Soaking Dry Beans
Reduces Cooking Time,
May Increase Nutritional Value
By Jill Nussinow, MS, RD
As more people cook beans, more questions arise about the necessity of soaking them. The cooking method often determines if beans need presoaking. Some people are also concerned about how soaking affects the beans.
Many find that eating presoaked beans makes them easier to digest. Some of the indigestible carbohydrates leave when you drain the soaking water. Eating beans in small amounts often helps your body adjust to their fiber.
Three Soaking Methods
Before soaking, be sure to sort through the beans to eliminate any errant sticks or small stones. Rinse them in a strainer or colander and they’re then ready to soak.
Soak overnight or morning to evening (at least eight hours) in plain water. Put the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover beans with at least a few inches of water.
You can also do the same soak with salt, which results in saltier beans. Add 2 ½ teaspoons salt to each quart (4 cups) of water that you use.
My favorite method is the “quick soak.” Place beans in a pot and cover them with at least three inches of water. Bring to a boil for one minute. Let sit, covered, for an hour.
Regardless of the soaking method, always drain the soaked beans before cooking in fresh water.
Cooking Instructions
If you use a slow cooker or pressure cooker, beans easily go from dried to cooked. The slow cooker requires all day or overnight cooking, while the pressure cooker will take 30 minutes or less at pressure for black, kidney, navy, pinto, small red or great northern beans. It’s acceptable to presoak beans with either cooking method as it will decrease the cooking time.
You might cook more beans than you need and freeze the “excess.” Freeze in 1 ½ to 2 cup portions to add to soups, chili, and salads.
About the Author
Jill Nussinow is a culinary educator, a Registered Dietitian and a freelance writer with a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. She has been teaching cooking classes that focus on healthful, seasonal and organically grown foods since 1985.