Have you ever made Adzuki Beans before? I'm going to walk you through how to cook adzuki beans on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, and in the slow cooker. These tips and tricks will leave you with perfectly cooked beans every time.
Welcome to the wonderful world of adzuki beans
Hello there! Thanks for joining me in my nerd cave. Today, we're going to do a deep dive into cooking adzuki beans.
As a nutritionist, I love all beans for that ultimate combo of plant-based protein, dietary fiber, and deliciousness. But I will say that sweet little adzuki beans have a special place in my heart. I use them to make my Fudgy Adzuki Bean Brownies, but they're also delicious used in savory recipes like soups, stews, and curries.
I'm covering three different ways to cook adzuki beans from dry, including stove-top, Instant Pot, and slow cooker. And hoo boy, let me tell you, getting the timings right for the Instant Pot took a lot of work. But after extensive testing (we're talking at least 10 tests just for Instant Pot timings) I can confidently say that this is THE comprehensive guide to cooking adzuki beans.
So, let's get into it. Here's everything you need to know about cooking adzuki beans from dry.
How to cook adzuki beans from scratch
We’re going to go through a few different cooking techniques, but regardless of which one you choose the first thing you need to do is put your beans into a mesh strainer and give them a good rinse. Sift through the beans with your fingers and check for any small stones or anything else that might be hiding with the beans that you wouldn’t want to bite into.
Please note that all of the cooking times in this post are for unsoaked adzuki beans.
Do you need to soak adzuki beans?
No! Adzuki beans are small and quick to cook compared to other beans like black beans or chickpeas, so no soaking is required before cooking them.
Of course you can soak your adzuki beans if you prefer. Many people swear by soaking beans, discarding the soaking water, and then cooking them in fresh water to remove flatulence-causing compounds and make them easier to digest.
Cooking adzuki beans on the stovetop
Cooking your adzuki beans on the stovetop is the simplest and straightforward method. It doesn’t require any soaking in advance, and the beans are nicely cooked in about 45 minutes.
The stovetop is also my preferred method as you can keep an eye on your beans as they cook and pull from the heat when they’re perfectly tender.
To cook adzuki beans on the stove top, place in a pot and cover with plenty of water (I usually go with one part beans to four parts water). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender.
Instant Pot Adzuki Beans
Guys, I’m not going to lie, cooking adzuki beans in the Instant Pot is kinda tricky. I tested several of the most popular recipes on the internet before FINALLY figuring out what actually works, including a variety of cook times with quick releasing or natural releasing.
In the photo below, the beans on the left, which are a good firm, "al dente" bean, would be great for adding to a salad or wrap were cooked for 5 minutes at high pressure, with a 20 minute natural release.
The beans on the right, which are very soft and would be perfect for adding to soups, stews, or making bean brownies, were done for 10 minutes at high pressure and a 20 minute natural release.
After trialling more than 10 batches of adzuki beans in the instant pot, my official recommendations for both firm and soft beans are those stated above, with a 20-minute natural release.
Slow cooker adzuki beans
I tend to not cook beans in the slow cooker these days since the Instant Pot is so much faster, but for those of you who want to “set it and forget it” you can certainly use your slow cooker for adzuki beans.
Just as cooking adzuki beans on the stove top, you’ll want to add one part beans to four parts water. You can set your slow cooker on high for 3 hours, or low for about 6 hours.
Cooking times will vary from slow cooker to slow cooker, but the advantage of this method is being able to take the lid off and test the beans when they are close to done.
THE BEST WAY TO COOK ADZUKI BEANS
If having a perfectly cooked adzuki bean that is neither too soft nor too firm is important to you, my recommendation is to cook them on the stovetop so you can monitor them to see when they are perfectly done.
If you're ok with erring on the side of slightly soft, then the thoroughly-tested pressure cooker instructions above should work for you. It is always a bit of a risk with not knowing how old your beans are, and not being able to remove the lid to check doneness.
Having said that, you can't beat the convenience of the Instant Pot if you've got one.
How to Cook Adzuki Beans
Instructions
- Rinse your adzuki beans well and check over for any stones.
Stovetop Instructions
- Place 1 cup adzuki beans and 3 cups water in a large pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the beans are tender. This will take about 45 minutes.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place 1 cup adzuki beans and 4 cups of water into the insert of an Instant Pot.
- Seal the lid and ensure that it is set to "sealing".
- For firm beans, set to high pressure for 5 minutes. For soft beans, set to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot has reached pressure it will beep and start naturally releasing the pressure. Allow to natural release for 20 minutes, and then flip the valve to "venting" and release the remaining pressure.
Slow Cooker instructions
- Place 1 cup of beans and 4 cups of water in the slow cooker.
- Set to HIGH for 3 hours, or LOW for 6 hours. Check beans towards the end of the cooking time.
Notes
- You can scale the quantity of beans up or down, but it should always be one part beans to four parts of water for cooking.
- Drain any remaining water when the beans are cooked.
- Cooked adzuki beans can be stored for up to 5 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.
Heidi says
Tried this using instant pot and got mush. Shall do cooktop next time.
Katie Trant says
Bummer, Heidi! Instant Pot can be tricky since you can't check the beans for doneness.
Sue Stoneman says
Hi thank you for the comprehensive and simple instructions. Perfect! I use the adzuki beans for "cottage" pie and they are so good even for meat lovers.
Katie Trant says
Using adzuki beans in cottage pie is such a great idea!
Geofrey Lane says
I'm new to vegetarian cooking and this was the first dish made from Adzuki beans. I loved it but I had already soaked my beans before I came across this recipe. I cooked it on the stove top. They were a bit soft for me so next time I'll wash and use them unsoaked