How to Cook Legumes
How-tos
What You’ll Need:
Basic Ingredients for Cooking Legumes
🫘 Dried Legumes: Beans (black, kidney, chickpeas, navy, pinto), lentils, split peas
💦 Water: Enough to fully cover legumes by at least 2-3 inches (about 3 cups water per 1 cup legumes)
🧂 Salt: Added toward the end of cooking (to taste)
Optional Flavor Enhancers
🧅 Aromatics:
Onion (peeled, whole or chopped)
Garlic cloves (whole or smashed)
Bay leaves
Fresh or dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano)
🧂 Spices:
Black peppercorns
Cumin seeds
Coriander seeds
🍋 Acidic ingredients (add after cooking):
Tomato paste or diced tomatoes
Lemon juice
Vinegar (apple cider, white, or balsamic)
🛢️ Fats (for richer flavor, optional):
Olive oil or other cooking oil
Butter or vegan butter
Optional Soaking Ingredients
💦 Water (for soaking)
🧂 Baking soda (optional, use sparingly) — helps soften beans faster but can affect taste and nutrients
Features:
Nutrition:
*Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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How You’ll Make It
- Types of Legumes
- Beans: Black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, navy beans, pinto beans, cannellini, etc.
- Lentils: Brown, green, red, yellow, French (Puy)
- Peas: Split peas, green peas
- Sorting: Spread the legumes on a flat surface and remove any debris, stones, or damaged beans.
- Rinsing: Rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove dust or dirt.
- Why soak? Soaking reduces cooking time, improves digestibility, and helps remove some anti-nutrients.
- Methods:
- Overnight soak: Cover legumes with 3-4 times water and soak 8-12 hours or overnight.
- Quick soak: Boil legumes for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and soak for 1 hour.
- Note: Lentils and split peas do not require soaking.
- Water ratio: Use about 3 cups water per 1 cup dried legumes.
- Simmer, don’t boil: Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer to prevent splitting.
- Skim foam: During initial boiling, skim off any foam or scum that forms.
- Salt: Add salt toward the end of cooking; early salting can toughen the skin.
- Acidic ingredients: Add acidic ingredients (like tomatoes, vinegar, lemon juice) after legumes are tender to avoid prolonged cooking times.
- Cooking times (approximate):
- Beans: 45–90 minutes
- Chickpeas: 60–90 minutes
- Lentils: 15–30 minutes
- Split peas: 30–45 minutes
- Legumes should be tender but not mushy (unless desired, like for refried beans).
- Taste test by biting a bean or lentil—should be soft inside with no chalky texture.
- Cooked legumes can be refrigerated up to 5 days.
- Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- Avoid hard water: If your water is very hard, it can make legumes tough. Use filtered or bottled water if possible.
- Use fresh legumes: Older dried beans can take longer to cook and may never soften completely.
- Use a pressure cooker/Instant Pot: Cuts cooking time dramatically (e.g., chickpeas in 35-40 minutes or less).
- Flavor: Add bay leaves, garlic, onions, or herbs to cooking water for extra flavor.
- No baking soda: Some add baking soda to soften legumes quickly, but it can alter flavor and destroy nutrients—use sparingly or avoid.
Substituttions
How to Cook Legumes
Ingredients:
Basic Ingredients for Cooking Legumes
🫘 Dried Legumes: Beans (black, kidney, chickpeas, navy, pinto), lentils, split peas
💦 Water: Enough to fully cover legumes by at least 2-3 inches (about 3 cups water per 1 cup legumes)
🧂 Salt: Added toward the end of cooking (to taste)
Optional Flavor Enhancers
🧅 Aromatics:
Onion (peeled, whole or chopped)
Garlic cloves (whole or smashed)
Bay leaves
Fresh or dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano)
🧂 Spices:
Black peppercorns
Cumin seeds
Coriander seeds
🍋 Acidic ingredients (add after cooking):
Tomato paste or diced tomatoes
Lemon juice
Vinegar (apple cider, white, or balsamic)
🛢️ Fats (for richer flavor, optional):
Olive oil or other cooking oil
Butter or vegan butter
Optional Soaking Ingredients
💦 Water (for soaking)
🧂 Baking soda (optional, use sparingly) — helps soften beans faster but can affect taste and nutrients
Features:
Instructions:
- Types of Legumes
- Beans: Black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, navy beans, pinto beans, cannellini, etc.
- Lentils: Brown, green, red, yellow, French (Puy)
- Peas: Split peas, green peas
- Sorting: Spread the legumes on a flat surface and remove any debris, stones, or damaged beans.
- Rinsing: Rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove dust or dirt.
- Why soak? Soaking reduces cooking time, improves digestibility, and helps remove some anti-nutrients.
- Methods:
- Overnight soak: Cover legumes with 3-4 times water and soak 8-12 hours or overnight.
- Quick soak: Boil legumes for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and soak for 1 hour.
- Note: Lentils and split peas do not require soaking.
- Water ratio: Use about 3 cups water per 1 cup dried legumes.
- Simmer, don’t boil: Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer to prevent splitting.
- Skim foam: During initial boiling, skim off any foam or scum that forms.
- Salt: Add salt toward the end of cooking; early salting can toughen the skin.
- Acidic ingredients: Add acidic ingredients (like tomatoes, vinegar, lemon juice) after legumes are tender to avoid prolonged cooking times.
- Cooking times (approximate):
- Beans: 45–90 minutes
- Chickpeas: 60–90 minutes
- Lentils: 15–30 minutes
- Split peas: 30–45 minutes
- Legumes should be tender but not mushy (unless desired, like for refried beans).
- Taste test by biting a bean or lentil—should be soft inside with no chalky texture.
- Cooked legumes can be refrigerated up to 5 days.
- Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- Avoid hard water: If your water is very hard, it can make legumes tough. Use filtered or bottled water if possible.
- Use fresh legumes: Older dried beans can take longer to cook and may never soften completely.
- Use a pressure cooker/Instant Pot: Cuts cooking time dramatically (e.g., chickpeas in 35-40 minutes or less).
- Flavor: Add bay leaves, garlic, onions, or herbs to cooking water for extra flavor.
- No baking soda: Some add baking soda to soften legumes quickly, but it can alter flavor and destroy nutrients—use sparingly or avoid.
