Learn How To Cook Beans From Scratch
(Includes photos and video!)

Want to learn how to cook beans from scratch? It's easy and the results are scrumptious.

If you want to be a healthy vegan, you really must add beans to your vegan diet. Hubby Jeff and I were vegan for MANY years before we began to understand the importance of eating this great source of protein on a regular basis.

So how did we go from not eating ANY beans to learning how to cook beans in a pot, and then later moving on to the "big time" by using a pressure cooker?

Well just like you, perhaps, we started out buying canned beans, which was quick and easy and at least got us on the road to eating and cooking with beans. But after a while we made the switch to cooking up our own beans from dry beans. Since it takes a while to cook beans in a regular pot on the stovetop, we learned to cook with a pressure cooker to save time (WAY easier than we thought it would be). And thus began our love affair with beans in all shapes and sizes.

"Why should I go through the trouble of cooking beans from scratch when I can just use some canned beans" you ask? Good question. Although canned beans are convenient, they're NOT the healthiest way to go since they usually contain lots of sodium and preservatives. And it's best to try to get away from eating processed foods as much as possible. Not to mention, canned stuff tastes totally different than fresh. It's amazing the difference! And lastly, it's WAY more expensive to buy canned beans than simply cooking beans yourself.

Plus, once you learn how to cook beans and get the hang of it, you'll be whipping up beans and happily munching away on them every day! We make a batch of beans 1-2 times per week. When we finish up one batch of beans, we start another one soaking overnight. By the next day, the beans are ready to be cooked up.

Once you get in the groove, it all works beautifully and really doesn't take up all that much of your time, ESPECIALLY if you have a pressure cooker.

---

Here's a helpful instructional video created by my husband Jeff, for those of you who learn best by example. Jeff teaches you everything you want to know about buying, storing, soaking and cooking your beans.

Here he uses our preferred method of cooking beans, which is with a pressure cooker. Enjoy!

A List of Popular Beans

There are MANY beans to choose from, and each has their own distinct flavor. Let's take a look at some of the most popular beans that are available for you to play with.

Kidney Beans

Perhaps the most popular of the beans, kidney beans, have a deep red color and are chock full of great flavor. They're a strong bean, meaning that they hold their shape well when cooked, making them a great choice for vegetable stews and bean salads.

Kidney (or red) beans are the bean of choice when creating your very own red beans and rice recipe, which you can create quickly and easily with the information contained within this site.

By the way, red kidney beans contain a toxin that can only be destroyed with thorough cooking, so never eat your kidney beans raw or under-cooked.

Pinto Beans

Coming in 2nd place for the most popular of beans is pinto beans. You might not recognize them in their dried form. Once they're cooked, they lose their famous markings and simply turn pink. They're used most often when making chili and refried beans. By the way, pink beans (popular in the Southwest) can be substituted for pintos.

Black Beans

Black beans (one of my favorites) have a very mild, earthy, sweet taste. Because of their dense texture, they are perfect when combined with spicy flavors and hot seasonings. Black beans are also known as turtle beans.

Garbanzo Beans
(or as we like to say around here, "G-Beans")

Garbanzos (or Chickpeas) have a distinctive flavor which is slightly nutty, yet offer a sweet taste. Garbanzos are used in dishes such as hummus since they break down into a delectable and dense creamy texture. You will also see them floating around in soups (think Minestrone) because they offer a dense and firm bite that really help to fill you up.

Soybeans

I'm including soybeans here for one reason only - to let you know that while many foods are made with soybeans, they're not (in all actuality) the best when eaten on their own. They're difficult to digest for most people, and their taste is very bland and neutral. Refer to the Soy section for more information on the preparation of foods made with soybeans.

If you decide to cook them, be sure to choose organics since soybeans are well known to be genetically modified. Ack!

Now, having said all that, black soybeans (or black soya beans) are far better tasting and cook up beautifully. But their skins are thin and can easily break open during the cooking process. For this reason, you will add salt to the cooking water (unlike most beans in which the salt makes it difficult for the beans to cook). Black soybeans are a "low carb" bean.

Adzuki (or Aduki) Beans

Adzuki (or Aduki) Beans is perhaps my favorites bean of all. They are small, so they are easier to digest than some of the larger beans. And they do not have to soak before cooking. They have a strong flavor that is a delicious mix of sweet and nutty. They are rounded with a point on one end.

Adukis tend to be less beany-tasting than most beans and digest rather easily. Adzukis have a bit of a meaty flavor and tend to go well with foods that traditionally taste good with meat such as potatoes.

How To Select Beans

No matter which bean you choose, the rules are the same.

Choose organic beans whenever you can, which are usually quite easy to find. I purchase bulk beans from the bulk department of my natural foods store, but it's important that you know how old the beans are in the bins. Anything over 12 months begins to lose their fresh taste.

If you don't find what you're looking for, or you're not sure on the age, ask your grocer about placing a special order. Beans can also be found online.

How To Clean and Prep Your Beans For Cooking

Before I show you how to cook beans, you'll want to learn how to clean and get them ready for the cooking process.

MOST BEANS require soaking. Why? Because it helps your body to digest them easier, and it cuts the cooking time dramatically. Beans that DO NOT require soaking include Aduki (Adzuki), Black Soybeans, and Black-Eyed Peas.

The soaking and cooking of beans remains a mystery for so many people. I should know because I used to be one of them! Hopefully the following instructions along with photos will help to take some of the mystery away so you can start cooking beans today!

By the way, are beans hard for you to digest? If so, you might need to build up the necessary enzymes to help your body do its job more easily. So start with the smallest beans/legumes first like lentils or aduki (which are so small and easy to digest they don't need pre-soaking). Then when you feel you can digest these easily, move up to medium-sized beans like black beans and pinto beans (this size and up need pre-soaking). Finally, when your body can handle the medium-sized beans, you're ready to move up to the "big guns" like red kidney and garbanzos (chickpeas).

Another way to get your digestive system used to beans is to use small amounts, such as 1/2 cup beans in a soup or stew. Continue to add more as time goes by and your body gets used to the beans. Next mix beans in with some brown rice or other whole grains. And finally, you will be ready for a bowl of straight-up beans or refried beans without any digestive challenges.

1 cup dry beans

Step 1: Measure one cup dry beans.

Pick out stones and dried-up beans

Step 2: Pick over beans. This means that you lay the beans out (I usually do this step in a long, flat Tupperware container) and pick through them, looking for rocks, stones and dried, withered and discolored beans, then discard.

3 cups water
(or triple amount of dry beans)

Step 3: Measure triple the amount of water as beans, in this case 3 cups.

Soak beans in water

Step 4: Place beans in a container with a lid (I use a wide-mouthed jar) and pour water over beans.

Soak beans overnight or 6-8 hours

Step 5: Let sit 6-8 hours (or overnight). The beans do not have to be covered, but you may want to for cleanliness sake.

Beans will swell after soaking

Step 6: Admire your soaked beans.

Rinse soaked beans

Step 7: Drain and rinse beans.

Now, that wasn't so bad was it? ;O)

And guess what? It's FINALLY time to learn how to cook beans. Whoo-hoo!

How To Cook Beans

Cooking Beans With A Pressure Cooker
Do you have a pressure cooker? Here you will learn how to make pressure cooker beans. Also check it out if you're curious how much time pressure cooking beans can save you - and how EASY it is to use.
Cooking Beans Without A Pressure Cooker
Here you will learn how to cook beans in a regular pot (with lid) on the stovetop.

Bean Vegan Flavor Matches

Create your very own vegan bean recipes with some of your favorite ingredients from this list of foods that match perfectly with beans.

RED (KIDNEY) BEANS
Chili Powder
Cilantro
Cumin
Curry
Onion
Oregano
Garam Marsala
Garlic
Lemon
Lime
Mayonnaise, non-egg and non-dairy (I like Vegenaise)
Mustard
Pasta
Pimentos
Rice
Sauerkraut
Savory
Sweet Potato
Tomatoes
Vegetables, all
Vinegar
Yogurt, non-dairy

PINTO BEANS
Bacon, vegetarian (I like Fakin' Bacon.
Eat sparingly - this is not a health food!)
Beer
Brown Sugar (I prefer Sucanat)
Cheese, non-dairy - especially Cheddar
and Monterey Jack (I like Follow Your Heart brand)
Chiles
Cilantro
Coconut
Garlic
Nuts
Olives, especially black
Onions
Oregano
Rice
Salsa
Savory
Tomatoes
Vegetables, all

BLACK BEANS
Avocados
Cheese, non-dairy (I like Follow Your Heart brand)
Chiles, especially serrano
Chives
Cilantro
Coriander
Cumin
Garlic
Jalapenos
Mint
Onions
Oranges
Peppers
Rice
Savory
Sour cream, non-dairy
Tequila
Tomatoes
Vegetables, all

GARBANZO BEANS
Bulgur
Caraway
Carrot
Cinnamon
Cumin
Extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic
Ginger
Green Onions
Lemon Juice
Onion
Mustard
Savory
Seeds, especially sesame
Tahini
Tomatoes
Vegetables, all
Vinegar
Yogurt, non-dairy

BLACK SOY BEANS
See Black Beans

WHITE BEANS (Great Northern, Navy, etc.)
Bacon, vegetarian (I like Fakin' Bacon. Eat sparingly - this is not a health food!)
Barbecue Sauce
Basil
Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
Brown Sugar (I prefer Sucanat)
Carrots
Celery
Chiles, especially Chipotle
Crushed Red Pepper
Cumin
Beer, especially dark
Dijon Mustard
Leeks
Lemon Juice
Onion
Oregano
Paprika
Savory
Thyme
Tomatoes
Vegetable Broth
Vegetables, all
Worcestershire Sauce, vegetarian

ADZUKI/ADUKI BEANS
Allspice
Balsamic vinegar
Basil
Bay Leaf
Bragg Liquid Aminos
Cilantro
Dijon
Garlic
Green Bell Pepper
Marjoram
Mayonnaise, dairy - and egg-free
Nuts, especially hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts
Onion
Orange
Oregano
Pineapple
Red Pepper Flakes
Rice, especially brown and sweet gelatinous
Rosemary
Sauerkraut
Savory
Soy sauce
Tabasco
Thyme
Vegetables, especially squash, potato, and sweet potato
Whole Grains
Worcestershire Sauce

Psssst...Get ALL the Flavor Matches found throughout VeganCoach.com all in one place with this handy dandy e-book Your Guide To Vegan Flavor Matches.

Bean Helpful Hints

• Beans are done to perfection when you can easily smoosh one between your tongue and the roof of your mouth.
• Cool and store beans in their cooking water. The cooking water is delicious and nutritious, so you can certainly use a bit of it when you re-heat your beans to keep them moist. Or you can rinse the water from the beans before re-heating. Both ways are fine and it is completely your personal preference.
• How to cook beans with perfect results every time? DON'T ADD SALT TO THE WATER! Adding salt or any acid (like tomatoes or vinegar) to beans hardens their skins and prevents them from cooking properly. In most instances, it's best to add salt AFTER the beans are almost entirely cooked.
  
  There are two exceptions to this rule:
  
  1. When cooking beans with exceptionally delicate skins - such as limas and black soybeans - the salt should be added to keep the bean skins intact;
  
  2. When pressure cooking soups, adding a small amount of tomatoes or using a lightly salted stock may lengthen cooking time slightly, but does not prevent the beans from softening.
• Bean varieties that cook faster include Anasazi, Calypso, Fava, Baby Lima, and Trout.
• Varieties that require 2 hours or more to cook without a pressure cooker include Chickpeas (Garbanzo), European Soldier, Great Northern, Lima, Navy, and Red Kidney.
• Lupini and Soy Beans require the longest cooking times, anywhere from 3 to 4 hours, unless you use a pressure cooker.
  
  Of course, you can cut your cooking time by using the Pressure Cooking Method (above).
• Store cooked beans in the refrigerator. Will keep, covered, for 4-5 days.
• Although some beans have a more intense flavor than others, most beans are remarkably versatile and can be used in just about any dish. They usually blend right in, giving you a fabulously simple nutrition boost.
• Now that you've learned how to cook beans, you can create your own baked beans recipes in a snap! White beans (such as Great Northern or Navy Beans) are traditionally used. Begin by making a delectable sauce with some of your favorite ingredients from the Vegan Food Matches (above). My favorites are chopped onions, barbecue sauce, dark beer, Dijon mustard, Sucanat (or brown sugar), Worcestershire sauce, and Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce). I like to toss in a little minced chipotle chilies too just to add a little kick.
  
  Mix your sauce into the beans and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and the beans have soaked up most of the liquid (30-45 minutes). Aim for 1/2 the amount of sauce as compared to the beans. So if you are using 6 cups of beans, make 3 cups of sauce.
• Whip up a refried beans recipe in minutes! The basic idea is to add a little extra-virgin olive oil to a large pan and add chopped onions and/or garlic. Add desired amount of pre-cooked pinto or black beans (or other bean!) to the pan with about 1/4 cup water. While the beans heat, mash them with a potato masher until you get the desired results. Easy peasy!

Discover the Nutritional Value of Beans:

World's Healthiest Foods.com: Kidney Beans
World's Healthiest Foods.com: Pinto Beans
World's Healthiest Foods.com: Black Beans
World's Healthiest Foods.com: Garbanzo Beans
World's Healthiest Foods.com: Soybeans
World's Healthiest Foods.com: White Beans

Questions From Our Website Visitors

Click below to see questions from other visitors to this page...

Back to the top - How To Cook Beans
Return to the Vegan Protein page
Return to the Vegan Cooking page
Return to the VeganCoach.com Homepage

New! Comments Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.

Follow us on Twitter!