Next in our series on pressure canning, we’ll tackle canning pinto beans.
Pressure canning beans is a great way to save money, be prepared, and have fun.
Beans are one of the easiest and most cost-efficient food items to can.
I bought a 10 pound bag of dried pinto beans at Sam’s Club for $7.39. This resulted in 14 quarts (448 ounces) and 7 pints (112 ounces) of canned beans for a total of 560 ounces. This equals $.01 per ounce. I already have jars and rings on hand. The only purchase I made for this canning session was lids, which were $1.99/12 or $.16 each (total of $5.97). Added to the cost of the beans, these canned beans cost $13.36 for 14 quarts and 7 pints. That’s a pretty significant cost savings, not to mention it being a better product and I know exactly what is in the beans!
Grab your supplies and let’s get to canning!
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Read more on this topic with these posts!

- Make Your Own Recipe Binder -
- Homeschool Planning Printables with HP -
- Back to School Dual Enrollment Student Planner -
- 40+ Instant Pot Recipes for Your Summer BBQs -
- Easter Time Bunny Huts -
- Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches -
- 5 Satisfying Yet Simple Snacks -
- 5 Ways You Can Help a Grieving Mama Celebrate Special Days -
- It’s Not Worth It- Don’t Drive Distracted -
- One Big Yet Simple Step for Quality Sleep -
I pressure can pintos, too! Never thought to get them at Sam’s Club, but there’s a free weekend coming up. This is my favorite pinto bean recipe, Taco Bean Soup: http://bluefield5.blogspot.com/2011/11/taco-bean-soup.html
Thanks for sharing your recipe with us!
I’m always looking for ways to use our home-canned goodness! 🙂
Enjoy your trip to Sam’s Club. The free weekends usually also mean samples galore. You probably will be able to eat your way through the club and be full when you leave! 🙂
I want to start canning – thank you for this!
You’re welcome, Rebecca!
Please share your canning adventures when you start canning! 🙂
I did this yesterday. also did what you said not to do, I over filled my jars & I don’t have much liquid. I am kind of new to canning so my question is can I still save theses with out the juice or do I need to just start over. Thanks for your reply.
Sure, you can still use the beans!
They will just be a bit dry when you use them, so try to use them in a recipe with extra liquid- chili, refried beans, etc.
Have a great day!
Hello I’m new to pressure canning and was wondering could I can other dry beans the same way, like norther and navy beans, kidney beans and so forth?
Tracy,
YES!
I have Great Northern Beans and Navy Beans canned on the shelf right now too.
Have fun!!!!
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for your informative website. I am new to canning and did my first batch of cannellini beans and chick peas. I really wanted them to come out firm, not too soggy so I tried the method of just putting the dried beans straight into the jars with boiling water. Processed them at 75 mins at 10 psi. They still come out mostly split and overly soft. I will try your method next to see what the difference is but I can only imagine they will come out even soggier if I pre soak. How soft are your finished product and are your beans mostly split? I am trying to figure out what I could be doing wrong. Too much waer? Gas up too high or is that just the way pressure canned beans turn out? Any thoughts?
Hmm.
I haven’t canned cannellini beans nor chick peas, so I can’t speak from experience. The beans I’ve canned have not split.
I’m wondering if it’s the type of bean or the boiling water?
When you try this method, be sure to not boil the beans as that will tend to cause them to split.
Be sure to keep the canner at a constant pressure state.
I hope this works well for you! Do come back and update me, please!
Sorry … Also….does it affect he outcome if I only processed 6 pint jars instead of a full load?
It sure will! Most do a full load due to the time and effort required. 🙂
When canning and still have space for more jars put water in the other jars with lids
Great idea!!!
Thanks for sharing, Alyce!
do you add any seasoning or salt to the beans before canning?
Donna,
I do not add any seasoning or salt before canning. This way, I can season the beans for whatever dish I am prepapring.
Have fun!
When I can my beans I add a tsp of canning salt, and chunk of onion, and a 1/2 tsp mined garlic. I do this because I usually serve my beans as a side dish, or for inside of burritos.
That’s what I love about canning my own foods, you can personalize it just for your needs. Great idea! 🙂
Hi, Laurie. What seasonings do you typically use when serving your canned pinto beans? I haven’t canned pinto beans, and am very interested in trying this preservation process. I usually serve pinto beans that have been cooked for hours in the crock pot and are seasoned with salt pork or something similiar. Thanks for your informative post.
Hi there, Lona!
I don’t typically season my pinto beans when canning. This allows me to use them in any recipe. My most frequent use is for refried beans. I add cumin, onion & garlic powder, along with salsa.
You could fry the salt pork, then add the canned beans to the pan. The fat from the salt pork would flavor the beans.
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Can you boil can the beans? I have mine made with some tomatoe and onions already cooked and I would prefer boil canning because it’s faster and easier.
By boil canning, do you mean water bath? If so, no, beans need to be pressure canned. Water bath canning is not recommended as safe.
I wanted to pressure can my cooked pinto beans; is this a no no? I use seasonings, onion, garlic, catsup and thyme and sometimes hamburger meat.
Not at all!
I’d suggest undercooking them a bit so that they don’t turn out mushy after canning. 🙂
Is it possible to can leftover soup beans?
I don’t think I’d can cooked beans. They would most likely be too soft and mushy, as they’d basically be cooked twice. You could, however, freeze the cooked beans for later use. 🙂
I did can left over cooked beans and yes they were a bit mushy. But, I used them as retried beans which I mash anyway. They were delicious.
I’m sorry that I missed your comment, Kim!
Great use for those beans! 🙂
How much water do you put in your pressure cooker?
Thanks for stopping by!
I haven’t pressure canned in a while. But, I believe I went with about half way up the side of a quart jar. There’s a line in my canner from use, so I just follow that line.
Hope that helps!
Happy Canning!
I’v canned pinto beans. I soaked them over night & processed them for 75 minutes. they were very mushy. What will prevent the beans coming out mushy?
You might try the quick soak method instead of soaking overnight.
I hope that helps!!
Can I can pinto beans and kidney beans together to have ready to make chili
Sure! The processing times are the same for both pinto and kidney beans. You could spice those beans as well while processing them to have chili beans.
Great idea!
I can all kinds of dried beans- I use the Pintos for refried beans and also chili, Black beans for soup, black beans and rice or salads, Garbanzo beans for salad or hummus, Great Northern beans for ham and beans or baked beans, and Red beans for red beans and rice or chili…I also like to get some other kinds of beans to try them as well. I LOVE canning beans- makes dinner really fast some nights when I don’t have time to cook- example- black beans and rice (I also can brown rice). Heat the beans and rice in the microwave, chop some onions over the top, add a splash of vinegar and cheese and sprinkle cumin into the beans and voila! Dinner in 5 minutes!
Perfect! Home canned foods are wonderful to have in the pantry! 🙂