How to cook dried beans in the crockpot
Buying dried beans is often the most frugal option. This simple crockpot method is a great way to cook those dried beans and save money. These instructions use a 1 pound bag of black beans but the process is the same for other size bags and types of beans too.
Yield: 6 cups
Equipment:
- Crockpot (4 quart size)
Ingredients:
- 1 Lb bag of dry black beans
- water
Instructions:
- Soak the beans overnight first: Rinse the dried beans in a colander. Then transfer them to a large bowl and cover with water, with at least a couple extra inches of water over the beans, and let them soak overnight.
- The next morning, drain the water, rinse the beans again, and put them in your crockpot.
- Cover the beans in the crockpot with water, again having an extra inch or two of water above the beans.
- Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beans are soft.
- Turn off the crockpot, drain off most of the water and then let the beans just sit there for a while to cool down before transferring them to containers for storage. I use a slotted spoon as there will still be some excess liquid with the beans in the crockpot.
- I divide a pound of cooked beans between four quart size ziploc bags, putting about 1½ cups of beans into each bag. This is about the same amount of beans as in a 15 oz can.
- Store your cooked beans in the freezer if you are not going to be using them in the next few days.
Notes:
This recipe creates a no-salt option. If you would like to add salt, do it at the end of the cooking process.