Wondering How to Soak and Cook Dried Beans and get it right? This easy-to-understand step-by-step method will answer any questions. Soaking before cooking makes beans more digestible (and tasty). You can see the difference in flavor after your first taste. It takes time and patience to do it right, but it’s REALLY worth the effort!

It’s so convenient to buy canned beans as you can get them in any store, and they are also inexpensive. I did that a few times when my family decided to go meat free 14 years ago, but it didn’t take me long to stop.

There are a few obvious reasons behind my decision. First off, I don’t like the look of the beans in the can. They are always slimy, mushy and the taste is salty.

Second, I’m not comfortable with the BPA in the can linings. Even though there are some brands claiming to be BPA free, I don’t entirely trust what they might use to replace it? Do you know what it is?

Third, having to deal with all the cans. Recycling things sounds easy, but the reality is, it takes so much energy, and it’s not as good as just avoiding them in the first place.

So, by cooking my own beans, I cut 3 unnecessary things out of my life.

I used to wonder How to Soak and Cook Dried Beans too.

Back then, I didn’t do much research. I just cooked a big batch of them without soaking them in a pot, until they turned soft, and froze them for later.

I finally learned to cook my beans the right way, by soaking them first, when I learned about the phytic acid they contain, and other digestion issues from eating beans.  

I’m still not sure exactly how much phytic acid I can reduce by soaking them for 2 nights, but I’m positive that the soaking process improves the digestion issues a lot–really!

I usually cook a big batch of 3 kinds of beans at a time, and mix them together. I freeze  15 Oz. (one can) per portion. This way it’s easy to use according to most recipes.

Ready to cook your own beans the right way?

Things you if wondering How to Soak and Cook Dried Beans:

a few kind of beans of your choice

1. 2 cups (256 g) of each kind dried beans (red kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans are what I usually cook together)
2. 3 TSP (45 g) of salt.
3. Filtered water.
4. 3 glass jars. ( you can use bowls, pots, or anything you have. I like to use ½  gallon mason jars for soaking them)

How

1. Day 1: Sift out the bad beans, dirt or small rock pebbles. Wash the beans thoroughly, and cover them with filtered water, then add 1 tsp of salt to each container. Let them soak overnight.
2. Day 2: Drain the water from soaking. Without rinsing them, cover them again with filtered water and soak for another night.
3. Day 3: Dump the soaking water. This time rinse them thoroughly. Put them in a pot and cover them with filtered water. (1 pot per kind) and cook them separately on medium heat.) Note: the reason I don’t cook them all in one pot is because different kinds of beans take different amounts of time to cook)
4. Cover the lids but crack them open a little bit as they can overflow easily when they boil, especially when you are not watching.
5. When they reach a full boil, lower the heat a little bit. Continue to cook until they are soft. (they don’t take too long to cook)
6. Drain the cooking water, mix all of them together, and let them cool.
7. When they cool, portion them in the amount of single cans (15 oz), and put them in the containers of your choice. Freezer bags, or plastic containers work fine, but glass is best to avoid contamination from freezing plastic. When I have enough space in my freezer, I freeze mine in mason jars.
8. Freeze and use them as you like. They last a long time.
   

   mix them all together

   

   frozen beans for easy use

Note: you can freeze each kind separately if you prefer.

Now, you know How to Soak and Cook Dried Beans!

Have you cooked your own beans before? Please share it with me–I’d like to hear about it!