To cook dried beans, soak them overnight, drain, then simmer them in fresh water until they're creamy all the way through. Lentils and split peas skip the soak and cook in a fraction of the time. Everything below is from our organic dried beans and legumes shelf, with what each one is good for.
A bag of dried beans takes a little planning, but it gives you a pot of beans cooked the way you like them, firm for salads or soft enough to mash. Here's how to get it right, including the one bean that needs extra care.
Dried beans at a glance
| Bean or legume | Soak first? | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Navy beans | Yes, overnight | Soups, stews, home-made baked beans |
| Black turtle beans | Yes, overnight | Chilli, black bean soup, rice and beans |
| Red kidney beans | Yes, then a hard boil | Chilli, soups, salads |
| Adzuki beans | Yes, overnight | Stews and salads |
| Chickpeas | Yes, overnight | Hummus, curries, stews |
| Red split lentils | No | Dal, soups, purees |
| Green split peas | No | Pea soup, dal, purees |
How to cook dried beans
1. Rinse and sort. Tip the beans into a sieve, rinse them and pick out any shrivelled ones or small stones.
2. Soak. Cover with plenty of cold water and leave them for at least five hours or overnight.
3. Drain and cook in fresh water. Throw out the soaking water, cover the beans with fresh water and bring them to a rolling boil. Then turn the heat down and simmer, topping up the water if it drops below the beans.
4. Test, don't time. Cooking time varies from bag to bag, so taste a few from the pot. They're done when the inside is creamy with no chalky centre.
A pressure cooker cuts the time a lot. A slow cooker is a different story, as the next section explains.
Why red kidney beans need a hard boil
Raw and undercooked kidney beans contain a natural protein called phytohaemagglutinin, a type of lectin. Even small amounts of undercooked beans can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, according to Harvard's School of Public Health.
The fix is simple. The Food Safety Information Council says to soak kidney beans for at least five hours, then boil them briskly in fresh water for at least 10 minutes. Don't cook dried kidney beans from raw in a slow cooker, because it may not get hot enough to destroy the toxin.
Canned beans are already cooked, so they're safe to eat straight from the tin. If you've been reading about lectins more broadly, our guide to lower-lectin eating sets out what the research does and doesn't show.
What "organic" means on a bag of beans
In Australia the word organic isn't formally regulated for food sold here, so a certifier's mark on the pack is what backs the claim up. The one you'll see most often is the Australian Certified Organic bud. Our guide to what the organic label actually means explains the system.
Not every legume we stock is certified, so check the label and the listing.
The beans and legumes on our shelves
Willowvale. Most of our dried beans come from Willowvale in 500g packs: organic navy beans, black turtle beans, red kidney beans and adzuki beans. Navy beans are the small white beans used in baked beans, and our listing says they're grown in Canada. Black turtle beans are dense and meaty, which suits a chilli.
Mount Zero. Our Mount Zero kabuli chickpeas are the large, pale chickpeas used for hummus. Mount Zero sources its pulses from the Wimmera region in western Victoria.
Honest to Goodness. Certified organic red split lentils come in a 1.2kg bag and a 500g bag, grown in Kazakhstan. They fall apart as they simmer, which is exactly what you want in a dal or a thick soup. The green split peas are from Canada.
Chef's Choice and Lotus. Chef's Choice green split peas need no soaking and cook down soft and creamy, the base of a pea and ham soup. Lotus chana dahl is split brown chickpea, which the listing says is grown and packed in Australia.
When there's no time to soak. Keep a few tins in the cupboard. Chef's Choice butter beans are just organic butter beans and water, and Ceres Organics red kidney beans come in BPA-free lined cans.
Storing dried and cooked beans
Keep dried beans sealed in a cool, dry cupboard. Once cooked, cool beans quickly and keep them in the fridge, as you would any cooked food.
Leave cooked beans in some of their cooking liquid. It keeps them from drying out and adds body to soups and stews.
Questions people ask
Do I have to soak dried beans?
For large beans and chickpeas, yes. Soaking shortens the cooking time, and for kidney beans it's part of making them safe.
Can I cook dried beans in a slow cooker?
Not from raw, especially kidney beans. Soak and boil them first, as above, and then the slow cooker can finish the job.
Are canned beans as good as dried?
They're the quick option: drain, rinse and use. Dried beans take planning but let you choose the texture and seasoning.
How much water do beans need for soaking?
Two to three times their volume of cold water. They swell as they soak, so use a big bowl.
Where to buy
Every bean here can be delivered from our Leichhardt store in our refrigerated van, Monday to Saturday, with no minimum order. See our delivery page for how it works. In store, call (02) 9564 1679 to check your shop has the one you want.
Written by the Unique Wholefood team. Updated October 2026.
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This article is general information only and isn't medical, dietary or nutritional advice. If you have a health condition, an allergy or intolerance, or you're making a big change to how you eat, please talk to your doctor or an Accredited Practising Dietitian first. Product details, ingredients, allergens, prices and stock are taken from the makers and our listings at the time of writing and can change, so always check the label before you buy. All our fresh fruit and veg is certified organic and Australian-grown; other products are certified organic only where the label says so. Delivery areas, prices and times can change, and the current terms are on our Shipping, Delivery & Returns page.