Savory Stovetop Cannellini Beans (From Scratch)

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Creamy, soft and satisfying, cannellini beans are one of our absolute favorites! This cannellini bean recipe shows how to cooked dried cannellini beans from scratch, either on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker. Home-cooked cannellini beans taste even more delicious than canned, and are much more economical. Make a batch and freeze them for up to two months to use in salads, soups, pasta dishes and more.

With their soft, creamy texture and mild flavor, cannellini beans are a powerhouse pantry staple in my kitchen.

Not only do they jazz-up rustic dishes like with Italian sausage and this saucy shrimp, tomatoes, and white beans dish, they’re essential in hearty vegetable soups like minestrone and pasta e fagioli. Adding cooked cannellini beans is an easy way to add protein to quick pasta recipes and salads.

Learning how to cook cannellini beans isn’t difficult. The best part is you have options for cooking the beans on the stovetop with a presoak — or in an electric pressure cooker (such as an Instant Pot) soaked or un-soaked, in half the time.

ECONOMICAL – Buying dried beans in bulk will ultimately save you money. Although canned cannellini beans aren’t too expensive, dried beans cost much less per pound. For example, in my local supermarket, the average price for one pound of dried cannellini beans is $2.75 per bag, while 15.5-ounce cans cost about $2.00. One pound of cooked, dried cannellini beans will yield the equivalent of about 7 cans, or $14 worth of beans.
HEALTHY – When you cook beans from scratch, you can control exactly what goes into them and how you want to season them. Canned beans can contain excess sodium, preservatives and other additives. Plus, cooked beans are nutritionally beneficial, with abundant protein, carbohydrates and fiber.
TASTE– Nothing beats the convenience of canned beans. But tasted side by side, home-cooked cannellini have a superior texture and fuller flavor.

About the ingredients

Cannellini beans: Cannellini beans are a type of white bean from Italy that was developed in Tuscany. They’re similar to other common white beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), such as Great Northern beans and navy beans. Although they are often labeled as “white kidney beans,” the taste and texture of cannellini beans isn’t the same as red kidney beans. Compared to other varieties of white beans, cannellini have a plump shape and soft, satisfying creamy texture that doesn’t get mealy when cooked.
Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves infuse the beans and the cooking broth with flavor.
Onion: Along with garlic, red, white or yellow onion provides flavorful aromatics to the beans and their cooking liquid. To easily remove the cooked onion pieces once the beans are cooked, use a large onion, cut in half or into quarters, instead of chopping it.
Herbs: Fresh herbs are natural companions with white beans, especially hardy types such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, bay leaves and sage.
Red pepper flakes: Crushed red pepper or dried red chili adds just a touch of heat.
Olive oil: Use a good extra-virgin oil to soften the aromatics before cooking the beans, and drizzle abundantly over cooked beans.
Parmesan: If you save Parmesan rinds, they are wonderful to add to the dried bean broth. Toss in one or two small pieces along with the water.

Steps for cooking cannellini beans

Sort through the beans on a tray, and remove any broken, damaged beans or pieces of grit.
Put the dried cannellini in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak 4 hours or overnight, or until the beans expand and look evenly hydrated.

Unsoaked beans (left) and soaked dried beans (right), which have expanded and have unwrinkled skins.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, soften chopped onion, whole smashed garlic cloves, and dried chili pepper in olive oil.
Put the drained beans in the pot and pour in enough fresh water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and toss in bay leaves and fresh herb sprigs.

Bring the beans and water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce the heat. Simmer the beans about 1-3 hours (depending on their age), until they are uniformly tender and plump.
Serve beans in a large bowl or on a platter drizzled with olive oil, or add to pasta, soups, salads and more. Cooked beans can be frozen up to 2 months.

Savory Stovetop Cannellini Beans (From Scratch)

Karen Tedesco

Creamy, soft and satisfying, cannellini beans are one of our absolute favorites! This recipe shows how to cooked dried cannellini beans from scratch, either on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker. Home-cooked cannellini beans taste even more delicious than canned, and are much more economical. Make a batch and freeze them up to two months to use in salads, soups and pasta dishes and more.

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Soaking time 4 hrs

Total Time 7 hrs 10 mins

Course Vegetables

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Yield: About 7 cups

Dump the beans out onto a rimmed tray or large plate. Sort through them, discarding any debris or stones, and pick out any beans that are broken.
Put the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with fresh water. Soak at room temperature 4 hours, or up to overnight. When the beans are ready to cook, they’ll look plump and doubled in size, with no wrinkles in the skin. Drain and proceed with your preferred cooking method. Note: Use the quick soak option below if you’re short on time.

Stovetop method:

Pour the olive oil into a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and garlic and place over medium-high heat. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring, until the onions are softened. Add the drained, soaked beans and enough cold water to cover the beans by 2-3 inches. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and the chili if using.
Bring the water to a boil and cook the beans at a full boil for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer, give the beans a stir and partially cover the pan. Cook 1-3 hours, until the beans are uniformly plump and tender when you take a bite. Keep an eye on the water level, and add more as needed to keep the beans covered as they cook.

Pressure cooker method (soaked):

Put the beans, onion, garlic and chili in a pressure cooker insert. Add enough water to cover the beans by 2-3 inches. Lock the lid in place and cook 20-25 minutes at high pressure. Allow the steam to release naturally.

Pressure cooker method (un-soaked):

Put the beans, onion, garlic and chili in a pressure cooker insert. Add enough water to cover the beans by 2-3 inches. Lock the lid in place and cook 40-45 minutes at high pressure. Allow the steam to release naturally.

Serving:

Pick out the bay leaf, herb sprigs and the larger onion slices. Remove the beans from the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon, or drain into a colander set over a bowl. (Reserve the cooking broth for soup, and add some to the beans for storing in the refrigerator).Taste the beans, and add additional salt to taste. Serve the warm beans generously drizzled with olive oil, or use in any of your favorite recipes.

Cooking times for dried cannellini will vary depending on the age of the beans. Other factors to consider are hard water and altitude, which lowers the boiling point of water.
Cooked cannellini beans keep refrigerated up to one week, and can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Add a Parmesan rind to the cooking water for an extra tasty broth.
Save the bean cooking liquid to make soup — it’s delicious!

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen was a helpful resource for this recipe.

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Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about making cooking fun and doable, with easy to follow tested recipes and incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.

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