Should You Drain Canned Great Northern Beans?

Canned beans are a convenient and nutritious pantry staple that can be used in many quick and easy recipes. However, when you open a can of beans, you’ll notice they are packed in a thick, cloudy liquid. This liquid helps preserve the beans, but it is mostly made up of starch, salt, and other preservatives that may alter the flavor and texture of your finished dish. So should you drain the liquid before using canned great northern beans?

Why Draining is Usually Recommended

Most recipes will instruct you to drain and rinse canned beans before adding them to a recipe, Here are some of the main reasons this extra step is recommended

Removes excess starch and salt – Draining removes the starchy, salty liquid that the beans have been soaking in inside the can. This prevents your dish from becoming overly salty.
Improves texture – The starch in the canning liquid can cause beans to become mushy or pasty when cooked. Draining helps them maintain a firmer, pleasant texture.
Enhances flavor – The liquid may give the beans a slight metallic taste from the can. Draining and rinsing washes this away.
Avoids discoloration – The canning liquid can sometimes cause sauces or other ingredients to become discolored. Draining minimizes this effect.
Reduces sodium – If you are watching your sodium intake, draining the beans reduces the amount of salt and preservatives you’ll consume compared to using them with the liquid.

Are There Exceptions?

While draining canned beans is recommended in most recipes, there are a few exceptions:

Soups and stews – The liquid may be incorporated into the dish to thicken and flavor the broth or sauce.
Beans baked in sauce – The starch helps thicken the sauce as it cooks.
Added creaminess – The starch can actually enhance creaminess in some recipes like dips
Time saver – Skipping draining saves a step if the beans will cook for a long time like in chili.

So if a recipe specifically says to use the beans with their liquid, there is usually a good reason! But when the directions don’t specify, it’s generally best practice to drain and rinse the beans.

How to Drain and Rinse Canned Beans

Draining and rinsing beans takes just a minute:

Open the can and empty the beans and liquid into a colander in the sink.
Allow all of the liquid to drain completely. Give the colander a shake to remove excess liquid clinging to the beans.
Give the beans a quick rinse under cool running water, stirring them around a bit until the water runs clear.
Shake the colander again to remove all excess water. The beans are now ready to use!

Tips for Draining Great Northern Beans

Great northern beans have a very delicate flavor and texture. Draining helps preserve their color and texture. Here are some tips when draining this variety:

Drain immediately after opening. Allowing them to sit in the liquid can cause them to absorb water and become mushy.
Rinse thoroughly. Great northerns are prone to an unpleasant tinny or metallic flavor from the can. Be sure to rinse away all traces of the liquid.
Handle gently. These beans are quite delicate. Avoid vigorously shaking the colander or over-stirring during rinsing.
Pat dry if needed. For recipes where a drier bean is preferred, spread them on a paper towel to pat away excess moisture.
Don’t soak after draining. Soaking drained canned beans can cause them to become too soft. Use them immediately after draining and rinsing.

Recipes Using Drained Great Northern Beans

Here are some delicious ways to use drained and rinsed great northern beans:

White Chicken Chili – Flavorful chili made with tender great northern beans.
Tuscan Bean Salad – White beans, fresh veggies, and a light dressing.
Minestrone with Pasta – Classic Italian vegetable soup with pasta and beans.
White Beans with Rosemary – Simple side dish flavored with fresh rosemary.
Greek Salad Wrap – Fill a whole wheat wrap with salad greens, great northern beans, feta, and Mediterranean dressing.
Chicken and Rice Casserole – Comfort food casserole made creamy with beans.

do you drain canned great northern beans

Dry vs. Canned Beans: Which Is Better?

When it comes to cooking, what’s better for home cooks: dry beans or canned beans? The answer depends on a lot of things, like cost, ease of use, and control.

Cost: If you want to save money, cook with dry beans.

Dry beans cost less per serving than canned beans. When we went to our local grocery store not long ago, a one-pound bag of dry pinto beans cost $1. 68 and will make 12-½ cup servings of cooked beans whereas a 15 oz. can of national brand pinto beans costs $1. 59, a store brand can costs $1. 19, and each provides 3. 5-½ cup servings. This means that a serving of pinto beans made from dry beans costs just $0. 14 while a serving of store brand canned pinto beans costs $0. 34 and the national brand costs $0. 45. A family of four that eats beans once a week could save almost $65 a year if they bought dry beans instead of a national brand of canned beans.

Type of bean cost per serving*

Type of beans	Cost per serving
Dry Pinto Beans	$0.14
Canned Pinto Beans (store brand)	$0.34
Canned Pinto Beans (national brand)	$0.45

Convenience: If you want to save time, cook with canned beans.

People like dry beans because they save money, but cooking with them takes time and work. It can take anywhere from 3 to 24 hours to sort, rinse, soak, and cook dry beans before adding them to a recipe. On the other hand, all you have to do to cook canned beans is open the can. If you value your time more than your money, using canned beans is the better option. Also, remember that you can cook a lot of dry beans at once and then freeze them to use in soups, stews, and chili later on. This way, you can save money by using dry beans and save time by using canned beans that are already cooked.

Control: If you want less sodium, cook with dry beans.

Third, think about how much control you have over the amount of sodium in the final dish when you start with dry beans. A quarter-cup serving of pinto beans made from dry beans with no extra salt has almost no sodium. On the other hand, a quarter-cup serving of canned pinto beans has about 200 milligrams of sodium. If you drain and rinse canned beans, you can get rid of about 40% of the sodium. You can also buy versions of many canned bean products that have less sodium. But if you want to be more careful about how much salt is in the end dish, you should start with dry beans. It’s best not to add salt or other sodium-containing ingredients to dry beans until they are soft and fully cooked. The sodium can affect the beans’ ability to fully cook and soften.

To rinse or not to rinse?

Do you need to drain and rinse canned beans? It depends. Many recipes don’t need the bean liquid, but if you want to cut down on sodium, it’s best to drain and rinse canned beans.

In 2009, researchers at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville found that draining canned beans gets rid of about 33.6 percent of the sodium that’s in them. Draining and then rinsing removes, on average, 41% of the sodium.

Reference Jone JB and Mount JR. Sodium Reduction in Canned Beans Varieties by Draining and Rinsing. Poster presentation at the 2009 International Food Technologists Meeting, July 2009.

Do you drain Randall beans?

FAQ

Do you have to drain great northern beans?

Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish.

What happens if you don’t rinse canned beans?

“If you rinse your beans thoroughly, you will have a consistently flavored product, but if you do not rinse them, different amounts of salt will remain in the dish each time you cook it, and it will be hard to cook consistently,” he says.

Is it okay to use the liquid in canned beans?

Much like the delicious pot likker from a pot of simmered dry beans, the liquid in canned beans is full of flavor that shouldn’t go to waste. It’s useful. All that starchy liquid will act as a natural thickener for soups, stews, and saucy dishes, making them instantly creamier.

Do canned beans need to be drained?

If you don’t want to rinse, consider at least draining them first. Draining alone will “reduce the sodium by a third,” says Reinagel. Bottom line: If you’re watching your sodium intake for your health, it won’t hurt to drain and rinse your can of beans before using them.