of heat.
How to Kick the Can (of beans)
Here is how it’s done:
STEP 1: Pour one pound (or two for an extra large batch) of beans out onto a baking sheet and sort through to remove any stones or debris. Transfer the beans to a colander to rinse off any dust.
STEP 2: Place the cleaned and sorted beans in a slow cooker and add 6 cups of water for every pound of beans. Put the lid on, set the cooker to HIGH and let her go. Beans that have not been presoaked will take 4-6 hours to cook on HIGH.
STEP 3: Once the beans are tender, pour them into a colander and give them a quick rinse. Divide the beans into containers (re-sealable or zip top freezer bags), label, date and freeze until ready to use! Easy as that.
One pound of dry beans will yield about 6 cups of cooked beans, equal to about 3 cans.
The hands-on time to make these beans was only about 15 minutes. Once they were cleaned and sorted, they go straight into the pot and then I didn’t have to do ANYTHING until I checked them four hours later. Then it’s just a quick drain, rinse and pack into containers.
You can cook beans on the stove top if you don’t have a slow cooker although it takes more attention and care. Just place them in a large pot with a lid (same water/bean ratio), bring it up to a boil then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer until tender. Do not let the beans boil heavily or else the delicate skins will disintegrate and you’ll be left with nothing but bean fragments.
If you have any tips, tricks or notable experiences cooking dry beans, share them in the comments section below!
…the black bean soup recipe should be posted later tonight ;)
Two things to be aware of with dry beans:
1. Some beans, like kidney, cannelloni and fava, have dangerous levels of a poisonous chemical related to the blood thinner Coumadin. Boiling them for just a few minutes makes them safe, but simmering all day will not. Chose your beans wisely for slow-cooking.
2. Soaking beans starts the breakdown of carbohydrates humans have trouble digesting – soaking overnight and discarding the water will make less-gassy beans!
Wanted to give you a HUUGGGGEEE thanks for posting. I found your site via Ziplist, & I love your recipes/tips. I have my first crockpot full of black beans going now….. :)
So here’s an odd question. I went through this recipe with a one-pound bag of black beans I got from Kroger. We don’t have bulk bins at my Kroger, or I would’ve gotten them from there. By the time it was done, the beans were brown, and nowhere near as big as black beans in a can. They almost looked like pinto beans! The water was thick and dark purple/black. Do you think I somehow got a bad batch? Do people put food dyes on pinto beans and pass them off as black beans? I did pre-soak, so perhaps I just overcooked them. This is the first time I’ve done dried beans that weren’t in a stew or something similar– help!
It sounds like they may just be over cooked or it could be the particular variety that has a lighter color. I’ve noticed that some brands that I buy in a can are definitely more brown than black. I’ve found the best way to cook black beans in a slow cooker is to do 8 hours on low with no pre-soaking. The beans stay whole (don’t break apart and turn to mush) and keep a nice color. I hope that helps!
Everyone keeps talking about the kidney beans toxicity, but I read somewhere that fava beans contain the same toxins and must be boiled for 10 minutes before use as well.
Beth, I’ve made dried beans before, but not often. Do you really sort your beans every time you make them? I find myself sorting for a really long time and not finding any stones so I just don’t really sort anymore. Do you think thats a bad idea? Am I over sorting and making it take longer than necessary? Maybe I just need to be quicker about it! The sorting through is just kind of a pain.
I just do a really quick sort-through. I either spread them out onto a rimmed baking sheet so that I can see everything clearly and just scan really quickly for stones, or just kind of sort through them as they’re in the colander being rinsed. You don’t have to be super picky about each bean :) I’ve also noticed that if I get a better brand, they’re better sorted to begin with. When I bought beans in bulk from the produce market they had tons of stones and were very dusty, but the Camilla brand from the grocery store are usually stone-free and very clean.
I’m going to try the crockpot, I’ve always done them on the stove. As moisture boils down, I add coffee, not water. They taste great – also I add a small can of chopped green chile.
Oooh, that coffee idea sounds fantastic!
I get the best results by pre soaking overnight – discarding the water. pre boiling ( to remove toxins), and then adding to slow cooker overnight usually. I also often add in chili and whatever else I want – and freeze them in the sauce – so they are all ready to go. Such a great cheap way to add extra protein and flavour to a meal. I LOVE my slow cooker. We eat alot of beans and the freeezer is full of them.
I would recommend keeping your bean liquid. We put ours in old spaghetti sauce jars with the lid on tight while still hot and it actually cans itself as it cools down. Then we have jars of bean ‘broth’ that we can use instead of water for any recipe to give it more flavor and depth. We’ll make rice or soups or really anything that calls for veggie broth, with bean ‘broth’ instead. You can also store all your veggie trimmings in the freezer and once every 2 weeks or so make some really amazing veggie broths, to use for the same things. Making a pot of beans with only homemade veggie broth, then saving that leftover bean broth, makes for an amazing tasting base to any dish:)
Beth –
Have you by any chance measured out a 15 oz can of beans to know if the 15 oz is with the liquid, or if it is 15 oz of beans with the liquid discarded? I want to be able to freeze these in approx. equivalents to a can so I can easily use in a recipe that calls for a can of beans. I may have to buy a can and measure it for future reference. Thought I would ask in case you had done that.
Well, the 15 oz. is a weight measurement and I *think* it’s the liquid and beans. I’ve measured the volume of the beans only from a can before and it’s usually around 2 cups. I usually freeze my beans in 2 cup portions.
Hey Beth and fellow budgetbyters,
I’ve been using this method for cooking beans since I discovered it on here website last year. I primarily cook black and white beans (not at the same time) using this method.
I just wanted to say that when I do my white beans I really spice up the water with garlic powder, onion powder, chicken bouillon, and Italian seasonings (no measuring for me, I just toss it in–I know, I know, not budget conscious, but that’s how I do it).
The main reason I bring this up is because after I finish cooking the beans I save the broth, strain it, and freeze it. It makes the best base ever for minestrone.
Thought this might be worth noting. Great site Beth.
your* website
That is a great trick! I might even have to try it and post about it! Thanks for sharing! :D
I just wanted to say that I took the plunge yesterday and used my crock pot to prepare a 2 lb bag of white beans that my daughter’s home health nurse had given me. Now, I have four 2-cup baggies in my freezer and the rest of it I used in a casserole with cheese and rice for dinner. I don’t think I’ll be buying canned beans again any time soon!
This is so easy. Thanks for sharing. When I did this though, the black beans left stains in my white crockpot. Any idea on how to get the crockpot clean again?
Hmmm, good question! My crockpot is a black glazed ceramic, so it hasn’t stained. I’m assuming yours is ceramic, too. You might try something like CLR to remove hard water type deposits because I think sometimes beans leave a hard deposit (not sure if it’s calcium or what). Or just try a bleach cleaner like Clorox Cleanup.
I know you posted this ages ago, but making a paste with baking soda and water and scrubbing with your fingertips will take the marks right off.
My husband and I have been using dry beans for many years now. This year we decided to take it one step farther. He added 5 of our favorites to his garden to see how we do at growing our own! We’re both so excited to see how it turns out!
I am going to try this as soon as I use up the cans of beans I have in my pantry.
My husband asked me, “”Did she include the price of electricity (for the Crock pot)?””
Gee whiz! I am not sure if he is a” spoil-sport smarty-pants”, or if really “gets the essence of your blog”! At any rate, I LOVE your blog!
I have tried this method and it worked well with black beans, although I found my cooking time was less than 4 hours, no presoak either. I think my crock pot runs a little hotter than others, because I know on high it definitely gets to a good boil. I just finished a batch of red kidney beans, which apparently have toxins in them if not boiled for 10 minutes or longer. I wasn’t standing over the crockpot but I am fairly sure it was at a decent boil for at least 20 minutes. So I think I should be ok, but even letting it go for about 4 hours, they beans have split a bit and are kind of mushy. Anyone have any hints? I’m sure I will just have to play around with the timing on mine, it is a small crock pot so maybe it just heats up faster or gets hotter than others.
I’ve found that the more the liquid boils, the more the beans break apart. Recently I started cooking them on low for 8-10 hours and they come out perfectly! Except you can’t do that with the kidney beans, of course.