Canning Dried Beans

First things first. If you are canning dried beans you MUST process them in a pressure canner.
How to can dried beans is just below. Click here for directions on using a pressure canner.

You’ll need about 3/4 pound of dried beans per quart jar.  Follow the instructions below, you are soaking the beans, then partially cooking them before putting them in the jars. 

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On this page, You’ll probably notice my images have several types of beans, pinto, black and northern. I can dried beans often and I just pulled from images I’ve taken at different canning sessions. In fact, I often will prepare a couple of types of beans and do a few jars of each in one canning session. They all have the same processing time.

When I say canning dried beans… I mean northern, pinto, navy, black…… Not green beans. The dried beans are cooked and pressure canned in liquid. Not canned dry in a jar.

Hope that clears it up!

Why is canning dried beans a good idea?

Beans are so easy to store in their dried state that it is easy to just leave them there and use dry. If you are looking at long term storage, don’t can your beans. Dry beans will store much much longer dry, vs wet like these directions.

But how many times have you wished you had thought to soak your beans ahead of time so you could make chili? I’ve done it often! Precooked jars of home-canned beans on the shelf is great convenience food. Canning dried beans yourself is so easy it makes no sense to purchase canned dry beans from the store. The cost savings are huge!

Recommended shelf life is one year. After that, the nutritional value goes down. It is not intended for long term storage. Just short term storage and convenience.

A reader sent in another good reason for having beans already canned (er jarred). Dirk says……. “You mentioned this if for convenience, but there is one other reason; It takes a LOT of water to cook beans no matter what method you use. If you are canning for rough times, water my be in short supply. By having a good supply of beans already processed and in jars ready to heat and serve you will not use ANY water at all.”

How to soak your beans for canning.

The first thing you will need to do is soak your beans. There are 2 methods for this. Overnight soak or quick soak.

Overnight soak

Check your beans for any small bits of rock, dirt or bad beans. Place dried beans in a large pot and cover with water. Adding a little acid in the form of vinegar or lemon juice is a good way to improve the nutritional value of your beans. Add about 2 Tablespoons or so. I usually just splash a dob in. How’s that for measurments? A “dob”

Soak 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. I usually do this overnight. Drain water.

Quick Soak

If you don’t want to wait over night you can quickly hydrate beans. Simply cover sorted and washed beans with boiling water in a saucepan. Boil 2 minutes, remove from heat, soak 1 hour and drain.

How to Can dry beans.

Gather Your Canning Supplies

• pressure canner
• canning jars
• canning lids and rings
• jar lifter and canning funnel
• large pot
• large spoons
• towels and dish cloths

Ingredients

• dried beans of your choice
• canning salt

Next prepare your jars and start preheating water in your canner. The goal is to have the canner hot but not necessarily boiling when the jars are ready to go in.
(see pressure canning for more specific directions)

Rinse your presoaked beans. Using a colander is the easiest method. This rinsing is important as it removes all the soaking water from the beans. Discard any water from the soaking step you don’t want to reuse.

Place the beans back in the pot and recover with fresh water. Bring them to a boil reduce heat and keep them at a low boil for 30 minutes. Now you are ready to fill your jars.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pint or 1 teaspoon per quart jar, if desired. Salt is optional but I highly recommend it.

Fill jars with beans leaving a generous 1-inch headspace. A little more is even ok. Beans will tend to soak up more water as they process so leaving a little extra room for more water is fine.

Next you’ll want to add your hot water. You can reuse the cooking water or use fresh boiling water. I tend to use fresh water that I’ve heated up in my tea kettle. It makes it super easy to fill each jar without ladles. Much neater.

It is important that the liquid you add does come up to the proper 1-inch headspace. The beans will be fully covered.

Next you want to clean off the rims of your jar with a damp dish rag or paper towel. This is so there is no food residue to interfere with the seal of the lid.

Place the canning lids and screw bands on your jars and place them in your preheated pressure canner.

When all your jars are filled you are ready to process.

This day I’m doing pints. I have double stacked 15 pints in my All American Canner.

A few important questions regarding canning dried beans

Why presoaking Dried Beans is Essential For Safe Canning

I get messages from folks who use a different method for canning dried beans. They use a raw pack method measuring out dry beans directly into the jar, add water and process them that way. Just remember, time in the canner has not been tested from the dried state. Dried beans are far different from fully rehydrated beans.

Dry does not conduct heat as easily as moist. I heard this illustration – think about how you can put your hand in a hot oven for a moment without getting burned, but you’d never do the same with boiling water.

When canning, the beans need to be fully hydrated before the heat can penetrate them effectively. If you start with dry beans, most of the processing time is spent just hydrating the beans, rather than actually cooking them at the high temperature needed for safe preservation. This can result in under-processed beans, which pose a serious risk of botulism.

My suggestion is to follow the tested canning methods. Always soak and partially cook your beans as directed, then process.

If you have a resource that has tested this method of canning beans from the dry state, I’d sure love to see it because I admit, it would make the process so super easy. I would love to be able to share it. Contact me and send me a link. Please note I would be looking for an official source that has tested this method. Not someone who just has done it successfully. Problems may not always arise… but when they do it can be serious. So no anecdotes ok?

How do I use a Water Bath canner for my dried beans?

I’ve been asked how to can dry beans the “old fashioned way” Meaning with a water bath canner. I do NOT recommend canning beans or any vegetable or meat without a pressure canner. I do not have any information regarding “old fashioned” methods.

If you are not sure why, I recommend you read my section on botulism and canning safety.
Food safety is a very important part of canning. I simply can’t recommend something that I would not do myself.

However, Another way to use dried beans is this pickled 3 bean salad. Since this is pickled… you can use a water bath!

Printable Recipe Card.

Please don’t forget all the notes and tips on the rest of this page too!

Canning Dried Beans

If you are canning dried beans you MUST process them in a pressure canner. Here's how to can dried beans SAFELY.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:20 hours hrs

Processing Quarts (adjust for altitude):1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time:21 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Equipment

• Pressure Canner
• Canning Jars
• Canning Lids and Rings
• Funnel, Jar Lifter, Lid Lifter, Bubble Tool
• Ladle

Ingredients

• Dried Beans or peas, of your choice
• Canning Salt optional
• Water

Instructions

Pre-Soak Beans -2 methods to choose from

• Over Night Soak – Check your beans for any small bits of rock, dirt or bad beans.

  Place sorted and washed beans in a large pot and cover with several inches of water. Soak 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. Drain water and continue with canning directions.
• Quick Soak – Check your beans for any small bits of rock, dirt or bad beans.

  Simply cover sorted and washed beans with boiling water in a saucepan. Boil 2 minutes, remove from heat, soak 1 hour. Drain water and continue with canning directions.

Canning Directions

• Start by preparing your jars and getting water in the canner heating. You want the canner hot, but not boiling, when the jars are ready to be processed.

  If you are new to using a pressure canner, see this article for full pressure canning instructions. This includes more detailed information and step-by-step instructions on how a pressure canner works.

Hot pack only

• Rinse pre-soaked beans. Put beans back in pot, covering with fresh water.
• Bring beans to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes. Add water as needed to keep beans covered.
• Add salt to jars (1/2 tsp. per pint or 1 tsp. per quart).
• Fill jar with beans to a generous 1- 2 inch headspace.
• Pour cooking water over beans, leaving 1 inch headspace.
• Remove bubbles, wipe the rim clean, and place on seal and ring. Place the jar in the warm canner. Proceed to fill all jars. Process in a pressure canner according to the directions below.

Notes

Processing with a Pressure Canner

Place the jars in the warm canner. Proceed to fill all jars placing them in the prepared hot canner. 

Put the lid on the canner leaving the weights off.  Bring to a boil. Watch for the steam to start coming out the vent pipe in the lid.

Allow the steam to ‘vent’ for 10 minutes then put the weights on. Use the proper weight for your altitude (check the chart below) This is when pressure will start to build.  

When the pressure reaches the pressure required for your altitude (check the chart below) that is when you’ll start your time.  Process for the full time indicated, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain the correct pressure for the entire time.

When processing time is completed turn off the heat. Do not remove weights yet. Let the canner sit undisturbed until pressure comes back to zero. Do not try to speed up the cooling process.

Remove the weight and wait 5 minutes.

Open the lid to allow steam to escape. (carefully don’t let it hit your face or arms!) Leave the lid setting on top of the canner slightly ajar and wait 5 minutes.

Take the lid off the canner and remove your jars. (optionally you can wait another 5 minutes if the contents appear to be bubbling so hard it is coming out of the jars)

Put the jars a few inches apart on a thick towel and allow them to cool to room temperature undisturbed. 12 hours is suggested.

When the jars are cool, remove the metal bands, check the seals, and store the jars in a cool dark place.

Processing Instructions (Hot Pack only) 

Process pints for 1 hour 15 minutes or quarts for 1 hour 30 minutes, adjusting for altitude.  

Altitude Adjustments for Pressure Canner  

Altitude – Weighted Gauge   

• 0-1,000 ft – 10 pounds  
• 1,001-10,000 ft – 15 pounds  

Altitude – Dial Gauge

• 0-2,000 ft – 11 pounds
• 2,001-4,000 ft – 12 pounds
• 4,001-6,000 ft – 13 pounds
• 6,001-8,000 ft – 14 pounds
• 8,001-10,000 ft – 15 pounds

Adapted from: The National Center for Home Food Preservation 

Author: Sharon Peterson

Easy recipe to use those beans. Baked Beans.

• 2 Quarts Home Canned Pinto Beans (kidney beans works too)
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/8 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup boiling water (more or less as needed)
• 1 T dry minced or chopped onion.
• You can also add canned ground meat, ham, bacon whatever you might have on hand.

Heat all ingredients, simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through.

EASY!