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

FAQs

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

If you're trying to limit your salt intake, draining and rinsing your canned beans before using them is never a bad idea. If you're a purist like me–who wants to be in control of the amount of added salt (while skipping the glossy film) in your dish–then yes, drain and rinse those beans first.

One of the primary reasons for draining and rinsing canned beans, or any canned food, is to remove some of the excess salt.

"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.

For that reason, most of the BHG's test kitchen recipes call for draining and rinsing canned beans, which can also help remove the metallic flavor sometimes found in cans. It's an added step that takes less than a minute but improves the flavor and texture of your dish.

It depends. 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. A 2009 study conducted at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, showed that draining beans removes, on average, 36% of the sodium in canned beans.

To cut down on the gassy properties, you can add a little baking soda to your recipe. The baking soda helps break down some of the beans' natural gas-making sugars.

In order to properly reduce the sodium from canned beans, it is important to rinse them correctly. "Draining and rinsing canned beans can reduce their sodium content by more than 40 percent. But taking just a few extra minutes is key to getting the most benefit," The Bean Institute website states.

Avoid cans that are dented, leaking, rusty or swollen or have bulging tops.

It's flavorful.

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.

If that's not enough to put black beans at the top of your shopping list, we haven't yet gotten to the very best part. You can eat them straight out of the can. While dried black beans need to be soaked and boiled before you can eat them, the canned variety is already cooked.

Can you eat kidney beans out of the can? ›

Canned pre-cooked kidney beans present no problems. Some come packed in water, which is thickened by starches naturally produced by the beans, but it can also contain preservatives, so this should be rinsed away. For plenty of inspiration, try our collection of ultimate kidney bean recipes.

Put canned beans — a healthy pantry staple — in the spotlight. Beans boast protein, fiber, folate and lots of minerals, like iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. If you're worried about sodium, rinse and drain beans before using to cut back on the salt by as much as 40 percent.

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.

Gas-Reducing Tips

Drink more water each day as you eat more beans. When soaking dry beans before cooking, change the water several times. 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.

But canned beans can be high in sodium, which is a problem for those with high blood pressure and those who want to avoid it. According to Dr. Gourmet, there are 400-500 mg of sodium in a 1/2 cup of canned beans. And if you're on a sodium-restricted diet, that's about 1/3 of your daily intake.

Low-acid canned goods, such as meat, poultry, fish, gravy, stew, soups, beans, carrots, corn, pasta, peas, potatoes and spinach) can be stored three to four days.

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.

As you can see, canned and dried prepared beans are pretty much the same in calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates. The main difference between the two is that canned beans can sometimes have more sodium added during processing, whereas you can control the amount of salt added to beans you cook at home.

"Research indicates this type of sugar found in legumes is healthy for your gut," Grosse said. 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.

Tinned kidney beans have already been cooked, so you can use them straight away.