Dry Beans To Cooked Beans To Canned Beans
Beans are a staple ingredient in many cuisines worldwide, prized for their versatility, nutritional value, and hearty texture. Whether you're making a comforting pot of chili, a refreshing bean salad, or a savory bean stew, understanding bean conversions is essential for ensuring your recipes turn out perfectly.
In this post, I’ll provide various bean conversions to help you navigate the often-confusing world of dried and canned beans. Knowing how to convert between dried and cooked beans or understanding the equivalent measurements for different types of beans can save you time and prevent waste in the kitchen.
For instance, did you know that 1 cup of dried beans typically yields about 2 to 3 cups of cooked beans? This information is crucial when planning meals and determining portion sizes.
Additionally, we’ll cover common types of beans—such as black beans, kidney beans, and Lima beans—and their respective conversions to help you easily substitute one for another in your favorite recipes. Armed with this knowledge, you'll be able to whip up delicious and nutritious bean dishes with confidence and precision, elevating your cooking and impressing your family and friends. Let’s dive into the world of bean conversions!
Canned Beans to Cooked Beans Conversions
- 14 -16 oz can = 1.5 cups cooked beans
- 19 oz can = 2¼ cups cooked beans
- 28 oz can = 3 - 3¼ cups cooked beans
Dry Bean Yields After Cooking Conversions
- 1 pound dry beans = 6 to 7 cups cooked beans, drained
- 1 pound dry beans = about 2 cups dry beans
- 1 cup dry beans (most kinds) = 3 cups cooked beans
- ⅔ cup dry beans (most kinds) = 2 cups cooked beans
- ½ cup dry beans (most kinds) = 1½ cups cooked beans
- ⅓cup dry beans = 1 cup cooked beans
Chickpeas, great northern beans, and lima beans: 1 cup dry beans = 3 cups cooked beans
Lentils: 1 cup dried lentils = 3 cups cooked
How About Bean Conversions in Grams?
- 1 cup cooked black kidney beans = 60 grams = 2.2 ounces
- 1 cup cooked green beans chopped = 180 grams = 6.3 ounces
- 1 cup cooked Lima beans = 75 grams = 2.6 ounces
- 1 cup raw red kidney beans = 185 grams = 6.5 ounces
- 1 cup cooked soybeans = 75 grams = 2.6 ounces
I love beans but don't love soaking beans overnight and then cooking them for hours in the middle of the week to make one of my favorite bean dishes. So I assembled this collection of bean conversions to help you make beans for your favorite recipes.
Yes, I know there are advantages to cooking beans from scratch, including nutrition, flavor, and cost, but I want to open a can or two of beans to make a bean stew or Tuscan beans.
Problem: I never know the correct conversion of dry beans to cooked beans to canned beans and that is why I did a little research and am posting what I found here for you to use. These conversions are approximations and depend on the type of bean, the size, and the shape of the bean.
Some of My Favorite Bean Recipes
Braised Beans and Spinach with Pecorino Romano Cheese Recipe
Southern California Style Chicken with Rice and Beans Recipe
Other Important Ingredient Conversions
| BEAN CONVERSIONS | INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS |
| HERB CONVERSIONS | MUSHROOM CONVERSIONS |
| GRAIN CONVERSIONS | PASTA/RICE CONVERSIONS |
| INGREDIENT CONVERSIONS | TOMATO CONVERSIONS |
Midnite
Great info. I like to use dry beans whenever I can, but didn't know the conversion amounts from canned to dry. Thanks for sharing. M
William
Excellent information, thanks!
J'Marinde
I STILL do not get it. I have a recipe that calls for 1/2 pound of dry chickpeas and I need to know how many cups cooked that is - - or how many 15 oz. cans? I am trying to make hummus. Please. Seems everyone wants to give me a conversion lesson, but I just want an answer for now. Can you help?
G. Stephen Jones
Hi J'Marinde,
One pound dried chickpeas = 2 cups dried chickpeas
One pound dried chickpeas = 6 cups fully cooked and drained chickpeas
One pound dried chickpeas = 4 cans (15 oz each) drained chickpeas.
Soooo, 1/2 pound dry chickpeas equals 3 cups fully cooked and drained chickpeas
Nicole S.
I just tested this with 1/2 pound (about a cup) of dry navy beans. I divided the drained, cooked beans between two containers, and each one has the equivalent of about one 15 oz can of beans. Froze one and am using the other. They freeze very well.
Bobbie
Great idea! Thanks!
Frankie
3 to 3-1/2 cups cooked and 2 if the 15oz cans
Amy
A can of beans (15.5 oz size) yields about
1 1/2 cups.
Anwar
1/2 pounds should yield approximately 3 cups cooked chick peas.
Paprika
J'Marinde, you need 2 15-oz cans of drained, rinsed chickpeas.
Kait K
Don't make the mistake of taking the weight of the contents of the can...you need the DRAINED weight or you'll be eating beans for days!
arto
Thanks for this great information, very generous!
Angela Crawford
How many dry great northern kidney and pinto beans do I use in a quart jar when canning them.
I know I fill rest of the way with water to the head-space. I don't want over thickened beans.
La Belle Gigi
Acording to these guidelines you'll need about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups of dried beans for them to expand into the available space. The smaller measurement is for sligtly "soupier" vs "thicker" liquid after cooking. Or you could precook your beans and then can them.
Audrey
8-10 oz, dry beans per quart/liter. canned.
Donna
This is probably a silly question, but would the 'dry bean yield after cooking', be the same thing as 'dry bean yield after just soaking overnight'? I soaked some pinto beans overnight, rinsed them and them divided them into freezer containers. Now, when a recipe calls for 1 cup of soaked beans, I'm not sure how much I need.
Sharon Hill
They may be close to the cooking size, but might still continue to expand. They just begin to soften, through the cooking process, there on out. Just don't add any vinegar, molasses, or tomato products, which restricts softening. Cook beans until completely softened first.
Kate
Thank you so much for this! It's exactly what I needed. Printing this out to tape in my recipe binder!
Yvette
Hi, I'm hoping you can help. My recipe calls for 250g brown beans, cooked. I'm not sure how to interpret this. Must I take 250g of dry beans and cook them, or use 250g of beans that are already cooked? Thanks!
G. Stephen Jones
Hi Yvette, if the recipe says 250g cooked, I would interpret that as meaning, already soaked and cooked so use 250g beans already cooked.
Myrna Todd
Enjoy your site and would love to receive e-mail updates. I don't do Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Thanks for the consideration. Myrna
Liz
THANK YOU!! Am needing to cook 3 gal. of pintos for a Community Kitchen lunch. Haven't cooked this quantity and your conversion info was just what I needed. If (notice the IF) I figured correctly, I think I will need apprx. 8# dried beans.
Vanessa
Thanks for this. It's very well done. Useful information for bean preparation.
Nina
Learned in LA Times article that don't need to soak beans, like garbanzo, pinto and black beans. Takes about 2 hours (a little less for black beans) to cook without any overnight soaking. Straight into pot with water and salt - that's it! http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-dont-soak-dried-beans-20140911-story.html
So much more flavorful and can use less salt because the salty water is infused into the beans rather than adding salt after they are cooked. There is no comparison! We tend to eat beans more often now too. I can throw them in pot when I wake up and they are done before I leave the house. Thanks for conversion info!
Chef Beansy
We agree that it isn't necessary to pre-soak as long as your body is accustomed to eating beans (which if it is, great!). If you're new to beans, then it would be best to pre-soak. Regardless, according to the Blue Zone book, those who eat beans daily live 4 years longer on average. Gotta love that! Also wanted to thank you for this post — can see you put a lot of work into it so the rest of us have a great reference. Thank you.
Geraldine Pearsall
I need 2 cups dry chick peas, i only have canned, how many cups of canned do i need?
Amina
12
JV
Hi,
Since you have 2 cups of dried chickpeas, that's about 1 pound. That 1 pound or 2 cups of dried chickpeas should yield about 6 to 7 cups of cooked beans.
Article says:
"Dry Bean Yields After Cooking:
1 pound dry beans = 6 to 7 cups cooked beans, drained
1 pound dry beans = about 2 cups dry beans"
"Canned Beans to Cooked Beans
14 -16 oz can = 1.5 cups cooked beans
19 oz can = 2.25 cups cooked beans
28 oz can = 3 – 3.25 cups cooked beans"
So, approximately 6-7 cups of cooked beans is approximately:
4 - 5 cans @ 14 - 16 ozs each (should give 6 - 7 1/2 cups)
3 cans @ 19 ozs each (should give 6 3/4 cups)
2 cans @ 28 ozs each (should give 6 - 6 1/2 cups)
Hope it helps!
Best wishes!!
michelle
Hi! I have a recipe that calls for 1 cup of chickpeas (soak about 1/2 cup of dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans in hot water for about 2 hours or room temperature water, overnight. Then, cook the beans until tender. I want to use canned garbanzo beans. How much should I use to equal what the recipe calls for?
Andrea A Jupina
This is FABULOUS! Thanks so much.
I prefer to soak my beans overnight in a tablespoon of baking soda - and rinse well - this really helps de-gas them. Also, in Mexico we use a fresh herb called epazote and one sprig of that also counters the gas.
I prefer the taste (and anti-gas) of the beans I cook, so sometimes I just freeze the extras. If I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll even measure them. I often use a regular zip-lock sandwich bag. If I freeze them really flat, either on a box of frozen food, or (temporarily use a cooky sheet), after they freeze, they will stand nicely on their side, if I want to store them that way.
The Reluctant Gourmet
Thanks Andrea for that useful information. I look forward to trying your techniques.
Annie Poniente
Thanks so much for info...
Audrey Claire
I have a recipe that calls for 14 oz of dried white beans - is that 1.75 cups?
G. Stephen Jones
If you are asking about 14 ounces of dried white beans to cooked beans ratio, I would say it would be closer to 1.5 cups cooked but this is an approximation that works for me.
cis
I need to know how many tablespoons is 1 cup of cooked beans.
This is because cups are foreign to me or to most of the world.
I still don't understand how you guys can make any sense of these imperial measures.
Give me grams any day...
G. Stephen Jones
Cis, here's what I found on the Internet. 1 cup of cooked black kidney beans is equivalent to 60 grams or 2.2 ounces. I know you asked for tablespoons but I thought you would prefer grams. Besides tablespoons can't be converted to grams because tablespoons measure volume, while grams measure mass.
jenn
Thanks! Great information. I am always estimating. I am going to print this out and keep it handy. I try to use dry beans when I can and most of my recipes have the canned amount listed.
marian
Good stuff to know. Thanks so much.
G. Stephen Jones
You are very welcome Marian.
kari-anne reedy
Thank you for sharing! I appreciate the time and effort you spent on this and your generosity in sharing. Have a blessed day!
Dee Cee
Fine business, thanks for that bit of useful information.
Bobby c
Thanks for doing the homework.I've been canning(jarring)for a few years. Chick peas red beans,chili sans carne.etc etc.And I didn't know my cost ratio or the equivalency values (half colander equals 10 8 oz jars) Well thanks to your handy dandy chart I now know it's about 33 cents per finished jar.Happy Happy.Plus no weird ingredients I can't pronounce. Keep on chooglin
Thanks, Bob
G. Stephen Jones
You are welcome Bobby.
Sabina
I have canned red kidney beans. But i want to know how much is 60 gms of uncooked red kidney beans once cooked ?
Cheri
Thank you for sharing this information!!
Barbara
I need to know how many 6 cups of fresh fava beans are in cans. I don't know the size of the cans yet, but once I do I can figure it out.
Thank you
Angie
What great ratio info!! I love fresh beans vs canned but sometimes gotta use 'em in a pinch. This was so detailed and easy to understand. Thank you for doing all the work!
James M. Faith
I read an article on the cooking of hydrated common beans that claimed the length of cooking time could affect the fiber content of the beans and they recommended kidney beans soak for a minimum of eight hours and they implied there was a toxin in the beans if not done-- also they recommended all common beans cook in a "rapid boil for 30 minutes which insures a good fiber content to the individual bean. Once cooked refrigerate and do not reheat or the bean will take on a less favorable gummy high carbohydrate content. Sorry this is from memory and I cannot quote the source.
Donna
Do you know how many cups or pounds of dry (un-soaked) pinto beans I can cook in an 8 quart electric pressure cooker (an Instant Pot)? Thank you!!
Andrea
I've cooked 2 lbs of pinto beans in 12 cups (3 qt) of water in my 8qt IP and they come out perfect.
G. Stephen Jones
Thanks Andrea for responding to Donna.
Khadejah
Hi, I am wanting to ferment some beans...the recipe I want to do calls for 2.5 cups raw black eyed peas or other field beans/peas. Can I use canned beans for this? Or dried soaked beans?
Carol
Please, what is the canned equivalent of 175 grams of dried chickpeas?
G. Stephen Jones
Hi Carol, not sure what you are asking?
Darlene
Hi. Need Help, please.
Two questions.
How many servings in one cup of dried Pigeon Peas cooked? How many cups in one pound of dry Pigeon Peas?
Thank you!
Monika
Thank you.
Lois
Very helpful post! Thank you for the significant effort that went in to compiling and sharing this information.
Pamela
I’d like to add my thanks for this post. I have bookmarked it and refer to it regularly.
With appreciation,
Pamela
G. Stephen Jones
You are very welcome Pamela. Thanks for letting me know.
andrea
thanks so much for this!! i buy from a bulk store and like to only buy as much as i need for a recipe, this helps a ton. i really appreciate the time you spent on this! hope you are well, happy new year 🙂
Norm
Hello Stephen!
Great that you put a comment box on here so I could thank you for your efforts. You popped right up for my search of beanie conversions. Trying to decide the best way to stock up...dried or canned. Checking current prices against your conversion....there really isn't that much difference! Of course dry beans store longer. Prolly best to have a mix....canned for short term and dry for longer. Dry beans aren't as cheap as they used to be and they'll darn sure get no cheaper in the coming months. Super thanks!
G. Stephen Jones
You are very welcome Norm.
Belinda Spinosi
Stephen,
Great advisement. Thank you and for your attention to detail.
Belinda
Diane Isely
The Instant Pot is your solution to never soaking beans again!!! It’s amazing and I do pinto beans once a week that way! Also….Great info! Thanks for putting it together!
Lois Lower
I cook my black beans in the slow cooker, So easy just throw them in,turn it on and leave till done. Then use.
G. Stephen Jones
Great way to cook black beans Lois. When my daughter was in college living with some friends, they would make a big batch of black beans on Sunday night for the entire week. They were cheap to buy and full of nutrition. Thanks for sharing.
Robert Burns
Personally, I like to do things by weight. I put the bowl on the scale, zero the scale, and pour in whatever ingredient I need until I have the right weight (apart from the fact that I don't dirty any measuring cups, why in the world would anyone want to measure butter or molasses by the cup?*). What I would like to know is how much weight do beans gain when you cook them? If I cook 100 grams of dried black beans, how many grams of cooked beans will I get?
* I do it once so I know how much a cup of something weighs and have compiled a table that I keep taped inside a cupboard door. For example, if a recipe calls for a cup of molasses, I put the bowl on the scale, zero the scale, and pour in 350 g of molasses straight from the jar. Easy peasy.
G. Stephen Jones
Robert, those are great points, and I may have to make my own list to stick inside my cupboard door. When cooked, dried black beans typically absorb water and expand to about 2.5 to 3 times their original weight. If you're cooking 100 grams of dried black beans, you can expect to end up with around 250 to 300 grams of cooked beans, depending on how much water they absorb during the cooking process. This will vary slightly based on factors like how long you cook them and how much water you use, but the general range will be in that ballpark.