How to Cook Dried Beans and Lentils: Soaking, Simmering, Seasoning and Storing

Canned beans are a wonderful convenience, but a pot of beans cooked from dry is one of the small pleasures of home cooking. The texture is creamier, the flavor is deeper, the cooking liquid becomes a savory broth you can use in soups and stews, and the cost per serving is often much lower. Dried lentils are even easier: they need no soaking and cook in less time than it takes to make rice. Yet many cooks avoid dried beans because they seem slow, unpredictable or likely to end up either crunchy or mushy.

This guide gives you a reliable method. It explains how to sort and rinse dried beans, whether and how to soak them, how long to cook different types on the stovetop and in a pressure cooker, when to add salt and acidic ingredients, how to tell when beans are done, what to do when they refuse to soften, and how to store and freeze cooked beans for quick meals all week.

Why cook beans from dry?

• Flavor and texture: home-cooked beans can be seasoned while they cook and cooked exactly to the texture you like, from firm for salads to very soft for purées.
• Cost: a bag of dried beans usually makes far more cooked beans than a can at a similar price.
• Cooking liquid: the liquid left after cooking, sometimes called bean broth, adds body and flavor to soups and sauces.
• Less packaging and salt control: you decide how much salt goes in.

Cooking beans takes time, but most of it is hands-off. A pot simmering on a weekend afternoon can provide several meals.

Step 1: sort and rinse

Spread the dried beans on a tray or a plate and look through them. Remove any small stones, shriveled or discolored beans and bits of debris. It takes only a minute and protects your teeth. Then rinse the beans in a colander under cold running water.

Step 2: to soak or not to soak?

Soaking is not strictly necessary for most beans, but it has advantages.

• Soaking shortens cooking time and helps beans cook more evenly, with fewer split skins.
• Some people find soaked beans easier to digest.
• Unsoaked beans take longer to cook but can have a slightly richer flavor and hold their shape well.

Overnight soak

Cover the beans with plenty of cold water, at least three times their volume, because they will expand. Leave them for eight hours or overnight. In warm weather, soak them in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse before cooking.

Quick soak

If you forgot to soak them overnight, put the beans in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil for a couple of minutes, then turn off the heat, cover and leave for about an hour. Drain, rinse and cook as usual.

Salt in the soaking water

Many cooks add salt to the soaking water. Brining beans this way seasons them through and tends to produce creamier interiors with skins that stay intact. If you do it, rinse the beans well before cooking and taste before adding more salt later.

Lentils and split peas

Lentils and split peas do not need soaking. Just sort, rinse and cook.

Step 3: cook on the stovetop

1. Put the beans in a large pot and cover them with fresh water by a few inches. You can add aromatics: half an onion, a couple of garlic cloves, a bay leaf, a piece of carrot or celery, herb stems.
2. Bring to a boil, then skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
3. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, so the surface barely bubbles. Vigorous boiling can make beans burst and fall apart.
4. Partially cover the pot and stir occasionally, checking that the beans stay covered with water. Add hot water if needed.
5. Start tasting early. Cooking times vary widely with the age and type of bean.

Approximate cooking times

These are rough guides for soaked beans simmered gently; unsoaked beans usually take longer, and older beans can take much longer.

A safety note on kidney beans

Raw or undercooked red kidney beans contain a natural toxin that can cause illness. Food safety authorities recommend boiling them vigorously for at least ten minutes at the start of cooking before reducing to a simmer, and never cooking dried kidney beans from raw in a slow cooker that does not reach a boil. Canned kidney beans are already cooked and safe to use.

Step 4: when to add salt and acid

There is an old belief that salt makes beans tough. In practice, salting beans during cooking seasons them well and many cooks find it does not prevent softening. A common approach is to add salt once the beans are starting to become tender, or to salt the soaking water.

Acidic ingredients such as tomatoes, vinegar, wine and lemon juice are different. They can slow down softening significantly. Add them once the beans are tender, or cook the beans first and then simmer them in a tomato sauce.

Very hard water can also slow down softening. If your beans always seem stubborn and you live in a hard-water area, try cooking them in filtered water.

Step 5: how to tell they are done

Taste several beans, not just one, because they cook at slightly different rates. A cooked bean should be:

• tender all the way through, with no chalky or gritty center;
• creamy inside, with a skin that gives easily.

For salads, stop when they are just tender. For soups, refried beans and purées, cook them longer until very soft.

Let the beans cool in their cooking liquid. This keeps them moist and lets them absorb more flavor.

Using a pressure cooker or multicooker

A pressure cooker cooks beans much faster than the stovetop, even from dry.

• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the minimum and maximum fill lines, because beans foam and expand.
• Add a little oil, which some manufacturers recommend to reduce foaming.
• Use the recommended times in the cooker's manual for each type of bean, and let the pressure release naturally for the best texture.
• Check for doneness and cook a little longer if needed.

Pressure cooking is especially useful for chickpeas and other slow-cooking beans.

When beans will not soften

Sometimes beans stay hard even after hours of cooking. Common causes include:

• old beans: dried beans that have been stored for a long time can take much longer to soften, and some never become fully tender. Buy from shops with a good turnover and use beans within a year or so of purchase where possible;
• acidic ingredients added too early;
• very hard water;
• cooking at too low a temperature, especially in some slow cookers.

If beans are taking a very long time, keep simmering, add hot water as needed and be patient. Next time, try fresher beans, soaking and filtered water.

Seasoning and flavor ideas

• Mediterranean: olive oil, garlic, rosemary or sage with white beans.
• Mexican-inspired: onion, garlic, cumin and oregano with black or pinto beans, finished with lime.
• Indian-inspired: lentils simmered with turmeric, then finished with a tempering of spices fried in oil or ghee.
• Smoky: a little smoked paprika or a piece of smoked meat with beans for stews.
• Simple: a bay leaf, half an onion and salt, then a drizzle of good olive oil to serve.

Our guide to how to season food explains how salt, acid and fat bring out flavor.

Storing and freezing cooked beans

• Refrigerate cooked beans in their liquid in a covered container and use them within a few days.
• Freeze them in portions, with some cooking liquid, in freezer bags or containers. Label with the type and date. Frozen beans keep well for several months.
• Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or add frozen beans directly to soups and stews.

A bag of frozen cooked beans in the freezer is as convenient as a can. Our freezing food guide explains how to freeze safely.

Ways to use a pot of beans

• Soups and stews, using the cooking liquid as part of the broth.
• Salads with herbs, vinaigrette and vegetables.
• Tacos, burritos and wraps. See our guide to weeknight tacos and wraps.
• Dips and spreads, such as hummus or white bean dip.
• On toast with olive oil, garlic and greens.
• With grains in a bowl, alongside roasted vegetables; see our guide to grain bowls for weeknights.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to soak beans?

No. Soaking shortens cooking time and helps even cooking, but most beans can be cooked from dry with a longer simmer. Lentils and split peas never need soaking.

Why do my beans split and fall apart?

They may be boiling too vigorously, or cooking for too long. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer and start tasting earlier.

Can I use the cooking liquid?

Yes. It adds flavor and body to soups, stews and sauces. Chickpea cooking liquid is also used in some recipes as an egg substitute.

You will find more essential techniques in the Kitchen Basics section.

The bottom line

Cooking dried beans and lentils is mostly patience, not skill. Sort and rinse the beans, soak them if you can, then simmer them gently in plenty of water with aromatics, skimming the foam and tasting early. Boil red kidney beans vigorously for at least ten minutes before simmering, add acidic ingredients only once beans are tender, and expect old beans or hard water to slow things down. Let beans cool in their liquid, refrigerate or freeze them in portions, and you will have a quick, inexpensive base for many meals.