Pros and Cons of Canned vs. Dried Beans

My friend from Brazil stood dumbfounded next to the canned beans in the store. She looked at me in shock and said, "they sell beans in cans!?" Growing up on canned beans, I was surprised by her statement and decided to try and cook with dried beans. It has been over five years since my friend made her statement, but what she said changed how I cook with beans. 

Pros of Canned Beans

1. I can buy the beans that are flavored exactly how I want them. I love a good can of refried beans and chili con carne. Some of my favorite childhood lunches were from canned beans. 
2. There is hardly any work involved to use the beans! Beans in a can are easy to use! One has to open, rinse (if they are plain beans), and serve. 
3. Canned Beans require minimal clean-up. There is hardly any mess when using a can of beans. 
4. Great for a fast meal. Is it 7:30 p.m., and you haven't even started dinner? Don't stress! Open a can of chili con carne and serve with cheese. Cook some nachos and smother with refried beans. Make Three Bean soup (1 can of chili con carne, bean with bacon, and tomato soup). Each of these meals takes ten minutes or less to prepare! Your welcome!

Cons of Canned Beans

1. Canned beans lead to more waste. The can will most likely end in the trash to add to our ever-increasing landfills. NOTE: Cans are recyclable. 
2. They are more expensive. The chart below shows the price difference between canned and dried beans. 

Pros of Dried Beans

1. They store well.  Dried beans take up about 1/3 of the space that canned beans do. They are easy to buy in bulk and are great for emergency preparedness. 
2. Significantly cheaper.  See chart above.
3. Easy to prepare. It doesn't take a master chef to cook up beans. All you need to do is soak, cook, season, and serve.

Cons of Dried Beans

1. You have to plan in advance to use dried beans. Although dried beans are easy to prepare, they take hours before they are ready to serve.
2. You have to convert the amount to your recipe. Many recipes call for a can of beans. Since you don't have a can, you need to calculate how many beans you need to make.  NOTE: I always make extra and freeze it. This makes using dried beans a lot easier. 

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." - Pros and Cons Team

Written by: Kristen