Wondering how to cook dried beans? Our Dutch Oven method of cooking dried beans is quicker and easier than the traditional stovetop method.
At the risk of sounding dramatic, this method of cooking dried beans has revolutionized our lives. But first, why cook dried beans at all? To be honest, we’ve used canned beans a lot because they’re quick and easy. But dried beans they taste better and are much cheaper. Dry cooked beans taste deliciously al dente, much less mushy than canned beans. We can always tell in a recipe when we’ve used cooked beans instead of canned beans (especially chickpeas!). Plus, dried beans are about ¼ the price of canned beans!
Do you have an instant pot? Try Instant Pot Black Beans or Instant Pot Chickpeas.
What is a dutch oven?
Do you have a dutch oven? (I didn’t know what it was until I started cooking 6 years ago!) It’s a large cast iron pot with a lid perfect for soup and is oven safe so you can use it for cooking. Cook. We use ours the whole time: for soup, risotto, bread, etc. If you don’t have a dutch oven and want to start cooking dried beans, this might be a good place to start. It’s an investment, but we found ours at a discount store for a lot less than the regular price (see below).
If you don’t have a Dutch oven and don’t want to buy one yet, fear not: you can always cook dried beans! Use the stovetop method in this dried bean recipe from our friend Annie.
Related: 12 easy Dutch Oven recipes
Why Use the Dutch Oven Method to Cook Dried Beans?
We’ve tried the stovetop method several times, but when we found the Dutch Oven method, it stuck. Why? It’s quick and easy: you can set it and forget it. Most stove methods take around 3-4 hours total (including soaking the beans) with a bit more active time; Some recipes even call for soaking the beans overnight.
In contrast, the Dutch Oven method takes about 1.5 hours and I’m pretty easy to memorize how to do it without a recipe, which I do like. Here are the basic steps:
- Preheat to 350°f
- Place the beans in a saucepan and cover with 1 inch of water.
- cook for 1h30; Then check and cook some more if it’s not already cooked.
Is it really that simple?
Yes. We usually cook beans on the weekends while we do other things at home like cleaning or blogging. Don’t walk too far so you don’t hear your timer; I’ve done this before by accident! I try to set a timer on my phone because it’s usually closer to me than our oven.
Does this method work for all types of beans?
Yes, at least all the varieties we tried! Black beans and garbanzo beans (garbanzo beans) are our favorite bulking options, but we’ve cooked kidney beans, navy beans, mixed beans, and they’ve all worked with this method. The key is to be extra careful when trying a new type of bean for the first time and make sure you cook just long enough (see below).
How do I store cooked beans?
Cooked beans only last a few days in the fridge, so we usually save the equivalent of a can of beans for immediate use and then freeze the rest. Frozen beans stay good indefinitely. We freeze them drained (without cooking liquid). The magic formula for cooked versus canned beans:
1 ½ cups cooked beans = 15 ounce can of beans
You can use this formula whenever you are substituting canned beans for cooked beans in a recipe.
Where can I get a Dutch Oven?
This post is not a secret advertisement for a Dutch Oven. We wrote it because we wanted to share this method and we find our Dutch Oven to be an essential kitchen tool for the home cook. (Welcome, Dutch Oven Company of the World.)
Our Dutch Oven: Cuisinart Cast Iron 5-Quart Dutch Oven (but we got ours from TJ Maxx for a much better price!)
If you’re feeling really fancy, Le Creuset is a very well-known brand of Dutch stoves; If we had a choice, we would use this: Le Creuset cast iron casserole 5 ½ pint. This Caribbean color would look so fun in our kitchen!
Questions?
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about this method! We’ve been using it for about a year with great results.
Looking for more crafts?
From growing bean sprouts to cooking hard boiled eggs, our basic recipes are easy to make at home! Here are some more of our basic and DIY recipes:
The description
Wondering how to cook dried beans? Our Dutch Oven method of cooking dried beans is quicker and easier than the traditional stovetop method.
- 1 pounds of dried beans of any kind
- Water
- casserole
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Rinse the dried beans and remove any residue (sometimes we skip this when we’re feeling lazy).
- Place the beans in the Dutch Oven and cover with enough water so that it stands an inch above the top of the beans.
- Cover the pot, place in the oven and cook the beans for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Taste a bean and see if it’s soft and cooked through. If not, continue cooking, checking every 10-15 minutes, until the beans are to your liking. Drain beans and rinse with cold water; leave for a few minutes to cool.
- Store the beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days; or freeze them indefinitely.
- Category: Essential
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: vegetarian
Keywords: How to cook dried beans in a Dutch oven
