Originally published May 23, 2014
As an inexpensive source of protein, beans are a dietary staple for a large portion of the world. Beans come in many varieties and are quite versatile. I’ve enjoyed beans in main courses, side dishes, salads, soups, and even desserts!
We eat our fair share of beans, but rarely get them from a can. Years ago I learned how easy it is to cook dry beans in bulk in my crock pot, then freeze them for future use. I’ll never go back to canned beans.
Why I prefer using dry beans over canned beans
- First, I am always grossed out by the slimy liquid that accompanies beans in a can. I’m not sure what it is or what it’s there for, but I think it’s gross.
- Another benefit of not getting your beans from cans is avoiding the controversial chemical BPA. I’d prefer to avoid weird chemicals potentially messing with my family’s hormones.
- Dry beans are much cheaper. A pound of dry beans costs between $0.60 and $1.50, which is similar to the prices you might pay find for a can of beans. A can of beans is about 1.5 cups. A pound of dry beans will make more than 3 times what you get in a can.
- With dry beans, you can control the amount of salt you put in (which you want to do after cooking them), whereas canned foods are loaded with sodium.
My Bean Routine
There are lots of different ways to cook dry beans. You can cook them in a pot, pressure cooker, or slow cooker. You can soak them overnight, do a quick soak, or with some beans, skip the soak entirely. I’m going to keep things simple and just tell you the way I do it and what works for me.
1- Sort
I don’t spend much time on it, but I do glance through my beans to make sure there aren’t any tiny stones or other debris. Your package of beans will remind you that beans are a raw agricultural product and may contain tiny sticks or stones that should be removed.
I remember watching and helping my mom do this when I was young. Back then there was a lot more junk in dry beans. I think the machinery has improved, as I rarely find anything I have to pull out.
2- Rinse
Using a colander, I rinse the beans. It’s pretty straight forward and just takes a second.
3- Overnight Soak
For every pound (2 cups) of dry beans, add 6-8 cups of water. I usually do at least 2 pounds at a time and add about 12 cups of water. If you’re new to cooking dry beans, go ahead and measure the water the first time, then you can just eyeball it in the future.
I always cover my bowl with a plate or cookie sheet just to keep out the stray fly, ant, or two-year-old. Just let it sit overnight or around 8-12 hours. When you’re cooking beans in the crock pot you don’t have to be a big stickler on the soaking. In fact, you don’t even have to soak them, but I always do.
4- Rinse again
Discard the soaking water and rinse your beans again with the colander. Pour beans into your slow cooker.
Safety Note: Red kidney beans contain a toxin that makes them potentially dangerous to cook in the slow cooker. After soaking them in cold water for at least 8 hours, rinse them and put them into a pot. Cover them with 2 inches of cold water and boil them for 10 minutes. Drain the water, then cook them in the slow cooker on high (or just opt for the stove).
5- Cook in Slow Cooker
Add enough water to cover your beans with about 2 inches of water. The time varies depending on the slow cooker and the variety of beans, so do some experimenting. On high, my beans are done in less than 4 hours, on low they take about 6 hours. My slow cooker is always on the low end of cooking time ranges. Your beans are done when the are soft and you can smash them on the roof of your mouth with your tongue.
6-Drain and Cool
Drain off any remaining liquid. Allow your beans to cool before putting them in freezer bags. I’ll admit that I don’t always wait until they are completely cool to bag them, but I at least let the bags cool before putting them in the freezer.
7- Freeze
Most often, I use quart-size Ziploc freezer bags (remember how I reuse them). The bags will fill up comfortably without about 4.5 cups of cooked beans, so I try to use beans in about those quantities. You can freeze them in whatever portion is convenient for you. I have also started making plastic wrap packets to get the beans in just the right amounts and then putting several plastic wrap packages in a freezer bag.
8- Thaw and Use
In an ideal world, you would set your beans out ahead of time to thaw before using them. They are definitely easiest to get out of the bag that way. More often than not, I pry them out the the bag frozen and add them to my pot on the stove. When I make chili or bean soup, I often start with a can of home-canned tomato puree. The frozen beans thaw quickly in the stove. Sometimes I thaw them in the microwave, which also works just fine.
If you use plastic wrap, be sure your beans are at least slightly thawed (run under hot water) before ripping off the plastic wrap, so you don’t leave any pieces of plastic wrap in your beans. That would be almost as gross at that slimy liquid in canned beans.
I love having cooked dry beans so accessible when I’m cooking. Having beans in the freezer really speeds up dinner and increases my options.
Just tried a test batch, and I don’t think it adds up for us. The beans I bought (organic black) seem to have slightly more than doubled in size through this process. The cans are $1/14 oz if you catch the sale (which is $1.14/lb, appropriately enough); the dry beans were $3/lb in the bulk section. That makes the cans a bit cheaper, and a lot less work, bean liquid notwithstanding. Maybe the bulk beans go on sale, too, but….
Yowzers! Organic dry beans are expensive! For conventional, it’s way cheaper to use dry beans, but maybe it’s different with organic beans.
Do you rinse the beans again after they are done cooking?
I don’t. I let them cool a bit, then use a slotted spoon to put them into freezer bags.
How long do they stay good if frozen??
I haven’t had a problem keeping them 6 months or more, though we usually eat them before then.
Im kind of new to cooking dried beans and wondering if the Red Chili beans fall into the same category as the kidney beans as far as toxins and the extra cooking step?? Thanks in advance 🙂
I think “red chili beans” are actually kidney beans, so yes, they would require the same special preparation.
can you freeze the beans with sausage and the juices? I live alone and want to make and then freeze. Then add rice. I don’t add beans to other recipes.
I think that would work just fine!
Pinning this.
I do have 1 question. I have been in the habit of making chili from canned beans. I usually whip up a big batch of chili in the crock pot, and then freeze it in a few portions to make several dinners. But if I make the beans and freeze them, and then pull them out to use for chili, that means I can’t re-freeze them, correct?
I guess what I should do is soak beans overnight and then cook the beans the next morning and then make chili around lunch time, and then freeze the extra chili so beans don’t get frozen twice?
Also, do you ever mix bean types while you’re cooking in the slow cooker? Or do beans cook at different times?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Julie! Yes technically you aren’t supposed to thaw and refreeze things. Between you and me, I do it sometimes though. We haven’t gotten sick and died yet! 🙂
I do cook different kinds together sometimes. It works best if they have a similar cooking time though (not all beans do), otherwise you’ll have one kind be mushy and he other be just right.
I never really understood slow cookers… I prefer cooking beans and many other foods in pressure cookers because they cook so much faster. I have one with a safety lock, and love it! It takes 45 minutes to cook 1 kg beans on it.
I cook beans from scratch and freeze them too, and always soak them (the reason for soaking them is to break down an enzyme that can be on hard on the stomach). Love beans and lentils 🙂
I forgot to say that I live in Denmark, so with the high electricity costs we have here, no wonder there is no slow cooker in the stores :-/ but when I lived in the US (Twin cities), it was a common household apparel.
I also love to make and freeze bean soup with chicken, carrots and other veggies.
Yes! They’re a typical wedding gift here. You can find them easily at thrift stores and garage sales too.
I have used a pressure cooker before too, but I prefer the slow cooker, because I can just turn it on and forget about it. I’m never quite sure how long to cook different kind of beans in my pressure cooker and you can’t easily stop to test if they’re done since you have to wait for the pressure to release before opening.
I think the draw of the slow cooker is that you can prepare your meals way ahead of time and cook your meal in 4 or 8 or 12 hours, so it’s ready when you are.
I just cane across your website and I love it! We are currently in bankruptcy and need to pay back about $10,000 to clear our debt. I work @ a school about 20 hrs/wk and only when school is in session. We mostly rely on my husband’s pay. I have a 13 yr old, 12 yr old and a 1 yr old. My parents are getting older and they both live with us, so our expenses very. I’m thankful that I have a very humble and loving husband that helps me. Thank u so much for keeping it real and showing us that no matter how much in debt we are, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You are showing me ways to be frugal and not waste, may God continue to bless you and your family. I’m excited to continue reading your posts and learning along the way.
God bless you as well Juana. There is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. You CAN get out of debt. The little changes and sacrifices you make will be worth it. Best wishes!
How do you season your beans? I can’t imagine eating them in a bowl with nothing on them. I think they would not have much taste. Also, how do you use them as a meat replacement? Thanks so much!
Susan in SC
Hi Susan! I don’t season my beans until I actually use them. For instance, when I make White Chicken Chili, I grab a bag or two of white beans from the freezer and add them to the recipe (which has lots of yummy spices) just like I would a can of beans. As far as a meat replacement, beans add protein to a meal, so you don’t need meat at the meal. You can also make black bean burgers, which is more of a straight up substitution. Hope that helps!
Thanks! I’m cooking some today! Love them served on brown rice!
I want to make navy bean soup. I always make too much since I’m the only one who eats it. Can I freeze the beans and the juice separately, then thaw them later and put the beans in the soup and reheat them?
I had no idea about the red bean toxin. I have never heard that before. Thank you for this good article and good info!
You’re welcome Vicky.
Great post and good directions. I definitely have to agree that making your own beans is so much healthier than the canned beans with all the preservatives and chemicals in them. I have shared on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays Blog Hop.
Thanks for sharing Marla!
Nice tutorial! We eat beans all the time and use your methods, although we do have a couple cans on hand for *those days*. Thanks for linking up to Real Food Fridays 🙂
Thanks Lydia!
I didn’t actually know that you could freeze beans. We use a lot of beans in cooking but I’ve just always made them fresh on the day we’re going to use them….this could definitely work well!
Yes! It’s so convenient to have them cooked and ready-to-go!
Stopping by from #Sitssharefest. I have always wanted to know how to cook dry beans because the cans of beans I know aren’t great for you. I plan to make a couple pounds this weekend!
Thanks for stopping by Melanie! It really is simple to cook and freeze beans!
This is very helpful – thanks! I’ve been wanting to start cooking and freezing beans. I use a lot of black beans but the cans are so expensive!
Would there be any concerns with BPA when using the ziptop bags or plastic wrap for freezing them?
I had the same question about plastic bags and plastic wrap. I know that Ziploc brand bags are BPA-free. Plastic wrap varies by brand.
Just because they’re BPA free, they still have other plastics in them that are just as bad, if not worse than BPA. I use freezer-safe canning jars with the plastic lid (the plastic doesn’t come in contact with the beans). They work great, but do take up a little more room.
I’ve always heard that beans are easy to cook, but never knew what to do with so much quantity. Thanks for the tip on freezing the beans…this may just have to be on my to-do list for next weekend. (& thanks for the tip on red kidney beans…no one wants to have that issue!)
Freezing them is so handy. Right now I have black beans in the crock pot. 🙂
I’ve learned to love beans on a trip to Costa Rica where it was part of the traditional breakfast (gallo pinto). It took some time to adapt to it but we both loved it after a while. My favorites to use at home are kidney beans and I use cans, but I’m no fan of the slimy liquid either. Putting them in a chili con carne deals with it but when making fajitas, it’s more difficult. I’m very glad to read there are other ways!
I had never had beans for breakfast until we lived in Guatemala. Mmmm… beans there were yummy!
I don’t particularly like beans (unless they’re sugary sweet “baked beans”), but hubby uses them a lot for a protein filler for lunch. He does a quick soak, then cooks them in the pressure cooker – much faster than the slow cooker.
That’s funny, because we we aren’t big fans of baked beans. 🙂 To each his own!
I used to do mine in a pressure cooker, but I’ve had more consistent good results in the slow cooker. It’s easy to check the done-ness in the crock pot, but with the pressure cooker, you have to take it off the heat, wait for it to cool, release the pressure, and then check. Your husband probably has mastered doing it the way he likes them. That’s great that he brings them for lunch!
Very nice! Just a head’s up, kidney beans should not be cooked in a slow cooker. They contain a dangerous toxin, and the temperature of a slow cooker doesn’t get high enough to kill it.
Thanks Angie! I meant to add that. I will go back and add it now.