Do You Really Need to Soak Dried Beans?

Every legume lover has faced the frustration of realizing they forgot to set out the dried beans to soak overnight. But does that mean their bean dreams are doomed? In short: No. While soaking dried beans can give them a creamier texture, a shorter cooking time, and fewer split skins, it’s not entirely necessary to make a delicious pot.

• Why do people soak beans?
• 3 ways to cook dried beans
• How long do beans take to cook?
• How to season and flavor beans
• How to store cooked beans
• Summary

If your dried beans are from a farmers market stall or artisan purveyor like Rancho Gordo or Anson Mills, “you’ll probably be ready to go in like an hour—less if your beans are small,” explains Bon Appetit’s test kitchen editor Rebecca Firkser. For larger varieties from any source, like gigantes beans, or an older, more affordable bag like one you would find at most large grocery stores, soaking is still the best choice.

• The type of beans and their age matter.
• Fresh, smaller beans often don’t need soaking.
• For larger or older beans, soaking is always recommended.
• For most beans, 6–8 hours is sufficient, so an overnight soak often isn’t necessary.

Why do people soak beans?

Soaking beans speeds up the cooking process regardless of the type of bean or its age; it gives the rehydration process a head start. For bigger beans and those that may have been harvested long ago—say a bag of kidney beans from a run-of-the-mill supermarket—soaking is important, explains Steve Sando, founder of the heirloom bean company Rancho Gordo.

Heirloom Beans: Great Recipes and Much More From Rancho Gordo

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Crucially, soaking softens the seed coat—the bean’s outer layer—allowing water to reach the bean’s center more easily and resulting in a creamier texture. In the canonical work On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Harold McGee explains: “If beans are cooked directly from the dry state, much of the cooking time is actually spent waiting for water to get to the center. Meanwhile the outer portions of the bean cook more than they need to.”

While some argue soaked beans are easier to digest, Firkser isn’t convinced. “If people find their tummies are less bothered after soaking, then go forth and soak,” she says. McGee adds that you can cut down on digestive distress (let’s just say it: flatulence) either by cooking the beans for a long time or by briefly boiling them, then letting them sit in hot water for an hour and discarding the soaking liquid. This removes most water-soluble oligosaccharides, a “troublesome carbohydrate,” according to McGee. But disposing of this water also means you lose lots of nutrients. “That’s a high price to pay,” he adds. Alternatively, you can cook the beans low and slow for easier digestion.

A pot of black bean soup made from dried beans.

3 ways to cook dried beans

Countless recipes recommend soaking dried beans overnight, but for most beans, 6–8 hours is enough. If your schedule means they’ll sit much longer than that, it’s often better to skip soaking altogether and simply cook them from dry. Sando says excessively long soaks can even be counterproductive for fresh-crop beans: “With recent-crop beans, you’re actually telling them to start growing—to start sprouting. And I think that is why sometimes they don’t cook when you over-soak.” If you must leave them soaking for an extended period, refrigerate them to prevent fermentation.

For artisan beans, Sando sets his to soak before leaving for his weekly hike with friends on Sundays and starts cooking when he’s back a few hours later. Firkser sets a bowl of soaking beans in the refrigerator before heading to work in the morning, knowing that when she gets home she can quickly drain the soaking water, pop the beans into a pot with fresh water and aromatics, and get them on the table for dinner in no time.

Unlike many guides, we generally don’t recommend the quick-soak method—where you boil beans for a couple of minutes and let them sit in hot water for an hour before cooking. While it might sound tempting, it often isn’t worthwhile. It’s better to simply start cooking. Sando likes to kick-start his cooking with a 10-minute rapid boil for artisan bean crops and recommends 15–20 minutes for more widely available commercial beans. Then lower the heat to a simmer, with the pot partially covered.

Alternatively, an Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker can speed things up. But while pressure cookers reduce the need for soaking, they also produce a thinner, less rich broth because water hasn’t had a chance to evaporate. To remedy that, try pressure cooking first, then simmer uncovered to reduce the liquid.

How long do beans take to cook?

Soaking beans can cut cooking time by 25 percent or more, according to McGee, but just how much depends on many factors, including the size and age of your beans and the altitude. Firkser estimates that soaking shaves off 30–40 minutes of cook time for smaller beans like chickpeas or black-eyed peas; for larger beans, a presoak might cut the cook time by half. But don’t forget: soaking beans takes hours, so it’s a trade-off.

Test your beans for tenderness as they cook, adding more boiling water as needed. Firkser generally likes to keep them covered by 1 inch of water, and at least 2 inches if she’s making soup and wants to use the broth from the beans. “I like to keep a lid partially on the pot while they cook, stirring every 40 minutes or so and adding water when it’s below the amount I’m aiming for!” When you think the pot is almost ready, be sure to taste three beans, she says, since not all beans cook at exactly the same rate.

Note: Cook times vary based on the bean’s age and variety. Fresh heirloom beans may cook significantly faster than older supermarket beans, whether soaked or not.

A mess of dried beans from Rancho Gordo.

How to season and flavor beans

Beans will soak up any flavor you add to their pot—and they love fat and salt. Add a couple glugs of olive oil, plus a ham hock or Parmesan rind, and aromatics like herbs, an onion, or a dried chile at the start of cooking.

There’s little consensus about when it is best to salt a pot of beans—some argue that salting too early slows down the cooking process, others are less concerned. Sando prefers to salt the beans as they cook, at the moment when, he says: “Suddenly, the beans start smelling like beans.” It’s not the most pleasant of smells, he concedes, but it’s a good indicator. If you want to enjoy the bean broth, paying attention to the salt type and measurement specifically stated in the recipe is key, Firkser notes. “Taste the liquid as you go, and if you find it’s too salty, add more water.”

Don’t add acid early on. Things like tomatoes, citrus, and vinegar will increase cooking time. Some recipes counteract this by adding an alkali, such as baking soda (about 1 teaspoon per quart of water), which can speed things along, but it can also give the pot a soapy taste and texture, so we don’t recommend it. If you want to flavor your beans with something acidic, Sando recommends waiting until the very end. Making a tomato-bean soup? Cook the beans until tender, then add them, along with some of their liquid, to a pot with the tomatoes.

How to store cooked beans

Make a simply seasoned pot of beans over the weekend and use it for salads, soups, or other dishes throughout the week, adjusting the flavor as desired. They will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator, either in their broth or in water, for about 5 days. Alternatively, freeze leftover beans for up to three months in their liquid or a broth, and take them out as needed. “Depending on what I’m planning to do with them, I’d consider defrosting and draining/rinsing before reheating,” Firkser says, “but most often I’ll just dump the ice-block of frozen beans and liquid into a pot, partially cover, and reheat!”

The bottom line

While canned beans are helpful to have on hand, those cooked from dried will always win out in flavor and texture, and the process is simple once you get the hang of it. If you’re cooking small, freshly harvested beans, you can often skip soaking. For older or larger beans, we recommend soaking for 6–8 hours whenever possible—it produces creamier beans, shorter cooking times, and more evenly cooked results.

Still, Sando reminds us: “There are many roads to Rome. I always joke [that] the secret to cooking beans is: simmer ‘til done, and there you go.”