Beans are high in protein which make them a popular food for vegetarian and vegan diets. You don’t have to be a herbivore to enjoy these nutrient rich legumes. Learn more about the health benefits and how to cook dried beans!
Nutritional value
Beans are a good source of B vitamins, potassium, and fiber, which promotes digestive health. Eating beans may help prevent colon cancer, and reduce blood cholesterol (a leading cause of heart disease). (WebMD)
| Black Beans | Pinto Beans | Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans | |
| Calories | 228 | 236 | 270 |
| Carbohydrates | 42g | 44g | 46g |
| Protein | 14g | 14g | 14g |
| Dietary Fiber | 12g | 12g | 6g |
| Calcium | 52mg | 88mg | 80mg |
| Iron | 4mg | 4mg | 4mg |
| Fat | 1g | 1g | 4g |
how to cook beans
Thanks to Bon Appetit and Epicurious for the bean tips.
1. Soak your beans
Soak your beans in overnight in the fridge. The dried beans will re-hydrate and make them larger. More importantly, soaking them will make them cook faster and more evenly.
Don’t have time to an overnight soak? Put the beans into a pot, cover them with water, bring them up to a boil, and then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let them sit for at least a half an hour in the hot water, drain them, and go from there.
2. Low and slow – Simmer
Drain the re-hydrated beans from the majority of the water (exact amount of water remaining doesn’t matter. At least 2 inches in the pot). Lightly season the water with salt. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for the remainder of the cooking. Simmering can take 1-2 hours. Check beans after 1 hour and taste for the mouth-feel you like!
Rushing the cooking process will result in beans that are unevenly cooked.
3. Cooking times for different beans
Suggested times from Spruce Eats.
| Black beans | 30 minutes to 1 hour | Versatile bean that can be incorporated in your next stirfry or salad. Buttery texture. |
| Chickpea (aka garbanzo beans) | 1 hour to 1.5 hours | Versatile bean that can be incorporated in your next stirfry or salad. Buttery texture. |
| Pinto beans | 1.5 hours to 2 hours | Great for baked beans, stews, soups, or pureed. Powdery texture. |
Recipes
Test out your bean cooking skills on these recipes!
What’s your favorite way to eat beans? Share in the comments below!