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Healthy How to: Prepare Low Calorie Dried Beans

Filed Under: 100-150, Appetizers and Sides, Gluten Free, Healthy How To, No Bake, Recipe Makeover, Recipes, Sugar Free, Vegan

By 40 Comments Jump to Recipe

Beans, beans

They’re good for your heart

The more you eat, the more you fart

The more you fart , the better you feel

So let’s eat beans for every meal!

How To Prepare Low Calorie Dried Beans

Soaking and making beans yourself is just better. It’s cheaper, healthier, more low calorie, you save tons of salt, and you get bragging rights. Trust me.

And preparing them this way brings the calories down to just over 100 calories PER CUP! I used pintos and that’s what is reflected in the nutritional info, but this preparation works for any type of beans that need soaking.

Nutrition Face Off

Foodie Fiasco’s Low Calorie Beans 

Per 1 cup serving:

Calories: 107

Fat: 0g.

Sodium: Negligible mg.

vs.

Canned Beans

(From Livestrong)

Per 1 cup serving:

Calories: 220

Fat: 2g.

Sodium: 820 mg.

Ingredients

Beans of choice (just make sure they need to be soaked)

water

Pour your beans out onto a surface and pick over them for rocks. (Rocks are green and hard to miss.)

Now in a large jar, pot, container, etc. combine beans abd water. The rule of thumb is 3c. of water per 1c. of dried beans.

Let soak for 6-8 hours.

Behold your handy work.

Drain water, put soaked beans backed into pot, and add the same amount of water as the first time around. Remeber, 3c. of water per 1c. of dried beans. So if you soaked 1c. of dried beans, add 3c. of water to soak them in, soak them, drain, and add another 3c. of water in.

Now bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer. Here is a great cooking times chart. So simmer for time directed by the chart; you can check to see if they’re done by stabbing with a fork and tasting. If the bean is tender and can be swooshed around your mouth, you’re good.

(Swooshed. Tee hee.)

Use as you would canned beans, or just consume.

Or inhale.

Enjoy!

-Kelly M.

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Comments

  3. Yay! I'm not sure all homemade beans are this low cal, but I just calculated the nutrition using this method and it came out really low! I think it's the water content, but they're not soggy or anything. I love your comments. ;)
    Reply

  5. This concept seems pretty simple...but I'll be honest that I've screwed it up before! So I'm glad to finally have a step-by-step...I can't possibly mess it up again!
    Reply

    • I know what you mean! Once I let the beans soak for like 2 days, and then they fermented and stunk up the place. Ew. This really is super simple, and if you have questions or just wanna talk, I'm here, okay? Thank you so much for reading!
      Reply

    • I hear you! I think 'I'm going to soak my beans.' But of course I forget. I've heard of some quick soak bean recipes, but I think just plain soaking them is better. What do you think? Thanks for reading! ;)
      Reply

    • I'm not sure beans are always this low cal, but when I punched this preparation into a calculator, this is what I got! I checked it once, twice, three times, but I'm not complaining! Happy Friday! Great to hear from you, as always!
      Reply

    • Totally! If you just follow these directions, it'll come out to that low calorie count. I didn't believe it either, so I was incredibly careful in measuring everything before and after cooking and calculating it the stats, but I still got that great number! I hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading. ;)
      Reply

    • Thanks for the question! Since these aren't actually canned, they won't last as long as canned beans. That being said, you shouldn't have to use the beans immediately, but I would try to eat them with 5-7 days. Hope this helps!
      Reply

  10. Hi I love beans but I was always turned off by how many calories they have. I'm still confused on how much low calorie they are then the ones in can. Can you explain why exactly? Cause when I look at the ingredients of a canned bean thw only ingredients are beans.
    Reply

    • Hi Christine! Basically, the beans are cooked in more water for longer, so there is a higher wanter content and fewer calories for the volume.
      Reply

  12. In your low cal dried bean method, the paragraph under "Behold your handy work", are you telling us to soak the beans three times? And is it 6-8 hours each time? And is all this info the same for chickpeas? Thank you.
    Reply

  13. Hi Kelly, First off I just wanna say how much I love your blog. You are so innovative! There has been a bag full of dried chickpeas sitting in my pantry for a while now..can't wait to cook them :). I have a question about this post..how many times do I need to soak the beans? I'm a little confused by the directions. Thanks, Jules :)
    Reply

  14. I just have to say that I LOVE your recipes and cannot wait to try them all out, and that you seem like such a great person! On many food blogs I just skip to the actual recipe (and always feel bad about it), but I actually like reading the rest of your posts. You have such a fun way of writing!
    Reply

  15. I tried this trick with pinto beans the other day and it was awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this trick with us! Do you think it would work for (dried) lima beans?...Lentils?...Garbanzo beans? Thanks in advance :)
    Reply

  17. Hi Kelly, I just found your site and am so thankful as I was searching for s good veggie burger recipe with no soy or wheat and would hold together. Thank you so much for sharing. I then read your low cal bean method. What an eye opener. I have soaked beans in the past but never realized you can lower the calories. Thank you again ! One question... How many times do you soak?? I read thru the comments trying to find the answer and you replied only once. But your recipe says,,,. Behold your handy work. Drain water, put soaked beans backed into pot, and add the same amount of water as the first time around. Remeber, 3c. of water per 1c. of dried beans. So if you soaked 1c. of dried beans, add 3c. of water to soak them in, soak them, drain, and add another 3c. of water in. Were you just reiterating the method? So.... it is soak (3c water to 1c beans) for 6-8 hrs, drain, (I rinse well) then proceed to cook in the same ration of water to previously dried beans. Do I have it right? And this makes a lower calorie bean? Fantastic!! Thanks so much for your help and thank you again for your wonderful recipes!!
    Reply

  18. i recommend getting a pressure cooker. 1/3 fill with boiling water, add 2 cups of beans, 1 tsp table salt, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 tsp each of mace, smoked paprika, sage, thyme... bring to full pressure, cook for 30 minutes, allow to naturally release. drain and use as tinned beans.
    Reply

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