Yes, You Should Rinse and Drain Canned Beans for Your Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Yes, You Should Rinse and Drain Canned Beans for Your Recipes? ›

But if you're someone who needs to watch your sodium intake, it certainly can't hurt to drain and rinse canned beans before using them. Doing so can reduce the sodium by 40%. If you don't want to rinse, consider at least draining them first. Draining alone will “reduce the sodium by a third,” says Reinagel.

Do You Need To Rinse Canned Beans? According to The Bean Institute, you can reduce up to 41 percent of the sodium in canned beans by rinsing them. "It's fine to add the bean liquid to many recipes, but if you want to reduce the amount of sodium, it's best to drain and rinse canned beans," the website states.

Much like the delicious pot likker from a pot of simmered dry beans, the liquid in canned beans is full of flavor that shouldn't go to waste. It's useful. All that starchy liquid will act as a natural thickener for soups, stews, and saucy dishes, making them instantly creamier.

Overall, dry beans cooked in the home and canned beans are both a healthy, environmentally-friendly staple to have in the home and include in our daily dietary patterns. Choose options that facilitate eating more beans, whether that be canned or cooked from dry, or a mix of both.

However, canned beans are soaked in a canning liquid that can throw off your dish's seasoning and texture, so it's best to drain and rinse your beans before pouring them into your pot of chili. Canning liquid can also water down and dilute the flavors of your chili.

Modern cooking websites often say it doesn't matter. In a way, they're both right. Soaking beans can help improve the texture of the final product once the beans are cooked and reduce the gas produced when the food is being digested. But it isn't necessary to soak them.

The reason that beans are safe to eat straight from the can is pretty simple: They're already cooked. Per Epicurious, beans are blanched before being canned with water, salt, and other additives, and then sealed and cooked under steam pressure at a high temperature before landing at your local grocery store.

The starchy leftover liquid from canned beans or simmered dried beans can also be used as a substitute for any stock or broth or added to thicken soups, stews and sauces. Freeze extra liquid for later use.

Officially called aquafaba, the liquid included in cans of beans is typically starchy and salty, though those qualities differ based on the brand of beans. Feel free to dip a spoon or finger in to taste it before using. “It has a viscous body from the fibers of the beans.

Eating a few servings of beans a day can help you reach your recommended daily fiber intake of 21 to 25 grams for women and 30 to 38 grams for men. Beans are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat.

What are the cons of canned beans? ›

One can of canned beans can contain up to 25% of the recommended daily intake of salt (570 mg). Canned beans are safe to eat and provide many health benefits. Nevertheless, there is a low risk that canned foods may be a source of excess salt, nitrates, nitrites, and heavy metals that may pose human health risks.

Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish.

Not draining and rinsing them can add viscosity, liquid, and/or flavor to a dish, she says, which isn't always something she wants for a recipe.

However, canned kidney beans are pre-cooked and safe to use without any special preparation.

The gas-producing fibers are released into the soaking water, and discarding it removes some of these compounds. Rinse canned beans without sauce before eating or using in recipes.

Based on this study, draining and rinsing can be effective in reducing sodium in canned vegetables; however, varying amounts of some water-soluble nutrients may also be lost.

If you're wondering what these are, Newgent explains: “Saponins are a group of naturally occurring plant compounds found in beans and other plant foods, like quinoa and spinach, that can produce foam when they're dissolved in water or other liquid.” Saponins are known for causing this soap-like lather (fun fact: “sapo” ...