Healthy Eating 101 Healthy Cooking How-Tos How to Cook Dried Beans Got a bag of beans? Here's how to cook them properly on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker or slow cooker. By Megan O. Steintrager Megan O. Steintrager Instagram Megan O. Steintrager's career in digital food media includes stints at EatingWell, Epicurious, AOL, TODAY.com and more. She loves every vegetable—and scoop of ice cream—she's ever met, and firmly believes that eating a healthy diet does not mean giving up delicious food (quite the opposite, in fact). EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 20, 2020 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Instagram Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Canned beans are convenient, but dried beans have a lot to offer too: They're cheaper than canned and often have better flavor. You also control the sodium in dried beans, so they can be healthier too. They also last a long time in your pantry. So, got a bag of beans? Here's how to prepare and cook them. How Long Do Dried Beans Last? Dried beans are best used within a year or two of purchase. Younger beans typically cook faster than older ones. Should You Soak Dried Beans? Soaking beans before cooking helps them to cook more evenly and cuts down on the total cooking time. So if you've planned ahead, soak them. If you don't have time, skip the soaking, but plan to cook the beans longer. Fresher beans, which are less dry, need less soaking time than beans that were harvested more than a year go. Overnight Soak Rinse and pick over the beans, then place in a large bowl with enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches. Let the beans soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain. Quick Soak Rinse and pick over the beans, then place them in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 1 hour; drain. How to Cook Dried Beans Stovetop Place (drained) soaked beans in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches (about 2 quarts of water for 1 pound of beans). Bring to a boil, skimming of any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 30 minutes to 3 hours (cooking time will vary with the type and age of bean). Add salt to taste. Pressure Cooker Pressure cookers like Instant Pots were made for dried beans. Place (drained) soaked beans in a 4-quart or larger pressure cooker. Add 3 cups water and 1 tablespoon oil for each cup of beans. Secure the lid and bring to high pressure over high heat. Reduce heat to lowest setting that maintains high pressure and cook until tender. Suggested timing: Black beans: 8 minutes soaked, 25 minutes unsoakedCannellini beans: 9 minutes soaked, 35 minutes unsoakedChickpeas: 15 minutes soaked, 40 minutes unsoakedPinto beans: 9 minutes soaked, 30 minutes unsoaked Lima beans: 10 minutes soaked, 14 minutes unsoakedBlack-eyed peas: 8 minutes soaked, 25 minutes unsoaked Let pressure release naturally before removing the lid. Slow Cooker To cook dried beans in a slow cooker such as a Crock-Pot, place (drained) soaked beans in the slow cooker. Add 5 cups boiling water. Cover and cook on High until tender, 3 to 5 hours, or on Low, 6 to 10 hours. Add salt to taste; cook 15 minutes more. Note: For safety purposes some dried beans, especially kidney beans, need to be boiled before cooking in a slow cooker. Equivalents 1 pound dried beans (about 2 cups) = 5-6 cups cooked19-ounce can = about 2 cups beans15-ounce can = about 1½ cup beans Recipes with Dried Beans You can give your dried beans more flavor by adding aromatics, such as celery and onions or herbs and spices such as rosemary and bay leaves. Check out these recipes with dried beans for ideas. And keep in mind that you can use cooked dried beans in place of canned in any recipe. Check out all of our bean recipes for tons of ideas. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit