Today, I will share one of my favorite adventures in the kitchen: cooking kidney beans from scratch. If you ever wondered how to go from those hard little beans into tender, flavorful bites, welcome! Believe me, after you’ve cooked them once yourself – and they’re so straightforward to cook that there’s little excuse not to anymore – canned beans will feel like nothing more than slop from a sty.
Do You Need to Soak Kidney Beans?
The question that arises more often when using kidney beans is whether to soak them. The short answer is yes, and here’s why.
Why Soak Kidney Beans?
One crucial step in making kidney beans is soaking them. Soaking overnight improves cooking time and will drastically speed up your payoff. Otherwise, as you know, if you have ever tried to cook unsoaked beans, it would take hours until they were tender. Soaking overnight helps cut that time in half.
Also, it helps in the digestion of beans. Kidney beans have complex sugars that are difficult to digest, causing digestive discomfort. Soaking helps some of this type of sugar to be leached out, making the beans easier on your stomach.
The Process
Here’s how I soak my beans. I start by rinsing the beans under cold water to remove any nasty dust or debris. I then put them in a big bowl and cover them with at least three inches of water. Keep in mind that beans will grow and fill the container, so do not be afraid to nestle them close together. I soak these overnight for at least 8-12 hours.
Quick Soak Method
If you are in a rush, the quick soak method is to rinse the beans. Add rinsed beans to a pot, pour water covering it, and cook. Stir and boil over high heat; reduce the heat slightly, as needed, to keep it from boiling entirely out of control; cook at 12-minute intervals for 2 minutes, then remove your pot from the stove and cover tightly. Let’s sit for an hour. Strain and rinse, then cook!
Exceptions to the Rule
A few recipes and methods will tell you to cook kidney beans without soaking. Yes, it is doable, but I don’t recommend doing that sparingly. This results in a lot more cooking time and a poor texture. Soaking is highly recommended, given all the digestive benefits of soaking nuts.
So, and I know it seems like an extra step- but at this point, who is counting? Soak your kidney beans for a more extended period. This will save you time and make the beans easier on your stomach.
How Long Does It Take for Kidney Beans to Cook?
Soaking and boiling kidney beans can be time-consuming, but it is worthwhile. Pin Print How to Cook Pinto Beans This is the quick reference guide for cooking pinto beans perfectly every time!
Soaked Kidney Beans
Try to remember if you soaked your kidney beans overnight or made the quick soak (you are already winning massively). After soaking, beans generally take 45 minutes to an hour and a half on the stovetop. Here’s how I do it:
Drain and Rinse: Drain the beans in a colander after soaking.
To cook the beans on the stovetop, Boil them in a large pot, cover them with fresh water, about 2 inches over them, and bring to a boil.
Bring to a simmer: When the mixture is boiling, reduce it to a low heat. Put the lid on and let them cook, checking in occasionally.
Test for doneness: After about 45 minutes, test the beans. They should be tender but not fully cooked.
Unsoaked Kidney Beans
If you did not soak your beans, be bold and cook them anyway. Just be warned – it will take longer to cook this way; expect around 2-3 hours. Here’s the method:
Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly under cold water.
This is a long process of very slow simmering (boil and simmer!), so get out your largest pot, add the beans with plenty of water to spare, and bring it all up to make bubbles that sound like they are slinking cheerfully in. Monitor the water level and add more as necessary. Test the beans for doneness periodically.
Using a Pressure Cooker
But for all this, you can reduce the cooking time by using a pressure cooker. They should only take 15–20 minutes, even for soaked beans. Unsoaked beans take approximately 30-40 minutes. Here’s how:
Beans and Water: Add the beans to the bottom of a pressure cooker and 6-7 cups water.
Cook: Manual / Pressure cook (High) mode for manufacturer time.
Just do a natural release: Walk away and continue your day until the pressure has entirely dissipated before opening it up.
Slow Cooker Method
Slow Cooker (for a truly hands-off experience!): If beans are unsoaked, cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for about 6-8 hours. Unsoaked beans: cook for 8–10 hours on high or 10–12 hours on low.
Are Kidney Beans Hard to Digest?
Kidney beans contain natural compounds called lectins and oligosaccharides. These are more difficult to break down if you’re not accustomed to eating beans. After making a huge batch of chili the first time, I remember feeling so bloated and uncomfortable. It was a lesson in the importance of preparation, and not just in terms of cooking time.
Lectins are proteins that can be hard on the digestive tract when consumed in large quantities. They disrupt the absorption of nutrients and lead to digestive troubles. Fortunately, an easy solution is soaking and cooking your beans properly. This process degrades the lectins and makes beans safer, in a rather classical trade-off.
However, Oligosaccharides are a type of complex sugar that the human digestive system fails to break down. However, rather than going into general circulation like carbohydrates from other sources by entering blood glucose, they go to the colon, where bacteria ferment them, producing gas as a byproduct. Soaking the beans overnight and rinsing them well before cooking helps to decrease these sugars, making your bean dishes gentler on the stomach.
How to cook kidney beans?
But before I get to that – let me tell you why cooking dried kidney beans from scratch is near and dear to my heart. The canned stuff pales in comparison; the Flavor and texture are on a different wavelength! And you can season however you want without any added crap. Once you get the knack for it, it’s much healthier, tastier, and easier to make.
Soaking the Beans
Okay, let’s get started. The initial step is to soak the beans. This can cut the cooking time and digestion of beans. I use approximately 2 cups of dried kidney beans and thoroughly rinse them in cold water. I then add them to a big bowl and fill it with water. PRO TIP: water will expand the beans; be sure to have 3 inches of it above the layer of chickpeas. I soak for 12 hours, but you can do the quick method if this is a last-minute decision. Cover the beans with water and soak for an hour, or boil them in ample boiling water for 2 minutes off heat.
Draining and Rinsing
After soaking the beans, it’s time to rinse them. They should have puffed up quite a bit. Next, rinse them with cold water to remove impurities.
Cooking the Beans
Now, onto the cooking! Then, I put the soaked beans in a large saucepan and topped them up with fresh water. I recommend adding a bay leaf and at least two cloves of garlic for the extra Flavor that this imparts, but if you want to maintain quite neutral-tasting cooked chickpeas, skip these. Boil the pot over medium-high heat. After it has come to a boil, turn the heat down a little lower and let it simmer away gently.
Simmer it all to lock in Flavor
Cooking time will depend, but red kidney beans generally take 60-90 minutes. I check on them every 20 minutes, stirring and adding more water if needed. They are done when they’re tender but not mushy. I always check a few beans for doneness to ensure everyone cooks evenly.
Seasoning the Beans
After the beans have finished cooking, they must be seasoned. I typically season with salt in the last ten minutes of cooking after about 35 minutes. The beans will take in some of the salt without toughening. You can also season with other spices you like, such as cumin or paprika if you are feeling funky—perhaps even a dash of hot sauce.
Eating Your Easy Homemade Kidney Beans
And that’s it! You have freshly cooked kidney beans. These beans have been in many of my recipes, from chili and soup to salads and burritos. The sky’s the limit, and nothing beats the satisfaction of cooking them yourself!
So there you have it, friends. How to Cook Kidney Beans from Scratch; try it, and you will see for yourself. I think you should also check and try my other recipe for frozen ravioli, which I shared recently.
