Baking Soda and Beans Tips for Faster Cooking
Adding 1 teaspoon of baking soda per litre of soaking water softens dried beans and chickpeas, so they cook noticeably faster and more evenly. This helps most with old beans or hard tap water. Drain and rinse the beans before cooking them in fresh water. Use too much and the beans turn mushy and taste soapy, and some B vitamins are lost.
Why baking soda softens beans
Bean skins and cell walls are held together by pectin, and calcium and magnesium make that pectin stiffer. This is why beans cooked in hard water, or old beans, can stay firm for hours. Baking soda makes the water alkaline, which breaks the pectin down faster, so water gets into the bean more easily and it cooks through sooner.
How much and when
| Method | Baking soda | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight soak (best) | 1 tsp per litre of water | Soak 8–12 hours, then drain, rinse and cook in fresh water |
| Quick soak | 1 tsp per litre | Boil 2 minutes, cover, rest 1 hour, then drain and rinse |
| Added to the cooking water | ¼ tsp per litre at most | Use only for very hard water or old beans |
| Canned chickpeas for hummus | ½ tsp per 400 g tin | Simmer 20 minutes until the skins float, then rinse |
Typical cooking times after soaking
| Bean | Soaked in plain water | Soaked with baking soda |
|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas | 1½–2 hours | About 1–1½ hours |
| Kidney beans | 1–1½ hours | About 45–60 minutes |
| Black beans | 1–1½ hours | About 45–60 minutes |
| Cannellini or navy beans | 1–1½ hours | About 45–60 minutes |
Times vary a lot with the age of the beans and your water. Start checking early.
Raw and undercooked red kidney beans contain a natural toxin called phytohaemagglutinin. After soaking, boil them hard for at least 10 minutes before simmering until tender. Never cook dried kidney beans only in a slow cooker on low.
The downsides
- Nutrient loss: alkaline water destroys some thiamine (vitamin B1). Rinsing and cooking in fresh water reduces the loss.
- Mushy texture: too much soda, or soda in the cooking water, can make beans fall apart. That is great for refried beans and hummus, but not for salads.
- Soapy taste: almost always from too much soda or skipping the rinse.
Does baking soda reduce gas?
Possibly a little. Soaking and then throwing away the soaking water removes some of the sugars (oligosaccharides) that cause gas, and baking soda may help a bit more of them leach out. The evidence is limited, though. Discarding the soaking water matters more than the soda.
A salt soak alternative
Some cooks prefer soaking beans in salted water: about 1 tbsp salt per litre. The sodium also helps soften the skins, without any risk of a soapy taste, and the beans keep their shape well. Rinse well before cooking.
More savory uses for baking soda: 15 savory baking soda recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
About 1 teaspoon per litre of soaking water. Drain and rinse before cooking.
Yes, often by 20–30 minutes or more, especially with old beans or hard water.
Yes, but use very little, no more than ¼ teaspoon per litre. Adding it to the soak is gentler on texture and flavor.