If you forget to soak beans overnight, you can just quickly soak them instead. It’s easy, and it works for all kinds of beans and other legumes.
Imagine how frustrating it would be to have all the ingredients ready for a tasty dinner of navy white beans or black bean soup. After all your hard work, you open the recipe and see that the beans need to be soaked for 6 to 10 hours before they can be cooked. Oh no!.
This happens more often than you might think (it’s happened to me more than once!). If and when it happens to you, there’s no need for frustration. Take a deep breath, then use these instructions to quickly soak your beans. You’ll be on your way to a delicious meal in no time!.
Soaking dried beans before cooking is a crucial step that softens the beans, resulting in evenly cooked beans with an ideal texture Traditional overnight soaking can take 8-12 hours While this extended soak time has its benefits, some busy cooks may wonder if there are any shortcuts to speed up the soaking process. Luckily, there are a few time-saving tricks to rapidly hydrate beans when you’re in a pinch.
Why Soak Beans?
Before discussing how to accelerate bean soaking let’s review why it’s important in the first place
- Rehydrates the beans for even cooking
- Removes indigestible compounds that cause gas
- Softens skins so beans don’t split during cooking
- Reduces overall cooking time
- Improves texture – soaked beans are creamier
- Enhances flavor by removing impurities
So while soaked beans take longer upfront, they save time and trouble later in the cooking process
Quick Soak Methods
If you don’t have 8-12 hours for traditional overnight soaking, these faster techniques can hydrate beans in 1-2 hours:
Hot Water Soak
- Place beans in a pot and cover with 2-3 inches of water
- Bring to a boil, boil for 2-3 minutes
- Remove from heat, cover pot, and soak for 1 hour
- Drain and rinse beans well
The hot water jumpstarts the hydration process. The short boiling time also begins to break down the complex sugars that cause digestive issues. This is one of the fastest ways to soak beans in a time crunch.
Salt Soak
- Dissolve 2 tbsp salt in 4 cups water
- Add beans and soak for 1-2 hours
- Drain beans and rinse thoroughly
The salt solution helps draw moisture into the beans quickly. Be sure to rinse well after to remove excess salt.
Baking Soda Soak
- Add beans to bowl and cover with water
- Stir in 1 tsp baking soda
- Soak for 1-2 hours
- Drain and rinse beans
The alkaline baking soda helps soften bean skins so they cook evenly. It also decreases cooking time.
Pressure Cooker Soak
- Add beans to pressure cooker and cover with 2 inches water
- Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes
- Let depressurize naturally, about 10 minutes
- Drain and rinse beans
The pressure cooker forces hot water into the beans to rehydrate them rapidly. Just 2 minutes under pressure does the trick.
Tips for Speed-Soaking Beans
To get the most out of quick bean soaking methods:
- Sort beans first to remove any dirt, debris or damaged beans
- Use a generous amount of water, at least triple the volume of beans
- Agitate or stir beans occasionally to expose all surfaces
- Soak for the minimum recommended time to prevent bursting skins
- Drain in a colander and rinse well after soaking
While overnight soaking may be ideal, rapid soaking techniques allow you to enjoy beans on a tighter timeline. With a hot water, salt, baking soda or pressure cooker soak, beans can be ready to cook in as little as 1-2 hours. Just remember to rinse beans well after quick soaking. The next time you’re pressed for time, turn to one of these speedy methods for soaking success.
How to quick soak beans
- Clean and sort them. Rinse your beans in a colander with cool tap water. Then go through them and throw away any small stones or other junk that might have been packed in with them by accident.
- Cover with water. Put the beans in a big pot and add enough water to cover them by about 2 inches.
- Over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Then, leave the pot open and cook the beans for 5 minutes.
- Remove pot from the heat and soak the beans. For one hour, let the beans soak in the hot water.
- Drain, rinse, and cook! Put the beans in a colander, drain them, and then cook them your way.
PRO TIP: Drain the soaking water from the beans into a clean pot or large measuring cup. Put it in a container with a lid and put it in the fridge. You can use it later as the base for a tasty soup stock!
To quick soak beans… or not
Now, some of you may be wondering, “Do you have to soak beans”? It is even necessary? Well, the answer depends on who you ask. I’ll say this; there are known health benefits of soaking beans, especially for people with intestinal and/or digestive issues. There’s also the uncomfortable truth that soaking reduces the phytic acid that can cause gassiness. Plus, professional chefs do it and they aren’t the type to do something for no reason. For the record, I will never turn down an opportunity to save time in the kitchen.
Long before he started writing, award winning journalist, author and cook, Michael Ruhlman, had a small food blog like this one. He used the blogging platform to share his cooking knowledge and experience for several years; then he began sharing that same information in his books. In The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef’s Craft for Every Kitchen, Ruhlman explains the importance of soaking beans. That sealed the deal for me.
So, the next time you forget to soak your beans, this method works great. It works for any type of legume, from pintos for authentic refried beans to chickpeas for Mediterranean hummus.
Preparing Beans // Quick Soak Method
FAQ
What to do if I forgot to soak beans overnight?
How do you make beans cook faster without soaking?
Can I boil beans instead of soaking overnight?
Is an hour long enough to soak beans?
Should you soak beans overnight or Power Soak?
Still, we prefer the “power soak” method. Not only is it faster than soaking beans overnight, it also breaks down more of the complex sugars that can make beans hard to digest. The process is simple: Place beans in a pot and cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil and simmer briskly for two minutes.
What is the best way to eat beans?
The best way to eat beans is to first cook them in a large pot of water, about 4 cups of water to every 1 cup of beans. Adding lemon grass or other herbs to the water can improve the flavor. Once beans are cooked the best thing to do is combine them with cooked rice, this is because beans are low in methionine and rice is low in lysine, so combining them makes a more complete protein.
How long do you soak beans in hot water?
Let the beans soak in the hot water for an hour. Drain, rinse, and cook! Drain the beans into a colander, rinse and then cook according to your favorite recipe. PRO TIP: Drain the soaking water from the beans into a clean pot or large measuring cup.
Should you soak beans before boiling?
An overnight soak before boiling is the default method because hydrating beans before cooking improves their quality, plus eliminates some of the starches that cause gassiness. But, an 8-hour overnight bath isn’t always convenient. Enter quick-soaking, a technique that will shave about 7 hours off your task. Here’s how it’s done.