Cooking Guide for Beans

Beans are nutritional powerhouses, but with so many different kinds, it’s important to know the correct way to prepare them.

There are many different varieties of beans, so if you’re interested in taking advantage of their excellent nutritional benefits, we suggest that you try a few different varieties to see which type appeals to you the most. Even if you think you’re ‘not a fan’, you may well be surprised by how much variation there is in the legume family.

To cook beans easily and in less time, use a pressure-cooker. Check out this link for more information about this method.

  • Most dry beans need soaking overnight before cooking. Soak in 4-5 cups of water to 1 cup of beans. Rinse with fresh water before cooking.
  • 1 cup dry beans yields approximately 2 1/2 cups cooked beans.
  • To cook: Bring water to a boil. Add beans, then simmer for specified cooking time.

Lentils (brown)
1 cup dry lentils to 3 cups water.
No pre-soaking necessary. Cooking time: 30 minutes.
Red lentils require less cooking time.

Garbanzo Beans (chick peas)
1 cup dry beans to 4 cups water.
Soaked overnight, cooking time is 2-3 hours.

Soybeans
1 cup dry beans to 4 cups water.
Soaked overnight, cooking time is 3 hours.

Black Beans
1 cup dry beans to 4 cups water.
Soaked, cooking time is 60-90 minutes.

Navy Beans
1 cup dry beans to 3 cups water.
Soaked, cooking time is 90 minutes.

Pinto Beans
1 cup dry beans to 3 cups water.
Soaked, cooking time is 2-2 1/2 hours.

Great Northern Beans
1 cup dry beans to 3 cups water.
Unsoaked, cooking time is 90-120 minutes. Soaked, cooking time is 60 minutes.

Kidney Beans
1 cup dry beans to 3 cups water.
Soaked, cooking time is 60+ minutes. Unsoaked, cooking time is 90 minutes.

Lima Beans
1 cup dry beans to 3 cups water.
No soaking required. Cooking time is 90 minutes.

Split Peas
1 cup dry beans to 3 cups water.
No soaking required. Cooking time is 45-75 minutes.

Adzuki Beans
1 cup dry beans to 4 cups water.
Soaked for one hour, cooking time is 1 hour. Unsoaked, cooking time is 90-120 minutes.

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