Can you freeze beans?

Cooking dried beans has two huge advantages: it is cheap and it is very tasty. You can also grab a can of legumes, of course, but what if you’re left with beans? Can you actually freeze beans? Good question! The answer is: yes, you can freeze beans. Whether kidney beans, black beans, white beans, kidney beans, marrowfat peas, chickpeas or lentils: all these legumes keep well in the freezer.

Dried beans

The convenience of canned beans sometimes makes us forget how beneficial it is to use a bag of beans. Preparing dried beans takes a little more time, but this is mainly about waiting time. It hardly costs any effort. It also has something relaxing, that slow cooking. One advantage of cooking your own beans is that you can prepare large quantities, but an even bigger advantage is that you can simply freeze the cooked beans.

Freezing

After you have soaked the dried beans, peas or lentils, which is something you can easily do overnight, and then cooked, it is important that you let them cool first. Then divide the beans into freezer bags or reusable containers in the desired portions. You can store legumes in the freezer for up to three months.

From can or jar

You can also freeze legumes from cans or jars, although they often contain more salt. In addition, compared to dried beans, they are slightly more expensive. Always rinse beans from cans or jars before using or freezing them to get rid of the excess salt. According to the Nutrition Center, canned and canned legumes are a healthy choice if they contain less than 200 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams of beans. You can also keep these beans in the freezer for up to three months.

defrost

You can immediately add frozen legumes to, for example, chili, soups and bean dishes. The hot liquid will help them thaw quickly. If you’re making a dish that requires the beans to be already thawed, you can thaw them overnight or place them in warm water.

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