How to Cook Cranberry Beans
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Have you tried cranberry beans before?
No, these aren't actual cranberries, but cranberry beans are simply a basic white bean, but speckled an oh-so-pretty red.
They're not super-common, but if you can find them, you're most definitely in for a treat.
Their flavor is just slightly nutty and their texture is velvety and smooth, and they shine in soups, stews, cassoulets, dips, spreads, baked beans – pretty much everything that uses beans!
So, the question is: how to cook cranberry beans!
Here is how to cook cranberry beans in three different cooking methods, according to what works best for you.
Stovetop
Rinse beans. Place 1 cup beans in a large pot with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 1–1 1/2 hours. Drain well.
To soak larger quantities, simply retain the 1 : 4 bean : water ratio and remember that the beans will expand as they cook.
Slow Cooker
Rinse beans. Place 1 cup beans and 4 cups water into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4–6 hours or high for 2–3 hours. Drain well.
To soak larger quantities, simply retain the 1 : 4 bean : water ratio and remember that the beans will expand as they cook.
Instant Pot or other pressure cooker
We have an in-depth at-a-glance chart for Instant Pot Cook Time Chart inside our Kitchen & Meal Planning Binder – it's 25 pages of cook times for nearly every type of food and how they vary according to what type and size of pressure cooker you have. See more about the entire meal planning toolkit here.
Rinse beans. Place 1 cup beans and 4 cups water in a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Set the valve to sealing. Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes or adjusted for the amount of pressure your pressure cooker uses. (See how in the meal planning toolkit.) Allow the pressure to release naturally until the pressure valve drops by itself. Drain well.
