A Drain’s Not the Only Place for Bean Liquid

By Katie Barreira

I’d prefer dried beans to canned any day, but the reality is that canned beans have a place in my pantry and so does their liquid.

Poke around the Web and you’ll see that bean liquid has a bad rap. But the biggest beef is its high sodium content and there’s an easy answer for that: buy low-sodium or sodium-free beans (like Eden Organics). They’re better for you anyway.

Another common complaint is that the cloudy liquid has “gunk” in it. I get it; coagulated starch balls don’t do much for me either, but I’ve found that higher-quality canned beans tend to be less gunky and when in doubt, you can just pour the liquid through a sieve. It’s no harder than draining the beans.

Before you feed those viscous juices to the drain, consider these five reasons to use your bean liquid:

1. In stews and chili that call for beans, it adds body without adding extra ingredients.
2. It adds body to bean dips (like hummus) without adding fat. Replace half the oil in your favorite chickpea or white bean dip with bean liquid.
3. It gives soups a velvety texture. Add ¼ cup cannellini liquid to a ham and white bean soup.
4. It makes baked beans rich and syrupy, rather than soupy. Use the whole can of pinto beans for baked beans or black beans for creamy Cuban-style blacks beans and rice.
5. It’s Free!

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Comments

[Suzi]

Great info Sandy on the bean liquid, even being a professional it's good to learn new things. Great website!