25 Types of Dried Beans and How to Use Them

We dove deep into beans while researching them for our book The Complete Beans and Grains Cookbook. Read on to learn exactly what to do with these 25 types of beans.

Simply put, beans are seeds. “Bean” is an umbrella term used to describe the seeds of thousands of flowering plants within the legume family, Fabaceae. There are several genera within the legume family, including Vicia (broad beans), Pisum (peas), Lens (lentils), and Phaseolus, which contains Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, which in turn includes black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, and even green beans. The “bean” category is a big one; the term is often applied to varieties that aren’t really considered beans, such as lentils, peanuts, and certain types of peas. Still, when we think of beans, we’re usually thinking of varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris.

To get to know the different types of beans, we purchased a number of them and held several tastings in the test kitchen. We were interested in the beans’ different flavors and textures and wanted to figure out how best to use each variety. We brined and rinsed each sample of beans before simmering them (with garlic and bay leaf) until just tender and then tasted them plain.

Almost every sample had its own distinct personality in terms of taste and texture. Here are our tasting notes, along with what you should know about each one and ideas for how to use them.

Black Beans

Sometimes called “black turtle beans” because of their hard outer shell, black beans are most popular in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Because they hold their shape well, black beans are good for pot beans, soups, chilis, salads, and dishes mixed with rice. When cooked, these beans make an inky broth, which is sometimes used for other dishes or consumed alone. Black beans are commonly available at grocery stores both dried and canned; heirloom varieties are frequently available online.

• Tasting notes: Small, dense, and creamy, with an earthy, sometimes “smoky” flavor, particularly heirloom varieties.
• Use them in: Black Bean Soup with Chipotle Chiles

Black Chickpeas

Black chickpeas can refer to a dark, very wrinkly skinned variety grown in southern parts of Italy (ceci neri) or a similarly small variety that is most commonly used in India and other parts of Asia (desi chana or kala chana). Because of their thick skin, black chickpeas need to soak and cook longer than white chickpeas, and they hold their shape well. Note that they lose a lot of color during cooking, turning more gray than black. Ceci neri are traditionally used in Italy for soups, stews, and pasta dishes. Desi/kala chana are creamier and commonly used in stews, curries, and stir-fries. 

• Tasting notes: More dense and thicker-skinned than regular chickpeas, with an “earthier, more herbaceous” flavor.
• Use them in: Roasted Vegetable and Black Chickpea Salad

Black-Eyed Peas

Cowpeas, which are related to mung beans, are thought to have originated and been domesticated in Africa; they are commonly consumed there as well as in the Southern United States and Asia. Black-eyed peas are one of the more well-known varieties of cowpeas, identified by a dark black “eye” on a small pale cream-colored oval bean. Black-eyed peas hold their shape well, making them good for salads or rice dishes. They are also traditionally ground up to make fritters. 

• Tasting notes: Firm, dense, and creamy, with a distinctively earthy taste.
• Use them in: Glazed Salmon with Black-Eyed Peas, Walnuts, and Pomegranate

Canary Beans

Canary beans are a pale yellow, thin-skinned variety that is popular in Mexico (where it is known as mayocoba) and also Peru. These beans hold their shape well and make a good option for pot beans or soups and stews, but they’re also well suited for dishes such as refried beans or tacu tacu that take advantage of their creamy texture. Canary beans, dried and canned, are available in well-stocked grocery stores; heirloom varieties are available online.

• Tasting notes: Very creamy with a subtle sweetness; are soft but hold their shape well.
• Use them in: Tacu Tacu with Salsa Criolla

Cannellini Beans

Related to red kidney beans, cannellini are most popular in Italy, where many heirloom varieties were bred and exist, though they originated in the Americas. They hold their shape well when cooked, making them good for salads, soups, stews, casseroles, blended into dips, or eaten simply dressed with oil. Cannellini beans are commonly available at grocery stores both dried and canned; heirloom varieties are frequently available online.

• Tasting notes: Thin-skinned and tender with a creamy texture and nutty, “buttery” to “earthy” flavor.
• Use them in: Farfalle and Cannellini Beans with Snow Peas, Salmon, Crispy Capers, and Dill

Chickpeas

Chickpeas are thought to be native to and domesticated in Turkey, and then spread throughout the Mediterranean and India. Chickpeas are now used throughout many cultures, and because they hold their shape well, are ideal for salads, soups, stews, curries, and casseroles, though one of their most well-known uses is blended into dips and spreads such as hummus. Chickpea flour is also used in many cuisines for flatbreads, fritters, and crackers. 

• Tasting notes: Dense, firm, and “meaty”; hold their shape well but turn creamy when cooked, and make a smooth puree.
• Use them in: Garlic-Parsley Crispy Chickpeas

Christmas Lima Beans

Christmas lima beans are an heirloom bean. They are very large, flat, dark lima bean–shaped beans with maroon and white markings that fade slightly with cooking. These stunning beans are great for recipes where you want a striking bean that holds its shape when cooked—in salads, stews, or soups. 

• Tasting notes: Creamy “melt-in-your-mouth” yet meaty, with a vegetal flavor reminiscent of “mushrooms” and “chestnuts.”
• Use them in: Bean Bourguignon

Cranberry Beans

Plump, beige dried cranberry beans have maroon speckles that disappear upon cooking, leading to a uniform brown color. Cranberry beans are thought to have originated in Colombia (where they’re known as the cargamanto bean) but are used in many Mediterranean cuisines, including Italy, where they are called borlotti beans. They are a classic choice for pasta e fagioli or minestrone. Cranberry beans are available in well-stocked grocery stores both dried and canned (often labeled Roman beans); heirloom varieties are frequently available online.

• Tasting notes: Thin-skinned, with a sweet and mild flavor that some liken to chestnuts; soft, velvety texture that makes a rich bean broth.
• Use them in: Stewed Cranberry Beans with Tomatoes and Sage

Flageolets

Bred in France, long, skinny, medium-size flageolet beans are picked while still immature, which preserves their light green color when dried. These delicate beans cook to a light tan color and tend to break down with extended cooking, but they can be added to soups and stews toward the end of cooking. Classically they are added to cassoulet and paired with lamb. 

• Tasting notes: Very creamy texture that dissolves on the tongue; mild with grassy “spring-like,” “buttery” flavors.
• Use them in: Simplified Cassoulet with Pork and Kielbasa

Gigante Beans

Gigante beans are extra-large, white flat runner beans similar in shape to lima beans (though they are not related). Commonly used in Greek cuisine, gigante beans originated in Mexico and Central America, like other runner beans. One of their traditional uses is in gigantes plaki, where they are baked with tomatoes, olive oil, onions, and herbs, but they are striking in any dish where a distinctive bean that holds its shape is desired, even lightly dressed on toast. 

• Tasting notes: Sweet mild taste, meaty and creamy texture.
• Use them in: Instant Pot Gigante Bean Soup with Celery and Olives

Great Northern Beans

One of several beans that are oftentimes lumped interchangeably together as “white beans,” great northern beans are larger than navy beans and less kidney-shaped than cannellini. It is thought that great northern beans got their name because they are grown in colder northern climates, particularly the upper Midwest (Nebraska and Minnesota). They are commonly used in soups, stews, chilis, and casseroles. 

• Tasting notes: Mild, nutty flavor and creamy texture.
• Use them in: White Bean and Mushroom Gratin

Kidney Beans

Perhaps most well known in the United States as a bean for chili, kidney beans are also popular in certain regions of India, the Caribbean, Portugal, and Spain. Kidney beans come in a variety of shades of red, from dark to light, as well as white (usually called cannellini), and speckled and mottled varieties. 

• Tasting notes: Faintly sweet, starchy texture.
• Use them in: Habichuelas Guisadas con Calabaza (Stewed Red Beans with Calabaza)

Lima Beans (aka Butter Beans)

Native to Peru (hence the name), lima beans are also known as butter beans, particularly the smaller varieties and in the southern United States. Lima beans are available dried, canned, and frozen. Lima beans are good for baked beans, salads, pot beans, succotash, or dips. While technically all the same variety, there are a range of size and colors of lima beans available—at the grocery store or through mail-order sources—including large white lima beans, baby limas, and green baby limas.

• Tasting notes: Buttery and soft with a stronger vegetable flavor than most beans.
• Use them in: Southern-Style Baby Lima Beans

Lupini Beans

Lupini (lupine) beans are a flat, round, beige bean most commonly consumed in the Mediterranean and the Middle East/North Africa, but they are also popular in parts of the Andean region of South America. Lupines are part of the pea genus and contain a potentially toxic alkaloid that has to be removed through a time-intensive process of soaking the dried beans, though newer varieties require less soaking. As a result, jarred lupini beans packed in brine, or vacuum-packed cooked beans, are often preferred to dried beans. Lupini beans are frequently prepared simply—with oil, salt, and a minimum of flavorings—and eaten as a snack, appetizer, or street food in Mediterranean countries. 

• Tasting notes: Mild, nutty, with a very firm, “snappy,” almost crunchy texture; thin edible skin that some slip off before consuming.
• Use them in: Lupini Beans with Garlic, Lemon, and Parsley

Navy Beans

Navy beans are the smallest of the white bean category. Served as a staple in the United States Navy since the 1800s (hence the name), navy beans are a small white, slightly flat bean that originated in Peru. Navy beans are the traditional bean for Boston baked beans and Senate bean soup, but they are also frequently used in cassoulet and other baked applications. Navy beans, both dried and canned, are commonly available at grocery stores.

• Tasting notes: Creamy, mild flavor that makes them extremely versatile.
• Use them in: New England Baked Beans

Orca Beans

Named for the black and white orca whales, orca beans are a small heirloom bean with striking black and white mottling. These beans hold up well to extended cooking, retain their markings when cooked, and create dark and flavorful pot liquor. Good for chilis, soups, stews, and pot beans, or mashed into dips.

• Tasting notes: Creamy and starchy with a potato-like flavor.
• Use them in: Lemon-Garlic Orca Bean Dip

Pigeon Peas

First domesticated in India, and then transported throughout the world through the slave trade, pigeon peas get their English name from their historic use as feed for pigeons in Barbados. Pigeon peas are cultivated in tropical and semi-tropical areas (with the greatest production in India) and consumed in many regions of the world, including Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In Latin America and the Caribbean, pigeon peas are commonly served stewed with tomatoes and onions or mixed with rice. In India, split pigeon peas are commonly used for dal (toor dal), and in Kenya they are simmered in coconut milk and served with rice. Cooked peas can be added to soups, stews, curries, sauces, salads, and rice dishes.

• Tasting notes: Nutty flavor and “crisp” texture.
• Use them in: Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas

Pink Beans

Pink beans (commonly known by their name in Spanish, habichuelas rosadas) are popular in the Caribbean, particularly in Puerto Rico. Pink beans are well suited for serving as pot beans with rice, in chilis, and as refried beans.

• Tasting notes: Rich, meaty flavor and smooth, creamy texture.
• Use them in: Meaty Baked Beans

Pinto Beans

Pinto beans get their name from their speckled or “painted” appearance. Popular in Mexico, particularly northern Mexico, and in the Western/Southwestern United States, pinto beans hold their shape well and are great for pot beans (charro beans), chilis, soups, and stews. Their creaminess makes them especially good for refried beans. Pinto beans, dried and canned, are available in most grocery stores; heirloom varieties are available online.

• Tasting notes: Soft, creamy, with “mild nuttiness” but a neutral flavor that makes them versatile.
• Use them in: New Mexican Bean-and-Cheese Turnovers with Green Chile

Royal Corona Beans

Huge royal corona beans are similar in appearance to large white lima beans or gigante beans (to which they are related) and are an heirloom variety grown in Europe, though with roots firmly in Mexico, like other runner bean varieties. These beans—which can be used in soups, stews, pot beans, salads, and casseroles—have a striking presence in any dish (and also when served alone) due to their immense size.

• Tasting notes: Thick-skinned, creamy, smooth, rich, and dense inside with faintly sweet, mild flavor.
• Use them in: Beans Marbella

Scarlet Runner Beans

Beautiful, large, pink-and-black-speckled beans, scarlet runner beans originated in Mexico. Scarlet runner beans hold their shape well and retain some of their markings after cooking, and they also create a dark, thick pot liquor. These striking beans are well suited for applications that take advantage of their large size, meatiness and flavor, such as braises or salads.

• Tasting notes: Thick-skinned, starchy, meaty, and faintly sweet, with smoky/roasted notes.
• Use them in: Scarlet Runner Mole Burgers

Sea Island Red Peas

Sea Island red peas are an heirloom variety of cowpeas, domesticated in the Sea Islands (a chain of barrier islands off the Atlantic coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida) and the Low Country region of South Carolina. Like other cowpeas, they are originally from West Africa. 

• Tasting notes: Richly flavored, sweet, and meaty.
• Use them in: Hoppin’ John

Small Red Beans

Small red beans are popular throughout the Caribbean and Central America and also southern parts of the United States. They are different in shape and size from red kidney beans, though the two are sometimes substituted for each other. They are also different from the adzuki beans used to make the red bean paste used in Chinese and other cuisines. Small red beans retain their shape during cooking and are ideal for simmered dishes, soups, stews, chilis, and dishes mixed with rice (arroz con habichuelas in the Dominican Republic, or red beans and rice in Louisiana).

• Tasting notes: Rich flavor and firm texture.
• Use them in: Jamaican Stew Peas with Spinners

Split Peas

Split peas are “field peas,” which are green or yellow peas that are allowed to mature in the pod and are specifically suited for drying. Like other split legumes (see red lentils), they are quick-cooking and don’t need to be presoaked like other dried beans.

• Tasting notes: Starchy and sweet (particularly green peas), very creamy, puree-like texture when cooked.
• Use them in: Split-Pea Soup with Ham

Tepary Beans

Tepary beans are drought-resistant beans native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico, particularly in the northwest, but they have also been cultivated in Africa, Australia, and Asia. Both brown and white tepary beans are versatile and can be added to soups and stews, made into pot beans or refried beans, or pureed into dips.

• Tasting notes: Small and dense with a slightly sweet to earthy flavor.
• Use them in: White Bean Hummus with Herb and Olive Salad