Legumes 101: how to soak, cook and freeze beans and lentils

Soak dried beans and chickpeas in plenty of cold water for 8–12 hours. Drain them, then simmer in fresh water until they're completely creamy inside, which usually takes between 45 minutes and 2 hours depending on the bean. Lentils and split peas need no soaking and cook in 15–60 minutes. Dried red kidney beans must be boiled hard for at least 10 minutes before you turn them down to a simmer. Cool cooked legumes quickly, then freeze them in portions with a little of their cooking liquid. That's the whole method, and the details below make it reliable every time.

Soaking and cooking times

Treat these as a guide, not a promise. The age of the beans makes the biggest difference: a fresh bag cooks far faster than one that's been in the cupboard for two years.

Why soak at all?

Soaking shortens cooking time and helps beans cook evenly, so the outsides don't split before the middles are tender. Use at least three times as much water as beans, because they'll roughly double in size. Afterwards, throw the soaking water away and cook in fresh water.

If you forgot to soak them overnight, use the quick soak. Cover the beans with water, bring to the boil, boil for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover and leave for an hour. Drain, and cook as normal.

How to cook dried beans, step by step

1. Pick over and rinse. Spread the beans out and remove any small stones or shrivelled ones.
2. Soak for 8–12 hours, or use the quick soak above. Drain and rinse.
3. Cover generously. Put the beans in a large pan with fresh water to cover them by about 5 cm. Add a bay leaf, a halved onion, a couple of garlic cloves and a splash of olive oil if you like.
4. Bring to the boil. For red kidney beans, keep it at a full rolling boil for at least 10 minutes. It's a sensible habit with any dried bean.
5. Simmer gently, partly covered, skimming off any foam. A hard boil all the way through bursts the skins.
6. Salt the water, with about 1 teaspoon per litre, either at the start or halfway through. Salt doesn't stop beans softening. Acid does slow them down, so add tomatoes, vinegar or lemon only once they're tender.
7. Test several beans. They should be soft and creamy all the way through, with no chalky centre. Add hot water if the level drops below the beans.
8. Cool them in their liquid, which keeps them plump and stops the skins cracking.

Red kidney beans: the one rule you can't skip

Raw red kidney beans contain a natural lectin that can cause severe stomach upset. Gentle heat doesn't destroy it, and undercooking at low temperatures can make things worse. Always soak them, drain and rinse, then boil them hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes before turning them down to simmer until tender.

A slow cooker on its own is not enough for dried kidney beans, because it may never get hot enough. Boil them hard on the hob for 10 minutes first, then transfer them. Tinned kidney beans are already cooked and safe to use straight from the tin.

Lentils and split peas

Lentils need only a rinse and a quick check for stones. Red lentils collapse into a soft purée, which is perfect for dals and soups such as the Tarka Dal in The Vegan Kitchen. Green and brown lentils hold their shape for stews and pies. Puy and beluga lentils stay firmest of all, so they're the ones for warm salads. Simmer them in plenty of water and drain, or cook them in a measured amount of stock so it's all absorbed. Split peas take longer and soften into a thick, comforting purée.

Pressure cookers and slow cookers

A pressure cooker or multi-cooker cuts bean cooking times dramatically. Timings vary between models, so follow the manufacturer's guide, and don't fill the pot more than halfway, because beans foam. Slow cookers are fine for lentils and for beans that have already been boiled, but remember the kidney bean rule above.

How much to cook

As a rough guide, 100 g of dried beans gives about the same amount as one drained 400 g tin, which is around 240 g of cooked beans. A 500 g bag gives you roughly five tins' worth. Since the soaking and simmering take the same effort whatever the quantity, it makes sense to cook a whole bag and freeze most of it.

Storing and freezing

Cool cooked legumes quickly, ideally within about two hours, then refrigerate them in a covered container with some of their liquid. Use them within two to three days.

To freeze them:

1. Portion the beans into bags or tubs, about 240 g per portion to replace one tin.
2. Add a few spoonfuls of cooking liquid to each, which stops them drying out.
3. Freeze bags flat so they stack and thaw quickly, and label them with the date.
4. Use them within about three months for the best texture.

Thaw overnight in the fridge, or add them frozen straight to soups, stews and chillies. Cooked lentils freeze well too, though they come out a little softer. Chickpea cooking liquid (aquafaba) freezes in ice-cube trays for baking.

What to cook with them

Home-cooked beans have a creamier texture and a deeper flavour than most tinned ones, and it shows in simple dishes. A few from The Vegan Kitchen that make the most of them:

• Three-Bean Chilli, a good home for a mix of freezer portions.
• Smoky Baked Beans from Scratch, made with cannellini or haricot beans cooked until very soft.
• Classic Hummus. Cook the chickpeas a little past tender, until they squash easily between your fingers, and the hummus will be noticeably smoother.
• Tarka Dal, red lentils finished with spices fried in oil.

For more ideas, try searching the recipe finder for chickpeas. Legumes are also one of the main protein sources in plant-based cooking. Our vegan protein guide gives approximate figures for each one.

Common mistakes

• Using very old beans. Beans that have sat for years may never soften properly. Buy from shops with a quick turnover and use within a year or so.
• Adding acid too early. Tomatoes, wine and vinegar slow softening, so add them once the beans are tender.
• Boiling hard all the way through. Apart from the initial boil, keep it at a gentle simmer so the skins stay intact.
• Stopping too soon. A bean that's merely edible isn't done. It should be creamy through.
• Under-seasoning. Salt the cooking water, and taste again once the beans are in the dish.
• Putting dried kidney beans straight into a slow cooker. Always boil them hard for 10 minutes first.

Questions people ask

Do you have to soak beans before cooking?

Not strictly. Most beans will cook from dry, just much more slowly and less evenly. Soaking is recommended for larger beans and chickpeas. For red kidney beans, soak them and always give them the 10-minute hard boil.

Why are my beans still hard after hours of cooking?

Usually because the beans are old, the water is very hard, or acid such as tomatoes went in too early. Keep simmering, topping up with hot water, and next time buy fresher beans and add the tomatoes later.

Does soaking make beans easier to digest?

Many people find that soaking, discarding the soaking water and cooking beans thoroughly makes them easier on the stomach, as does eating them regularly in moderate amounts. If you have ongoing digestive problems, speak to your doctor or a registered dietitian.

How long do cooked beans keep in the freezer?

They're safe for longer, but for the best texture use them within about three months. Freeze them with some of their cooking liquid so they don't dry out.