Heard someone say canned beans are cheaper than dried, is that true?

I was at the grocery store in Portland yesterday and this older guy told his friend he stopped buying dried beans because canned ones end up cheaper when you count the gas to cook them. I've always rinsed and soaked dried pinto beans since they're like $1.50 a bag. Has anyone actually done the math on this, or is he just lazy?

2 comments

2 Comments

janah831mo ago

Do the math on a big bag of dried pintos and you're looking at like 15 cents a serving, even with a long soak on the stove. Canned beans run closer to 75 cents a can, and that's before you factor in the sodium and weird texture. The gas argument only makes sense if you're boiling them for hours on high, but a slow cooker or even a quick soak (boil, rest, drain) makes dried beans a no-brainer.

hannah4001mo ago

So true! I switched to dried beans last year and honestly the texture difference alone sold me. Canned ones always feel mushy and sometimes have that metallic taste, even after rinsing. I do the quick soak method too, just boil for a couple minutes, let them sit an hour, then drain and cook normally. Works great for chickpeas and black beans as well. My last bag of pintos was like a buck fifty and made at least six big meals for me and my partner. Even factoring in the extra time and the gas, it's still way cheaper than the 2 bucks or more I'd drop on organic canned ones. Plus I control the salt, so no more guessing about that.