8 Types of Beans and How to Cook Them (With Nutrition Chart)

Beans are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family. They are easy to prepare, inexpensive, and very healthy.

They grow inside pods, and many types of beans are left to mature and dry before harvest. Black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, and kidney beans all belong to the same species, even though they look, taste, and cook differently. Chickpeas, lima beans, and black-eyed peas come from different species, and each has its own familiar place in the kitchen.

Nutritionally, beans have a lot in common. They do differ though from one another, but generally speaking, a cup of cooked beans provides similar nutritional value, including about 15 grams of plant protein, along with fiber, iron, and many vitamins, which makes beans one of the most nutrient-dense foods out there.

In the kitchen, texture is often what makes one bean a better choice for a particular dish. Pinto beans mash easily into a tortilla filling, kidney beans hold their shape in a pot of chili, and chickpeas can stay firm enough for a chopped salad or cook until soft enough to blend into hummus.

This guide covers where beans are grown, what to look for at the store, how the seven varieties compare nutritionally, and when soaking makes a difference. You’ll also find stovetop cooking times and recipes for putting each texture to use.

Where beans grow and what to look for at the store

Today, dry beans grow in many parts of the world, including the northern Great Plains in the U.S. By the time they reach the grocery shelf, for most beans the pods are gone, and what you’re buying is the mature seed, either dried or canned (already cooked).

Dried beans are usually sold in bags, sometimes in bulk bins. They’re a good choice when you want a large batch or have a particular texture in mind.

I rinse the dried beans, cover them generously with fresh cold water, stir in ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and let them soak in the fridge for 6–12 hours (up to 24 hours if I’m cooking them later). The trick with the baking soda is critical - it helps break down the pectin that holds the beans’ cells together, so they absorb water, and soften better and much faster when I cook them.

One cup of dried beans generally yields 2–3 cups cooked, depending on the variety, which emphasizes the affordability of beans.

Canned beans are fully cooked and ready to eat. I often pick cans that have minimal ingredients (preferably, no preservatives of any sort). Before use, drain and rinse them. For a soup or curry, stir them in toward the end if you want them to stay whole. If you prefer to season the dish yourself, look for no salt added on the label.

Frozen beans are worth a look, especially for lima beans and edamame (soy beans in pods or shelled). The green limas in the freezer aisle are harvested younger and have a different flavor and texture from the large, mature cream-colored limas often sold as butter beans.

Frozen beans are handy when you need just a handful. Look for shelled edamame, black-eyed peas, baby lima beans, or fully cooked frozen beans such as chickpeas. You can cook edamame or black-eyed peas straight from the freezer without soaking, while fully cooked chickpeas only need reheating. Scoop out what you need for a rice bowl, soup, or curry and leave the rest in the freezer.

How do different types of beans compare nutritionally?

The table below details the approximate values of 1 cup of mature dry boiled beans, except for edamame, which are cooked from frozen and measured shelled. For canned beans, check the product label, particularly if you’re comparing sodium.

What stands out is how little the protein changes from one row to the next. Fiber varies quite a bit more. A cup of navy beans provides about 19 grams of fiber, compared with about 12 grams in chickpeas. Kidney beans have the most iron among these seven, while lima beans are particularly rich in potassium, at roughly 950 milligrams per cup. In my kitchen, that leaves plenty of room to choose the bean that makes the dish taste good, because you cannot go wrong on any front - they are all very nourishing and tasty.

8 types of beans and what to make with each

If a recipe simply calls for white beans, think about how you want the finished dish to feel. Navy beans make sense in a soup you want to thicken. Butter beans make sense when you want larger pieces to pick up with a fork. In pearl couscous, either can work. The smaller beans mix into each spoonful, while the larger ones give you a more distinct bite.

Do you need to soak dried beans?

For most varieties, soaking is optional, but it shortens the time on the stove. The beans absorb water before cooking, which can also help their skins stay intact. Some of the carbohydrates that gut bacteria ferment pass into the soaking water. Discarding that water may reduce gas for some people, although the effect varies. Black-eyed peas cook relatively quickly without a soak.

• Overnight soak. Sort and rinse the beans, place them in a roomy bowl, and cover generously with water so they have room to expand. Refrigerate for 6–8 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse.

• Quick soak for most beans. Cover with water, boil for 2–3 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it stand for an hour. Drain and cook in fresh water  and a pinch of baking soda. This is useful when you want dried beans for dinner and remember them around lunchtime.

• Dried kidney beans. Soak for at least 6 hours with 1/4 tsp baking soda, discard the soaking water, and boil briskly in fresh water for at least 30 minutes before simmering until tender. This destroys a lectin in undercooked kidney beans that can cause vomiting and diarrhea. A slow cooker alone may never get hot enough. Canned kidney beans have already been properly cooked and can go straight into your dish.

  
  

How to cook dried beans on the stove

1. Sort and rinse the beans. Spread them out so you can spot small stones or damaged beans. Rinse under running water, then soak according to the guidance above.

2. Cover with fresh water and a pinch of baking soda, and bring to a boil. Use a pot large enough for the beans to expand, with about 2 inches of water above them. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, keeping the beans submerged as they cook. For dried kidney beans, complete the full 30-minute boil first.

3. Taste a few before draining. A cooked bean should be tender all the way through, with no hard or chalky center. For salads, stop while the skins still hold. For a spread, keep cooking until the beans mash easily.

4. Add acidic ingredients once the beans are tender. Tomatoes, vinegar, and lemon juice can slow softening. If you’re making tomato-based chili from dried beans, cook the beans first, then combine them with the sauce.

Bean recipes from my kitchen

For a batch of dried chickpeas, start with hummus. I make hummus regularly, and cooking the chickpeas until they’re very soft is one step worth taking your time with. If you’ve saved some firmer chickpeas from the same pot, use them in my Mediterranean salad with avocado, radish, pumpkin seeds, and tahini yogurt dressing. I also love using the cooking water (or aquafaba) for making vegan meringue (we call them 'white kisses' as they're soft and sweet!). Homemade hummus; Chickpea and cauliflower bowl; One-Pot Rice & Chickpeas Stew; Plant-based "tuna" salad and so many more!

For a dinner that works with whatever can you open, try the bulgur curry. The bulgur keeps a little chew, coconut milk makes the sauce creamy, and you can use kidney beans, chickpeas, or white beans. It’s a particularly useful recipe when you have one can left and six people to feed. One-Pan Bulgur & Bean Curry.

For black-eyed peas, I pair them with squash and leeks. In my Rosh Hashanah pot, the beans share the dish with dates and black garlic. The squash and dates add sweetness, and the earthy black-eyed peas give each serving a savory bite. Either canned or home-cooked beans work here. Rosh Hashanah Blessings in a Pot.

How we use beans on RV travel days

After a long drive with four kids, I’m happy to open a can of white beans and put dinner straight into the air fryer. In my pearl couscous recipe, the beans cook alongside the couscous and tomatoes in one dish. The couscous stays chewy, the beans add a softer bite, and the cashew cream brings it all together. That’s where canned beans earn their space in our RV pantry. I can decide what we’re eating after we get to the campground. Air Fryer Pearl Couscous with White Beans.

If I have chickpeas instead, I use them in air-fryer orzo with broccoli and spinach. When I cook beans before a trip, I can also freeze them in measured portions and thaw what I need in the refrigerator. Either way, the decision starts with what’s for dinner. Chickpeas give the orzo a firmer bite, white beans soften into the couscous, and both meals leave me with one cooking dish to wash. Air Fryer Orzo with Broccoli and Chickpeas.