How to Cook Beans in a Slow Cooker (Crock-Pot) - JennifersKitchen (2024)

If you like walking in the door and finding dinner ready and waiting for you, you’ll love the convenience of using a crock-pot.

Dinner is Ready When You Are

The crock-pot is a super tool when it comes to cooking legumes. In fact, beans and slow cookers are best friends. There are no worries about burning food or precise timing. And the food can even cook while you are sleeping or while you’re away from home. Just turn it on and forget about it!

Several of you have emailed and asked how I cook beans, so I thought I would answer it here.

How many cups of dry beans equals how many cups of cooked beans?

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This website is brought to you without annoying ads because we can better live healthier lives without the influence of marketing. But running a high-traffic site is expensive. How can you help? If you purchase anything through the affiliate links on my site, your cost is the same, but I receive a small commission. Thank you!

One cup of dry beans yields about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of cooked beans. This will vary slightly depending on the type of beans.

How do I choose the best slow cooker?

I have you covered. Check out my post about How to Buy a Slow Cooker.

What size slow cooker do I need?

It depends on how many beans you want to cook. The recipe I’ve given below is for a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. A 4-quart slow cooker will accommodate 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of beans. A 6-quart cooker will cook 2 pounds of beans.

(There are approximately 2 1/2 cups of beans per pound of dry beans. )

Do I have to pre-soak my beans?

No. Because of the long cooking time, pre-soaking is not necessary when cooking beans in a slow cooker.

Should I cook my beans on low or high?

All slow cookers cook differently and the answer to this question will depend on how hot your slow cooker gets. However, because it is important the beans come to a boil (see next question), I always cook my beans on high.

One of my crock pots gets going a little too hot, so I slip the very sliver of the end of a toothpick under the lid (between the lid and the rim of the crock) and this lets just enough steam out to prevent having bean juice splattered all over my kitchen counters while still keeping the beans at a boil.

Why do the beans need to come to a boil?

Many raw beans contain a toxin that is destroyed by boiling for at least ten minutes. Most modern slow cookers get hot enough on low to bring beans to a good boil for several hours, but, just to be safe, I always cook my beans on high.

To be sure your slow cooker gets hot enough, take a peek through the glass lid of your cooker at the end of the cooking time to make sure the beans are gently boiling.

How long should I cook my beans in a slow cooker?

Cooking time depends on what type of beans you’re cooking and how hot your slow cooker gets. Most new cookers get hot enough to cook your average bean (pinto beans, black beans, cranberry beans, white beans, garbanzos) in 6 to 8 hours. However, I like my beans very well done and so I generally cook my beans for over 12 hours. (I start them before I go to bed and eat them later the next day.)

It’s very difficult to over-cook beans in a slow cooker.

What about other types of beans? How long do they take to cook?

Kidney beans and soy beans can take up to 12 hours until they are tender and thoroughly cooked. Lentils and split peas cook quickly – about 3 to 6 hours. Once again, I like my beans cooked well (better digestion and better taste), so I usually add a couple hours to these times.

Can I Use an Instant Pot to Cook Beans?

Yes, you can use the slow-cook function on some Instant Pots to cook beans, but not all models get hot enough on the slow-cook function. (See above.) You can also use the pressure cook function on the Instant Pot to cook beans. Check out my step-by-step guide for how to cook garbanzo beans in an Instant Pot.

I cooked my beans for 12 hours and they still aren’t done.

Beans have a long shelf life, but if stored too long or in a warm environment (best to store legumes in a cool place), they often won’t cook up tender. If your beans get too old, probably your best solution is to throw them in the compost.

Do you have any healthy crock pot bean recipes?

Yep.

Slow-cooked beans come in handy for making:

Garbanzo (Chickpea) Pesto Salad

White Bean Guacamole

Tex Mex Beans and Rice

Kale and White Bean Soup

Chilean Porotos Granados

Homemade, Oil-Free Hummus

White Bean Garlic Dip

And more!

What are the health benefits of beans?

Beans have numerous health benefits, including making weight loss so much easier.

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