Stovetop Cannellini Beans (From Scratch)

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Creamy, soft, and satisfying, cannellini beans are one of my absolute favorite ingredients to add to salads, soups, pasta dishes, and more. This cannellini bean recipe will show you how to cook dried white beans from scratch, either on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker. Make a batch and freeze them for up to two months.

These basic white beans are the classic white beans I grew up eating in my Italian upbringing. They’re also essential in my favorite white bean soup.

Learning how to cook cannellini beans isn’t difficult at all, plus cooking a batch of beans from scratch is so convenient! Save them in the fridge or freezer, and add them to quick pasta recipes or this creamy white bean chicken chili.

Key ingredients

• Cannellini beans: With their soft, creamy texture and mild flavor, cannellini beans are a powerhouse pantry staple in my kitchen. They’re similar to other white beans like Great Northern and navy beans. They’re sometimes labeled as “white kidney beans,” but the taste and texture of cannellini beans is very different. Be sure to choose dried cannellini that don’t looked brown or shriveled, which is a hint that they’ve been sitting around for years (and will take a lot longer to cook).
• 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.
• Parmesan: If you save Parmesan rinds, they are wonderful to add to the dried bean broth for an extra layer of flavor. Toss in one or two small pieces along with the water.

Steps for cooking cannellini beans

• 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.

Go-to tips for soaking and seasoning

• Soaking time for dried white beans: Pre-soak dried beans 4-8 hours to help speed up their cooking time, which ultimately varies depending on the age of the beans (when they were harvested and dried). Try to use up your pantry stash of dried beans within 2 years.
• Quick-soak method: If you want to cook dried beans without waiting hours or overnight, try the “quick soak” method. Bring the beans to a boil in a large pot, then remove from the heat and let them soak one hour. Drain off the soaking water, then proceed with cooking them. Also, buy beans from retailers that have a high turnover.
• When to add salt: Dried beans can be salted gradually as they cook. Start off with 1/2 teaspoon salt at the beginning of cooking, then add more to taste as the beans are more fully cooked so they can absorb more flavor.

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Stovetop Cannellini Beans (From Scratch)

Karen Tedesco

Creamy, soft and satisfying, cannellini beans are one of my favorite pantry staples. This recipe shows how to cooked dried cannellini beans from scratch, either on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker. Make a batch and freeze them up to two months to use in salads, soups and pasta dishes and more.

Print SaveSaved

4.93 from 14 ratings

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Soaking time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Vegetables

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

Electric pressure cooker optional

Recipe Video

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound dried cannellini beans
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ½ cup sliced onion
• ▢ 2-3 whole garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a knife
• ▢ 2-3 sprigs fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, marjoram or sage
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 1-2 dried chile de arbol, or 1 teaspoon crushed red chili
• ▢ Salt

Instructions 

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.

Quick soak option:

• Put the beans in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Let the beans soak for one hour. Drain and proceed with your preferred cooking method.

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, herb sprigs, bay leaf 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, herb sprigs, bay leaf 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, herb sprigs, bay leaf 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.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

• 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.
• 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.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 224kcal Carbohydrates: 35g Protein: 13g Fat: 4g Sodium: 10mg Fiber: 9g Sugar: 2g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

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I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.