How Long to Soak Beans, Chickpeas and Lentils: A Simple Chart
How long to soak beans, chickpeas, fava beans and black-eyed peas, and which lentils need no soaking at all, with a simple soaking and cooking time chart.
How long to soak beans depends on the type: white beans, chickpeas and borlotti beans cook faster and more evenly after 8–12 hours in water. Red, yellow and green lentils, and bulgur, need no soaking at all. The chart below shows how long to soak each pulse and how long to cook it.
Why soak dried beans?
Soaking lets the dry seed take up water again, so it cooks evenly from the inside out, the skin stays intact and cooking time drops. Draining the soaking water and cooking in fresh water also removes part of the sugars that can cause bloating for some people.
How long to soak beans: soaking and cooking chart
| Pulse | Soaking time | Cooking time (regular pot) |
|---|---|---|
| White beans | 8–12 hours | 60–90 minutes |
| Chickpeas | 8–12 hours | 60–90 minutes |
| Borlotti beans | 8–12 hours | 60–90 minutes |
| Dried fava beans | 12–24 hours | 60–90 minutes |
| Black-eyed peas | 4–6 hours (optional) | 30–45 minutes |
| Green lentils | Not needed | 30–40 minutes |
| Red and yellow lentils | Not needed | 15–25 minutes |
A pressure cooker cuts these times to roughly a third. Crop age and water hardness change the timing, so the best test is a bean that crushes easily between your fingers.
How to soak beans properly
- Pick over the beans and rinse them several times.
- Cover with at least three times their volume of cold water; they swell as they soak.
- In warm weather, soak in the fridge or change the water once.
- Drain and rinse before cooking.
Forgot to soak? The quick-soak method
Bring the beans to the boil in plenty of water, boil for 2–3 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave them covered for one hour. Drain and cook as usual. This method does most of what an overnight soak does.
Frequently asked questions
Can you cook dried beans without soaking?
Yes, but they take much longer and may cook unevenly. An overnight soak or the quick-soak method gives better results.
Should you salt the soaking water?
A little salt helps soften the skins. Add acidic ingredients such as tomato paste or lemon only once the beans are tender.
Can you soak beans for more than 24 hours?
Apart from dried fava beans, there is no need. Very long soaking can start fermentation, so change the water and keep the bowl somewhere cool.
Cilin pulses are sieved and cleaned at our facility in Mersin before packing, so picking them over takes only a moment. See Cilin white beans and Cilin chickpeas, or our Serda range for the same everyday staples at accessible prices.