From scratch · Beans
Pinto beans from dry
A pound of dried beans soaked and simmered: about as much as four cans, for a fraction of the cost.
✋ 20 min hands-on
⏱ 10 hr 35 min start to finish
🍽 About 6 cups of cooked beans, drained: about the same as four 15-oz cans.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
- 6 g table salt
- 1 leaf bay leaves (optional)
- 20 cup water, about 10 cups to soak and 10 to cook
Time
Hands-on time is when you’re busy; the rest is rising, simmering, chilling or cooling, when you can do something else.
| Step | Hands-on | Waiting |
|---|---|---|
| Sort, rinse and soak | 10 min | 8 hr |
| Boil hard, then simmer until tender | 10 min | 1 hr 30 min |
| Cool in shallow containers | – | 45 min |
| In all | 20 min | 10 hr 15 min |
How long it keeps
- Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days, as for other cooked leftovers (USDA).
- Freezer: 3 to 4 months in their liquid (USDA’s time for leftovers).
Nutrition
Estimated from the ingredients’ USDA FoodData Central numbers.
Steps
You’ll need: large pot, colander.
- Spread the beans on a tray and pick out any small stones or shriveled beans, then rinse them.
- Soak them in plenty of cold water (about 10 cups) at least 5 hours or overnight.
- Drain and rinse. Cover with fresh water by about 2 inches, add the bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Boil hard for at least 30 minutes: soaking and then boiling in fresh water for at least 30 minutes destroys a natural toxin in raw beans, especially kidney beans (FDA).
- Turn the heat down and simmer, partly covered, until tender all the way through, 1½ to 2 hours in all depending on the age of the beans. Add the salt in the last 15 minutes.
- Cool them in their liquid in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Freeze them in their liquid in can-sized portions (about 1½ cups each).
⚖️ Scaling1 lb of dried beans makes about 6 cups cooked, about four 15-oz cans. Use a pot big enough that the beans stay covered by 2 inches of water.
🛡 SafetyNever eat raw or undercooked dried beans. Soak at least 5 hours and boil in fresh water at least 30 minutes (FDA).
🛡 SafetyCool in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours (USDA).
Sources
- Natural Toxins in Food, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 2026-10-25.
- Leftovers and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Accessed 2026-10-25.