Freezing cooked beans

[peppermint66]

if i were to pre cook a big batch of dried beans, Could i freeze them to use in recipes later? Does freezing alter the texture much? trying to find more ways to batch cook or cook and save larger quantities of foods. With just two adults and a toddler ,we could not eat a lot of cooked beans before they went bad in the fridge.

[Ali Lee]

Yes, you can freeze beans & they are a-ok. @ least I've never had a problem. Might want to mash some, season, & have refried beans ready. Go ahead & freeze... no altering of texture here.

[dcompton]

Sometimes to me it seems they soften a little. But then, I like my beans a little "al dente" so maybe I'm just overly sensitive to that. But they definitely freeze well.

Edited to add: this is a trick I've posted before - I don't know where I read it now. If you soak the beans and freeze them uncooked, they will cook faster. I've done this, because I prefer them fresh cooked to cooked and frozen. Apparently the water they absorb expands when frozen and starts breaking down whatever it is that softens when they cook - cellulose? Something like that. It does seem to cut time, from a little to rather substantially, depending on the type of bean.

[brennasmom]

I have had good luck with freezing homemade refried beans

[zakity]

I cook up a ton of beans in the crockpot, we eat dinner off them, and then I freeze the leftovers to use with other meals. It works great. I freeze them in canning jars because it is easier to measure them out for recipes that way, but you have to be careful because sometimes they crack in the freezer.

[sinopa27]

I cook up a ton of beans in the crockpot, we eat dinner off them, and then I freeze the leftovers to use with other meals. It works great. I freeze them in canning jars because it is easier to measure them out for recipes that way, but you have to be careful because sometimes they crack in the freezer.

the jars crack in the freezer??? I thought canning jars were safe to use in the freezer. How about the plastic canning jars? Have you tried those? I am looking for a way to preserve cooked pinto beans.

[zakity]

Well, I had one split. I don't know how it happened, whether it wasn't cooled enough before it was put in there or one of my boys slammed two jars together or maybe the jar had a structural flaw in it (my vote is on the boys not being careful with them). I still use the jars to freeze in. One out of x amount of jars isn't bad.

Oh yeah, if you freeze in canning jars, leave plenty of expansion space.

[The Muse]

I can't buy canned beans here so I freeze them all the time.

I blogged about how I do it here: Sage & Simple: freezing beans

[nuisance26]

Sometimes to me it seems they soften a little. But then, I like my beans a little "al dente" so maybe I'm just overly sensitive to that. But they definitely freeze well.

Edited to add: this is a trick I've posted before - I don't know where I read it now. If you soak the beans and freeze them uncooked, they will cook faster. I've done this, because I prefer them fresh cooked to cooked and frozen. Apparently the water they absorb expands when frozen and starts breaking down whatever it is that softens when they cook - cellulose? Something like that. It does seem to cut time, from a little to rather substantially, depending on the type of bean.

~This is what I do now as well. I got sick of pulling out my frozen cooked beans to have them dissolve into mush in my recipes. Yuck!~

[mndtrp]

I cook refried and chili beans for my wife, and then freeze in small yogurt containers. She likes them better than canned, and claims there isn't much texture difference.