How to cook dried lima beans fast

Forget soaking! Cook Dried Beans in only 2 hours...really! This last-minute meal prep hack makes the creamiest beans for dips, salads, and soups. Even readers say, "I'll never soak and cook dried beans the traditional way again".

There is no soaking required for this oven-baked method. It's truly my favorite way to cook dried beans because it always produces the creamiest, dreamiest beans. I got the idea from an America's Test Kitchen lentil-cooking episode. They believe this method cooked them more gently than stove-top boiling, which helps retain their shape and texture. So, I tried it with ALL the beans and loved the results.

Ingredients needed to cook dried beans in the oven

• dried beans (garbanzos, pintos, or black beans)
• Kosher Salt
• water
• (optional) dried seasonings

1. Rinse dry beans and place in an oven-safe pot.
2. Fill water to cover beans by two or three inches and add salt.
3. Cover with a heavy lid and bake for 2 hours at 375°.
4. Check for doneness with a taste-test; bake longer, in 30-minute increments, if needed.
5. When beans are done, you can either drain them, or store them in the liquid. I prefer the latter. Allow them to cool down and store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

How to use cooked beans for recipes

white beans (Great Northern or cannellini) - Oh yes! I love to use these for my White Bean Dip or Tuscan White Bean Kale Soup. Both recipes are extremely popular here on the blog!

chickpeas (garbanzo beans) - I like to meal prep chickpeas using this method because it cooks them to the perfect texture for homemade hummus. Otherwise, once they're cooked, I drain them, and keep the juice (aquafaba) to use it for other things. I pack the chickpeas to use in recipes like my Lemony Kale Chickpea Salad and Mashed Chickpea Salad.

black beans - I love to turn these into my Loaded Black Bean Dip or Refried Beans or black bean soup.

pinto beans - I love to make a big pot of pintos using this method and eat them straight! I do like to add a tablespoon of dried oregano to them prior to cooking. I use them for when any of my Mexican recipes calls for beans (especially Refried Beans!)

Why I love to cook dried beans with this method

• no soaking required
• 5 minute prep
• hands-free - shove the pot in the oven and get stuff done.
• budget-friendly - dried beans are cheap as heck
• meal prep made easy - no planning required
• creamiest homemade beans for dayyyys
• use them in ALL the recipes that call for beans.

Does soaking beans reduce gas?

Some believe that soaking beans reduces gas. The jury has always been out on this one for me. Mainly, because I've never done a side-by-side test of soaked beans vs. non-soaked beans. Not gonna lie, probably won't do that test because measuring flatulence sounds...tedious

Do all beans cook in the same amount of time?

Not all beans are alike, so you have to experiment and adjust cooking times accordingly. 2 hours is generally adequate for this method, but the bean cooking time will completely depend on the type of bean and how old the beans are.

Recommended tools

• cast iron Dutch oven or oven-safe soup pot with a heavy lid
• conventional oven or countertop oven
• oven mitts
• slotted spoon

How to cook beans in an Instant Pot

• Instant Pot Black Beans
• Instant Pot Chickpeas [Garbanzo Beans]

• ▢ 2 cups Dried Beans (any variety), white beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, black beans, red beans, etc.
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• ▢ Water, enough to fill pot 2" above bean surface
• ▢ (optional) Seasonings, use any seasonings you like

• Preheat oven to 375°F and center the oven rack.

• Sort DRIED BEANS to remove any unwanted pieces, then rinse.

• Place beans in dutch oven or heavy soup pot with a heavy lid.

• Add SALT and enough WATER to cover the beans 2" above their surface.

• Cover and bake dried beans for 2 hours.

• Carefully remove pot and test beans for doneness. If they're not soft and creamy, top off the water until it reaches the surface of the beans, cover the pot, and continue baking in 15 or 30 minute intervals until desired consistency is reached.

  *Final cook time depends on the age of the dried bean; i.e., how long the dried beans sit on the retail shelf and/or your pantry.

• If you want to drain the cooked beans, consider capturing the bean juice, also called aquafaba, and use it for other recipes.

Serving and Storage Instructions

• Store cooked beans in an airtight container up to five days in the refrigerator or freeze up to 3 months (or longer, if vacuum sealed).

Visit the comments below and tell me how it went.

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Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 398mg | Potassium: 1209mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 162mg | Iron: 7mg

Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.

Do you have to soak beans before cooking them?

No. You can cook dried beans in 2 hours using the oven-baked method. (see recipe above)

How long does it take to cook beans without soaking?

It depends on the cooking method. It takes two hours using the oven-baked method. It takes about an hour in the instant pot. Unsoaked beans can require 6-8 hours in the slow cooker.

How do you know when beans are cooked?

You will know when beans are cooked by their texture. They should be softened to the point that they are pleasant to bite into. The skins may fall off certain beans, like pintos and garbanzos. Ultimately, beans are cooked when they are softened to your personal preference.