Beans! One of the best ingredients to make different dishes. Can you cook beans in a rice cooker? You are in the right place if you’re wondering how to do it.
The ultimate weapon to cook beans is a rice cooker! A Rice cooker is useful for cooking different dishes more than just cooking rice.
All you need is the perfect instruction to cook beans. From seasoning to cooking, everything will make you confident and eager to cook beans deliciously in a rice cooker.
As an easy, hands-off dinner, beans have a separate place on the table. So, without wasting time, let’s see what secret is waiting for you.
Why Should You Choose a Rice Cooker to Cook Beans?
The first question you should ask me is, can I cook beans in a rice cooker, and why do I prefer a rice cooker? Well, the answer is simple. This kitchen appliance is named as a rice cooker, but it is not limited to the use only for rice.
Did you read the instruction level on it? A Rice cooker is the coolest appliance to cook most things if you know the proper steps.
To stem beans and cook dried beans, a rice cooker is the best alternative you can ever have. Even it’s a faster way to do that without messing up. It ensures the beans are moist and full of flavor.
With the right amount of time and temperature, a rice cooker is best for cooking beans ideally. It only takes 90 minutes to cook it. Not more than that.
How To Cook Beans In A Rice Cooker?
Cooking beans in a rice cooker is a simple and effective way to cook them. The rice cooker will evenly cook the beans and be perfectly cooked every time. This method is also much faster than cooking them on the stovetop.
All you need to do is collect some simple and common ingredients to cook beans.
- Dried Beans (1 Cup)
- Bay Leaf
- Water
Cooking beans is a challenge without knowing what exactly needs to be done. You don’t need to take on such challenges. Follow the steps we’re explaining below.
- Step 1: Take a rice cooker (unplugged or switched off) and soak all of the beans overnight. You can use another utensil to do that. Add fresh water (3 Cups)
- Step 2: In the morning, drain all the water from the pot and rinse the beans perfectly until you see clear water.
- Step 3: Pop the beans into the rice cooker. Take a bay leaf and add it. Add 4 cups of fresh water to the cooker.
- Step 4: It’s time to put the rice cooker on. Do it for one cycle after the first beep and check the water. Make sure how much water is there and whether you need to add extra water or not. Don’t hesitate to add more cycles if needed.
- Step 5: After another extra cycle, drain the rest of the water and rinse all the beans. Now you can use all these beans in your desired
Which Facts Make You Confused During the Beans Cooking Process?
A few things can help you to cook beans better than anything. Determine first whether all the beans you are cooking for any recipes need to use salt or not.
If not, don’t add salt to the beans during the cooking. It will ruin the taste of your actual recipe. On the other hand, salt makes beans hard to cook.
Bay leaves help to break down the oligosaccharides of the beans. Don’t mind using bay leaves, 2 tsp epazote leaves, and kombu if you have to do the same trick in a better way. Always try to use bay leaves to add light flavor.
Don’t use soggy canned beans. You should use fresh and hydrated beans to cook to enjoy your cooking and desired recipes as well.
On the other hand, the skin of the beans is not a lovely thing, and what about you? Make sure all the skins get removed while cooking if you have the same choice.
Confusion arises about how much water you need to add to the beans. For better help, we can show you a reference to understand the water ratio to cook beans in a rice cooker.
| Bean | Water vs. Bean ratio | Soak Time | Cook Time |
| Black Bean | 1:3 | 12 hours | 30-45min |
| Lentil | 1:2 | N/A | 25min |
| Pinto Bean | 1:3 | 24 hours | 30-45min |
| Red Kidney Bean | 1:3 | 24 hours | 30-45min |
| Chick Pea | 1:2 | 8 hours | 30min |
| Navy Bean | 1:2 | 8 hours | 30min |
What Needs to Consider Cooking Black Bean in a Rice Cooker?
Beautiful black bean is one of the top favorite dishes, and its recipe differs from other beans. To cook it in the rice cooker, you need a few more ingredients, and these are.
- Black beans
- Olive oil
- Lime
- Seasoning
- Cilantro
- An onion
If you have all these ingredients in your kitchen, then let’s try it with a rice cooker. Here is all you need to follow.
- Take the rice cooker and set the temperature to high heat.
- Add a dash of olive oil.
- Chop an onion and add it to your
- Stir until the onion releases its flavor. Keep your eyes on whether the onions are getting brown or not. Don’t let them be.
- Take all the black beans and rinse them well. Add them to the cooker.
- Use lime juice.
- It’s time to mix flavors and seasoning.
- Add some chopped cilantro and add 4 cups of water.
- Now, give the cooker at least 20 minutes to cook your black beans.
- You’re done, and it’s ready to serve.
How To Season Beans Perfectly to Cook?
Cooking beans in a rice cooker is just a short test of your cooking experience. This process opens possibilities to experiment with beans like seasoning to make them more unique and flavorful.
Yes, more than one option of spices is available that complement beans perfectly. Want to know what they are? Check them all below.
Spices
Sometimes bean dishes need power spices. In this case, use Cumin, Cardamon, Curry, or Turmeric. All these spices are used in every type of bean dish.
Onion
Beans without fried onions are unimaginable to cook. To get the sweet twist of the bean, use red onions.
Herbs:
Bean dishes, including meat components, are great with different types of herbs. To change the bin texture with a unique flavor, use Parsley, Sage, Thyme, or Rosemary.
Garlic
Garlic makes the bean taste better. It can add a strong flavor along with the smell.
Bay Leaves
While the beans are cooking in the rice cooker, use one or two Bay leaves. It adds flavor but using too many bay leaves makes beans bitter.
Chili flakes
It’s used to add flavor to the beans. Don’t forget to use chili flakes.
What Are the Popular Bean Dishes You Can Cook in the Rice Cooker?
From my previous cooking inspiration, I love to cook beans in a rice cooker, and trust me; there is a lot of variety in it.
You can also try as I did. Let me share with you some favorite meals of mine as a suggestion. Who knows, you may love it.
- Vegetarian Bean Chili (Chili instead of meat, extra beans, and vegetables)
- Bean Dip
- Soup (Make your beans into chunky vegetable soup)
- Pasta and Beans (Yummy Bolognese dish with creamy pasta sauce)
- Energy bowls or Buddha Bowls’ (Favorite as a street bean dish made of fruit, veggies, beans, peas, lentils, and rice)
What Types of Beans Cook in a Rice Cooker?
Beans come in a variety. Many types are readily available in the grocery store, and you just need to pick them to your kitchen. Only a few popular types of beans are delicious after cooking in a rice cooker. Let’s learn all of these types.
- Great Northern Beans (Used in slow-cooked meals like soup and stews with strong flavor)
- Cannellini Beans or White Kidney Beans (Large and meaty types of beans that hold their shape, used for stews, soups, etc.)
- Red Beans (used in the Caribbean and Latin dishes, popular for their sweet and nutty flavor with a smooth and soft texture)
- Lima Beans or Butter Beans (Small in size and has a creamy texture)
- Navy Beans (Used in creamy southern dishes and has tender, mealy, creamy flavor)
- Black Beans (Used to look striking and unique in the meal, works the best alternative for pinto beans)
- Kidney Beans (Used in chili dishes, found in different forms like spotted kidney beans, purple kidney beans, and black kidney beans)
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ]
Yes, you can. The Rice cooker works as a steaming bucket for the bean. Place everything into it, add water, and place it for 30 minutes.
Yes, you can cook any beans in the rice cooker without soaking. In this case, unsoaked beans will take longer to cook in a rice cooker. It’s not a big deal at all.
With both basic and advanced rice cookers, you can cook beans. The basic one takes extra time to cook, whereas the advanced one lets you set the time and temperature.
Dry beans are easy to cook in a rice cooker. With some simple steps like washing clean and soaking in 1:3 warm water is a complete process to cook dry beans in a rice cooker.
The time depends on the types of beans and the set temperature. Most of the beans are cooked between 45 to 90 minutes.
Conclusion
Finally, you know what I know about cooking beans in a rice cooker. It was my method of cooking beans. So, can you cook beans in a rice cooker or not is now becoming a myth for you.
Take a try and get your bean cooked by following all the steps I shared with you earlier. Who knows, some little surprises are waiting for you.
Do not forget to experiment with all the ingredients and beans you have. Most of them are best for making different dishes.
Take your beans, and you never need to look back. With efficient time, get different bean tastes after cooking it in a rice cooker.
