I'm a big fan of canned beans—they're convenient, affordable, and, most importantly, delicious. At least once a week, I use canned beans and legumes like chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, and white beans in chilis, stews, salads, and more. And though I'm not always one to follow recipes to a T, when the instructions call for draining and rinsing canned beans, I dutifully dump them into a colander, run cold water over them, and drain them.
It turns out there are several good reasons that recipes call for rinsing canned beans. One commonly known reason is that rinsing can remove up to 41% of the sodium (i.e. salt), according to The Bean Institute, a website managed by the Bean Growers Association of North Dakota and Minnesota.
To learn more about why you should take those "drain and rinse" orders seriously—plus when you might want to skip rinsing—I spoke to Richard LaMarita, chef-instructor of Plant-Based Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education. Here's what I learned.
3 Reasons to Rinse Canned Beans
"Rinsing does three things besides reducing salt content," says LaMarita. Here are three reasons why rinsing canned beans makes sense:
1. It impacts the flavor of your food: "[Rinsing] gives the bean a cleaner mouthfeel and prevents the gel-like coating from altering the flavors of the surrounding ingredients." This is why you might want to rinse canned beans even if you are making a dish that calls for additional liquid, as tempting as it might be to use the liquid from the can.
2. Get consistent dishes every time: LaMarita says another good reason to drain and rinse beans is so you can consistently replicate dishes. "If you rinse your beans thoroughly, you will have a consistently flavored product, but if you do not rinse them, different amounts of salt will remain in the dish each time you cook it, and it will be hard to cook consistently," he says. So if you want your chickpea curry or black bean tacos to taste the same every time you make them, go ahead and give those beans a rinse.
3. It may mean you'll be less gassy: "The reason the juice has a gel-like texture is that it is full of soluble fiber," says LaMarita. "A significant and sudden increase in fiber consumption can cause bloating and gas. The fiber in the beans might do that anyway, but rinsing the beans helps." LaMarita adds that for people who normally have a high-fiber diet, the difference between using unrinsed and rinsed beans might not be that noticeable and that symptoms generally go down over time, but if you are cooking for people who don't eat a lot of fiber, they may feel bloated afterward.
"The liquid is viscous, and tastes pretty good," says LaMarita. "It is also perfectly healthful to consume, so from a flavor perspective there is nothing wrong with not rinsing."
Indeed, unrinsed canned beans can be great from a culinary standpoint in dishes like this white bean soup, where the liquid adds a "starchy richness," as the recipe developer Sheela Prakash notes.
Draining but not rinsing canned chickpeas can also make for very creamy homemade hummus. Still, LaMarita comes down on the side of rinsing most of the time. "It depends on how much fiber you want to ingest, and who you are cooking for," he notes.
What If You're Using No-Salt-Added Canned Beans?
If your biggest concern with canned beans is the sodium, you can certainly use no-salt-added or low-sodium canned beans, but LaMarita still recommends rinsing in most cases for the same culinary and gas-reducing reasons you'd rinse canned beans with salt.
Regardless of the amount of salt added to the canned beans, LaMarita says, "You still have to taste them and ask—is it the correct amount [of salt] to create a balanced dish?" and adjust for salt accordingly.
The Takeaway
Even if you are not concerned about sodium, in most cases it's a good idea to rinse canned beans. Rinsing beans can improve the flavor and texture of the final dish and can help cut down on how much gas they produce. So, for your culinary success and intestinal comfort, give those canned beans a rinse unless your recipe specifically says not to.
Canned beans are packed in a solution of water, salt, and starch. That solution can leave a glossy film on the beans, interfering with not only mouthfeel (slimy beans are a little off-putting), but also the ability of the beans to cling to other ingredients in the dish and absorb those flavors.
Canned beans are packed in a solution of water, salt, and starch. That solution can leave a glossy film on the beans, interfering with not only mouthfeel (slimy beans are a little off-putting), but also the ability of the beans to cling to other ingredients in the dish and absorb those flavors.
Rinsing beans can improve the flavor and texture of the final dish and can help cut down on how much gas they produce. So, for your culinary success and intestinal comfort, give those canned beans a rinse unless your recipe specifically says not to.
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. Caveats: If you're using aquafaba from canned beans, consider these health suggestions.
One popular theory as to why beans cause gas is the soapy liquid you find in canned beans. "When legumes, for example red lentils, are boiled in water, the liquid they are cooking in becomes higher in oligosaccharides.
Vitamin C was also lost with both treatments; 10% in green beans; 21% in corn, and 6% in peas; other nutrients were also evaluated. 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.
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.
According to some cooks, you shouldn't always use the canning liquid, but in recipes that you can, you always should. Not only does the liquid hold a lot of flavor, but its thick, smooth, and starchy texture can also lend the beautiful quality to whatever you use it in.
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.
Bottom Line. If beans make you uncomfortably gassy, sprinkle a little baking soda into their soaking water. It will reduce the volume of gas produced by the legumes, plus, they will cook quicker. If you're even shorter on time, you may want to try some of our favorite recipes to make with a can of black beans.
How does beano® work? beano® contains an enzyme from a natural source that works with your body's digestion. It breaks down the complex carbohydrates found in gassy foods into simpler, easily digestible sugars before they reach the colon, preventing gas before it starts.
Nutrition experts talk about the benefits of this oft-overlooked pantry staple. 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.
It's useful. All that starchy liquid will act as a natural thickener for soups, stews, and saucy dishes, making them instantly creamier. It's fast. Skip the draining and rinsing as well as extra thickening agents for a more streamlined experience.
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.
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.
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.
You don't have to soak your dried beans overnight.
Soaking beans in the refrigerator overnight will reduce the time they have to cook drastically. And the texture of the beans will also be it their best, with fewer split-open and burst ones. But like we said, you don't have to commit this hard.
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