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Certainly, if I were making a salad with canned beans, I would thoroughly rinse them first. But if I'm making soup or chili with canned black beans or kidney beans, should I drain and rinse them first? Goya brand beans have recipes on the side of the can that call for undrained beans.

On the one hand, I've heard claims that using the liquid in the can will increase gassiness, and that in some brands it can contain a lot of sodium. But I've also heard that it contains lots of soluble fiber that is lost if drained. Is there merit to either of these claims? Are there other nutrients that get lost if I drain and rinse? I always feel bad throwing out anything edible.

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5 Answers

up vote 19 down vote accepted

I finally found what I'm looking for, from the University of Michigan - some actual data on the subject!

They say that rinsing canned beans can reduce the amount of sodium by half, and also reduces the amount of complex sugars which humans can't digest (but the bacteria in our intestines can, with uncomfortable results!)

It appears that draining the fluid is likely to improve the flavor and texture of the resulting food by concentrating the flavor of the beans -- unless you're following a soup recipe that specifically suggests retaining the liquid to thicken the soup.

I still haven't found any information about what healthy nutrients might be lost by rinsing the beans, but the general consensus seems to be that it rinsing will do more good than harm in almost all cases.

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up vote 6 down vote

I recommend that you always rinse and drain them. To me, the juice has an unpleasant snottiness that I don't want in my food at all.

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I always liked the term 'mucilaginous' (it seems to come up when talking about okra) – Joe Feb 8 '11 at 1:27
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You guys are trying to ruin my appetite? – zanlok Feb 8 '11 at 5:03
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when you say "an unpleasant snottiness," are you referring to the slimy texture? It's certainly kind of gross straight from the can, but lots of ingredients have weird textures that can still be good in the right context. It seems to me that diluted in a soup, that liquid would have the same effect as adding a bit of arrowroot or other thickener, no? – Josh Feb 9 '11 at 16:23
up vote 2 down vote

Another thing to consider is salt.. Sometimes the liquid contains too much salt. Rinsing will get rid of some of the excess salt on the beans as well..

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up vote 1 down vote

Depends on what you're preparing. Probably: usually yes, sometimes no.

Michael is right about the texture of the fluid in the can if you're consuming it unaltered. However, especially since you've used the mexican-cuisine tag, I was taught to keep the juicy stuff when preparing a homemade mashed beans (as a fresher alternative to a can of refried beans). I expect this flavor rule would go for making hummus as well. But, to get a heartier/fattier browned lard flavor in traditional refried beans, most people probably drain beans (if starting with beans from a can).

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I don't save the juice even for refried beans, but I confess I've never done a head-to-head test to see which I prefer. My refried beans come out plenty creamy and delicious though. – Michael at Herbivoracious Feb 8 '11 at 7:49
Do you ever add water so that it gets to simmer longer? I've actually seen people do that and then I'm wondering why they didn't just at least part of the wetness that was already in the can. – zanlok Feb 8 '11 at 16:32
It's possible that it's just the extra salt and/or sugar in that fluid that makes a difference. – zanlok Feb 8 '11 at 16:33
I do add water, oil, salt, and usually some sauteed onion and cumin. It might be fine to use the liquid in the can, but I just find that stuff so repulsive it never really occurred to me. – Michael at Herbivoracious Feb 8 '11 at 16:50
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@Michael, you can't find it that repulsive if you're perfectly happy to eat beans that have been soaking in it for months :) I just assume that by that point most of what's outside the beans is also inside them, and vice versa. – Josh Feb 9 '11 at 16:33
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up vote 1 down vote

I prefer to rinse canned beans. Mainly for the reasons you mentioned: to cut the sodium and the gas-inducing complex sugars. You do lose a little bit of flavor and some nutrients, but since the flavor of the canned bean juice doesn't taste the same as fresh anyway, I don't mind losing it. I just add water to the beans before heating them up.

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