The Benefits of Soaking Your Beans Before Cooking

Soaking beans, a common practice, offers additional advantages beyond quicker cooking times.

Beans are a nutritious food, rich in protein, and an excellent source of iron for vegans. They also have a well-rounded amino acid profile. However, beans contain antinutrients and other less desirable compounds. To mitigate these negative aspects, it’s beneficial to soak beans before cooking, which also helps to soften them.

Throughout history, people have soaked beans and nuts, but the scientific understanding of the benefits of soaking has only recently become clear

Do You Have To Soak Beans Before Cooking Them?

According to the USDA, dry beans and chickpeas should be cleaned and soaked before cooking. Because of their small size, dry peas and lentils typically do not require soaking. Nevertheless, you might want to soak them to reap additional health benefits. Canned beans, peas, and lentils do not require soaking as they’ve been pre-cooked during the canning process.

Soaking beans before cooking them helps them absorb water and cook evenly. It also reduces cooking time.

Benefit of Soaking Beans

Beyond reducing cooking time, soaking beans unlocks additional benefits.

Increases Digestibility

The outer coatings of many varieties of beans contain sugars called oligosaccharides. When beans aren’t soaked, these sugars can bypass your stomach and small intestine without being fully digested. When these sugars enter your large intestine, bacteria break them down, producing intestinal gas in the process.

Soaking dried legumes dissolves the membranes that cover beans and releases their oligosaccharides. After soaking, discard water and rinse beans to remove sugars. According to the Science of Cooking website, navy and lima beans have more gas-producing potential than most other varieties.

Reduces Phytic Acid Effects

Phytic acid, a compound in many legumes and grains, may reduce the bioavailability of zinc and other minerals, making it more difficult for your body to utilize these nutrients. Zinc is an essential element that supports cellular metabolism and promotes healthy neurological function, growth, immunity and wound healing.

In an article published in the Sept. 2000 issue of the “Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry,” Gloria Urbano from the University of Granada and co-authors reported that soaking legumes may reduce the effects of phytic acid on mineral absorption.

Removes Contaminants

Soaking beans in water removes tiny particles of dirt, gravel and other debris. Beans go through threshing and cleaning processes before they’re marketed to consumers. However, they are not washed because moisture would encourage sprouting. Soaking beans removes their coating of field dust, which may contain residue from pesticides or other contaminants.

Before soaking, remove visible particles and sprouted beans. After you’ve soaked dried beans, drain and rinse them to remove the remaining contaminants and sugars.

Improve Texture and Softness

Soaking beans allows them to retain their shape while improving their texture and softness. The softer texture is especially desirable in dishes where a creamy consistency is key. Imagine smooth hummus, silky bean purees, or creamy bean soups.

How Long To Soak Beans

There are three main methods to soak beans, ensuring they’re ready for cooking. Before soaking beans, inspect them and remove any damaged beans or debris. Then place the beans in a pot large enough to accommodate their growth as they typically triple in size. Next, choose one of the following soaking methods:

• Hot soaking method: This method can help reduce intestinal gas. For every pound (lb) of dry beans, add 10 cups of hot water. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 2–3 minutes. Then, remove from heat, cover, and set aside for 4–24 hours.
• Quick soak method: This is similar to the hot soaking method, but you let the beans sit for at least one hour after boiling and covering.
• Traditional or overnight soak method: This method doesn’t involve boiling water. For every pound of dry beans, add 10 cups of cold water and let the beans soak overnight or for a minimum of eight hours.

It’s never mandatory to sprout your beans, but you should always soak them for at least a few hours. Just be careful not to soak for too long, or you could end up with mold forming.

You might get a little gas or not quite the full nutrition, but cooked beans are still very healthy, soaked or unsoaked.

Finally, all people are different. Some get huge benefits from soaking, while others only notice a small difference. Experiment and figure out if soaking is the right approach to cooking beans for you, like it is for so many other people.