Are you looking to learn how to pressure can dried beans? You’ve arrived at the right place. This post will show you how to safely and easily can your beans.
As I’m sure is the case for many of you, canned beans are a staple in my pantry. I try to always keep an assortment of pinto, kidney, garbanzo, and black beans in my kitchen cabinet. Even when I’ve not been shopping in awhile, I nearly always have tortillas in the freezer and some kind of cheese in the fridge. Combined with a can of beans, I’m only a few steps away from a bean and cheese quesadilla lunch (and all the better if there’s a jar of salsa on the shelf).
In recent years, instead of sourcing my stash of canned beans from the store, I’ve been making them myself. That’s because as cheap as canned beans are, dried beans cost even less (I typically get at least four 1/2 liter or pint jars from a single pound of dried beans). And by using my own jars, I avoid the chemicals in can liners and also keep that waste out of the system.
If you have a pressure canner, making your own canned beans is incredibly simple (though I’ll grant you that the first time through it will feel like there are a lot of steps but it will get easier). If you don’t have one, this might just be the technique that convinces you to get one. If you’re looking for a good starter pressure canner, I use a 16 quart Presto
As is the case any time you use dried beans, you start by soaking them. If I’m canning on a weekend, I’ll soak the beans overnight so that they’re ready for a morning canning session. During the work week, I’ll set them to soak while I make breakfast and will can them up after dinner. I like to pressure can in the evenings because it means that I can let the canner cool overnight. I’ve found that the longer you let the canner cool undisturbed, the better the jars seal.
When you soak your beans, take care to use a bowl big enough to hold the beans and water to cover by 2-3 inches. As you can see in one of the pictures above, I didn’t use a bowl quite large enough for the white beans and so they soaked up everything I gave them and threatened to spill out of the bowl entirely.
Once the beans are sufficiently soaked, it’s time to start to prep them for the canning process. Like I do in all canning situations, the first thing I do is get the jars and canning pot set up. In this case, I put the rack in the pot, set the jars on top, and fill the jars with hot water from the tap (because the water isn’t coming into contact with food, I don’t worry about using hot water).
Unlike with boiling water bath canning where you need a full pot, pressure canning works with steam so the jars don’t need to be submerged. An inch or two of water in the pot itself is really all you need.
When I use Weck jars, I take care to also tuck the glass lids and rubber rings into the pot to heat (leave the clips out). When I use conventional mason jars, I tuck new lids into the pot, but keep the rings out as they’re hard to work with when hot. Settle the lid on the pot and bring the pot to a boil. No need to lock the lid into place yet, you’re just warming the jars.
While the canner heats, pour the beans and their soaking water into a pot and bring them to a boil. You may need to add some additional water as they still should be covered by about 2 inches of water. They need approximately 25-30 minutes on the stove in order to heat through and begin to soften.
Take note that the beans should not be cooked fully when they go into the jars. If you cooked them fully before pressure canning, your finished product would be total mush.
When the jars are hot and the beans have simmered for about half an hour, it’s time to fill the jars. Remove the jars from the canner and place them on a kitchen towel. If you’ve boiled out most of your water from the bottom of the pot, pour the contents of the jars back into the canner. If your water level looks good, dump the water from the jars out into the sink.
Fill the jars with the prepared beans. You want to add enough beans so that they come up about 2/3 of the way up the jar. Then cover the beans with cooking liquid, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Ideally, you’ll have about an inch of water above the bean level. Don’t skimp on the water because the beans are going to continue to cook in the jars and so will need additional liquid in order to soften fully.
Once the jars are filled, wipe the rims with a clean towel. Settle the rubber seal onto the lid of the Weck jar and place the seal and lid onto the jar. Secure the lid with three Weck jar clips. When canning Weck jars in a boiling water bath you only use two clips, but the increased intensity of the pressure canner means that you need an additional clip to ensure that the lid stays in place. If you’re using conventional mason jars, apply lids and rings in the usual fashion.
To avoid chipping the lid with the clips, place the clip on the lid first and then push down towards the side of the jar. If you start from the side of jar and push towards the lid, you risk breakage.
Once the lids are secured, lower the jars into the canner. My 16 quart canner can hold five 1/2 liter Weck jars, seven quart jars, or nine pint jars. Pour a glug of white vinegar into the pot to help keep the jars and pot clean and then lock the lid into place.
Bring the pot up to a boil and let the steam vent for at least 15 minutes. You do this by running the pot without the pressure regulator in place. That’s the little black and metal hat that sits atop the vent shaft. The reason for this is that a canner that has been properly relieved of its oxygen through venting can reach a higher temperature than one that is full of oxygen. The higher the temperature, the more effectively the canner will kill any botulism spores present.
Once the canner is properly vented, apply the pressure regulator and bring up to pressure. If you live at 1,000 feet elevation or below (as I do), you bring the pot up to 11 pounds of pressure. If you live at higher elevations, you need to increase your pressure (find those exact elevation adjustments here)
Once the canner reaches the appropriate pressure, start your timer. If you’re working with pint or 1/2 liter jars, you process the beans for 75 minutes. If you use quart or liter jars, process for 90 minutes. Make sure to check the pressure gauge often to ensure that you’re at the proper pressure levels. If your pressure drops below the required level, you have to bring the pot back up to pressure and restart your timer.
Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave the pot alone. I like to let it cool for at least an hour after the pot depressurizes, but the longer you can let it cool, the better. Even after the pot depressurizes, there is still a huge amount of heat in the jars. It’s perfectly normal for the contents of the jars to be bubbling hours after the canning process has finished.
Weck jars work really well for pressure canning, but there are a couple tricks to it. I’ve already mentioned the first, using three clips instead of two. The second is that you really must ensure that the seal is in its ideal position before you settle the lid on the jar. As you can see, my seal slipped a little with this jar. It wasn’t enough to compromise the seal, but I knew that this rubber ring wasn’t as perfectly positioned as the rest when that jar went into the canner. I got lucky and didn’t ruin the seal, but that won’t always be the case.
And remember. If Weck jars don’t fit your budget, the basics in this post also apply to how to pressure can dried beans in regular mason jars too. For a post that walks you through this technique using Ball canning jars, check out my post on how to can Rosemary White Bean Soup Starter.
Mexican food recipes
I like adding beans to soup because we often have gluten-free guests on our soup night and beans add a lot to the “oomph” of soup.
Great giveaway! Have never won but will keep trying nonetheless. Chili!
Bean patties.
Great article!
can’t wait to try this! I use canned beans all the time 🙂
Ya for canning!!
I love canned beans in soups!
Chili is my favorite use for canned beans.
Wow! I didn’t even know you could can beans at home! So cool! I love to used canned beans for dips, chilis and salads. Thanks for the informative post!
I use canned beans as side dish.
I love using the beans to throw together Mexican dishes like nachos or baked tajitos.
This looks like such a great idea! My kids love beans and we love to make quick quesadillas. Will definitely give this a try!
Am a beginner canner!!! But can’t wait to get started!! Love the beans!!!
Holy mackeral this is an amazing giveaway! I am so inspired to start canning beans.
Thanks for the information about canning dry beans. It’s been years since I’ve canned using my pressure, would love to begin again. Canning dry beans sounds like a great way to start. Thanks for posting thanks for the chance to win!
We have a family of 6 and an incredibly limited income right now as my husband uses his side business while we interview for new ministry positions. We use beans as a nutritious way to stretch dishes that originally just call for meat- soups, Mexican, creole, and more. And because I’m terrible at remembering to soak beans, we use mostly canned. This info is fabulous to find. 🙂
I had no idea you could can beans! What a brilliant idea! Can you add stuff to them while they cook, like a ham bone or garlic?
Canned beans are great for soups and chili!
Best way to use canned beans is chili!
So many ways, hummus & chili come to mind first.
Rice and beans, always a staple, especially when we’re camping.
CHILI – I usually use 4 or 5 types of beans with my chicken chili. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
A little bit of bean makes many a thing more delicious.
Well no beans for us (legume allergy) but sure do love Weck Jars! Many thanks!
Bean soup, adding them to salads, and whizzing them with garlic, cumin and oil to make a hummous-like spread. Thank you for the giveaway!
After not making chili for YEARS, I’ve added it back into the regular rotation – just a couple cans of different kinds of beans, homemade tomato sauce, thrown into the crock pot with a bit of spicing. Been serving with homemade tortillas – so good!
I love beans, what a great source of fibre and protein!
My favorite canned bean (pea) is chickpeas. Hummus is sooooo good.
Quick and easy beans and rice! Just add some corn, tomatoes and taco seasoning and you’re done!
My goal for this year is to get over my fear of pressure canning. There. I said it.
Now I just have to do it!
I LOVE these jars!
I love to use beans in all kinds of soups. I really want to get a pressure canner for my own beans. I am always forgetting to soak the beans.
We eat black beans in anything, including plain!
Perfect! I know what I’m doing this weekend! thanks for the great instructions! We are huge chili fans and we go through a lot of beans.
I love anything with beans…anything! Soups especially with escarole added to the bean mixxture.
Just the standard – any chili or beans & rice dish!
I love Weck jars! And I have been wanting one of those Dutch ovens for ages! Thanks for the chance, lovely giveaway. Great tutorial, by the way…I’m feeling inspired to try.
Oops, forgot to add how I use beans, in my excitement…I make soups all the time, and we use them in tacos – and bean salad! We love beans.
Oh, and my favorite way to use beans is when I make “Cafe Rio” beans. But beans are one of my very favorite foods!
I recently bought a pressure canner and am working up the nerve to try it out. Thanks for the easy step-by-step tutorial. It sure helps to see what to do each step of the way!
I’ve never canned beans before, but seeing as how I eat them all the time, they would be a great addition to my shelf. Great post!
Love this giveaway, and really enjoyed the post! I’ve pinned it in order to refer to it in the future. Thanks for all the great posts!
xoxo
Joy in Frozen Southern Indiana
This was one of the most informative articles on canning I’ve read! Thanks!!
I like to use cand beans for everything but mostly tacos. They are quick and easy to use during the weeknight. I think learnign to pressure can them myself would be great.
I have been so intimidated by pressure canning, but maybe… just maybe, this bean walk-through can help me conquer it. It seems like the process takes longer than just cooking beans, but I do miss the convenience of grabbing a can of beans of the pantry.
beans go in absolutely everything – rice and beans, tacos, breakfast, salads, refried for dips, literally a daily thing ’round here.
I love to use canned white beans and fresh baby kale cooked in garlic as a crostini topping. It’s pretty healthy and oh-so-delicious!
Oh I LOVE this giveaway! We can’t get Weck jars in my area, and so far I’ve been too lazy to buy them online 🙂 I also really love those Lodge dutch ovens. I have one already, but the enamel has been worn quite thin over the last 10 years, it would be pretty cool if I could win a shiny new purple one and hand-down my old one to my little brother who’s just got his own place and is learning to feed himself.
Canning beans is one of those things I keep meaning to try… I never knew you could leave things in the canner overnight – that’s what prevents me from pressure canning in the evening, because i hate waiting for the dial to drop to zero and then waiting a few more minutes to take the top off. I could do this of a weeknight!
too many favorites to pick! Thrown onto a lunch salad, baked into cookies, pureed into a pasta sauce, or made into a dip. I love to experiment with a variety!
We make chickpea patties that we serve on greens for dinner quite frequently
Mexican food for sure. I like the idea of avoiding the cans now that I have a little one! It’s hard to always think about soaking the beans ahead of time.
I love using beans in winter stews!
My favorite way to use canned beans, Hmmmm… I guess that would be in a big pot of chili! Yummy!
Canned beans can turn a quick salad into a meal– so convenient, but the usese are really endless. I’d like to get a pressure canner and try canning them myself to avoid the nasty additives and leaching from the commercially canned ones.
My goodness, I use canned beans for everything. They make a quick lunch tossed with some salad dressing and some chopped veggies.
Bean burritos, hands down!
Bean burritos are my favorite!
I make homeade artichoke pine nut hummus for my daughter’s lunch. Yum!
If we are out of canned beans . . . .I feel really “poor” . As I have mentioned on this comment section before that , I received a pressure canner for Christmas. One of my main reasons for wanting one was to be able to can my own beans. I agree it isnt the biggest money saver . . .but I really REALLY enjoy being able to say (if only to myself) “I canned these myself” We use beans every week, either in Mexican dishes, soup, hummous . . . nachos . . . .tons of things – especially for the “what are we having for dinner – I dont want to go to the store nights” LOVE these jars! Love them!
I love them in chili and party dip!
I use beans in chile but never canned them.
I’ve never canned beans but it looks like fun
I love to make Chicken Chili Blanco with home canned sweet corn and home canned white northern beans (and chicken of course!)
Wow! For some reason canning beans has always seemed so foreign and impossible! Thanks for the how-to! Are there a lot of restrictions to what kinds of seasonings you can add to the beans during the pre-cook stage before they are put in the pressure cooker? I love making home made black beans and ranchero beans from dried beans. It would be so much easier to make a giant batch to can!
Lauren
I’d love to use my own canned beans for my heuvos rancheros. Yum.
Taco Soup
They’re beautiful!
NACHOS!!!!
I’ve canned beans for years, but these Weck jars look just the right size for our meals — usually I have to deal with leftovers. Garbanzos for hummus!
Anything Mexican…..
I put them in my salads, make hummus, cook them as aside… oh the ways I use beans:)
Lovely post! We pressure cook and hot water bath, but I have never taken on dry beans or this type of jar. So eager to give it a try, as we eat beans at least three nights a week in burritos, dips, soups, casseroles, etc. Thank you!!
I found a great burrito pinto bean recipe that we use all the time. 1/2-3/4 cup dried beans per 1/2 pint, soaked for at least 8 hours; 2T tomato sauce, 1/4t cumin, 1/2t salt, 1/4t paprika, some diced onion and garlic (2T), 1/4t oregano and 1/4t black pepper. top with fresh water. I use cold water both in the jars and in the canner to start with, otherwise the jars will break from the difference in temperature (hot water in jars but cold in canner, or hot in canner but cold in jars). 10 lbs for 75 minutes. mush them up while warming for an excellent refried bean mash.
In Chili and sausage and black bean gumbo!
I use canned beans in a lot of things, Homemade Chilli, Ham & Beans, Red Beans & Rice, to just name a few.
I have only canned beans once, but they were great. It is time to do some more.
Black bean burritos!
White chicken chili is my favorite way to use beans. It is super simple, the kids love it and it comes together real fast.
Great tutorial and giveaway!!
We use beans all the time; the kids love them best in burritos.
Great idea, most commercial canned beans have added salt which I am trying to avoid. Thanks for sharing.
I like to use canned beans in salads or soups.
Chili!
awesome! i’ve been trying to can new things, this is definitely going on my list!
We make lots of hummus and refried beans. So tasty!
I like taking a can of garbanzo beans and adding some minced onion, a bunch of cumin and a bit of five spice, a pinch of salt, and just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. I heat it all up and mash about half of it with a potato masher. Then I stir it all together and eat it!
Chili! Which is always better with home-canned tomatoes. I think I’m going to try beans too!
I have made beans and froze them, this would be better!!
I like to use canned beans in casseroles and the crock pot.
I would LOVE to win this
I made the switch to only dried beans, but I “mess up” in two areas. 1. Remembering to soak them before I need them or 2. How much to soak/cook (that’s why I love that you mentioned the Weck jars are about the same size as a can of beans!
I use them mostly in my chili! So quick and tasty.
I love canning beans! Takes up a little more room than dried, but the upside is they’re cooked and ready to use, unlike their dried form.
My kids love a mash made of black beans, tomatoes, corn and cheese for dinner. I keep meaning to try dried beans, but the thought of having my food soak for several hours before I can cook it didn’t appeal to me. This looks a lot easier!
I love using canned beans for chili, mexican night, and baked goods (brownies, cookies).
Will be good for a lot of things!
I use them for burritos and chili
I am just starting to venture into the world of pressure canning! I already do water bath canning.I will def have to look into these type of jars!
Ham and Beans
I use them for everrryyythiiiing! Especially love having them on hand for a quick clear-out-the-pantry soup 🙂
I love using home canned chickpeas to make hummus. 🙂