What Are Red kidney beans and How Can I Use Them?

Red kidney beans rewards a little know-how: how to choose them, cook them, store them, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 519 recipes to cook with them.

What are red kidney beans?

Red Kidney beans, the world's second most important bean, with a bright red-purple color and distinctive flavor, are popular in the United States for use in chili con carne, soups and salads. They are also a favorite in Scadanavian countries, France and Britian. Grown in the US in Michigan, New York and California.

Also check out our in depth articles on Dried Beans - A low-cost and healthy addition to your diet and Hill of Beans.

Purchasing Guide

Dried beans should be clean, uniform in size and quality. Today dried beans are usually sold pre-packaged and a reliable brand will guarentee clean, uniformly sized beans.

1 pound, raw = approximately 2 1/3 cups

1 pound, cooked = approximately 6 cups

Storage

After opening the package place the unused beans in a clean, tightly covered container and store on the pantry shelf.

Kitchen shelf: 1 year

Refrigerator shelf, cooked, covered: 3 to 4 days

Refrigerator freezer, cooked beans and cooked bean dishes, prepare for freezing: 1 month

Deep Freezer, cooked beans and cooked bean dishes, prepared for freezing: 4 to 6 months

Basic Preparation

Packaged beans are usually sorted and washed before packaging, so need only be rinsed.

Bean bought in bulk should be sorted carefully, discarding broken and defective beans, and washed until the water runs clear.

It's a good idea to soak the beans to replace some of the water lost during the drying process.

In general, if directions are not given on the package, use the amount of water called for in the recipe; save the nutritious soaking water to use in cooking the beans.

dried red kidney beans

There are two ways of soaking dried beans:

Quick method: Measure the soaking water into a large, heavy pot. Add the washed beans and bring to the boil. Cover the pot and cook for 2 minutes; remove from heat and let stand for one hour, then cook according to recipe directions.
Overnight method: Measure the soaking water into a large pot; add washed beans; cover pot, and let stand for 6 to 8 hours. To prevent souring and hard skins the two minute boil above is recommended even when the beans are soaked overnight.

Add one teaspoon of salt per cup of soaked beans. If ham, bacon or salt pork is to be added use a smaller amount of salt.

Always try to cook in the soaking water. Cover the pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer according to the recipe.

Stir carefully but not too often to avoid breaking apart the beans. When done they should hold their shape as well as be tender. Cooking time can range from 20 minutes to 1 ½ hours depending on the type of bean and how long they have been stored.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (256g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 217Calories from Fat 7

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.9g 1%

Saturated Fat 0.1g 1%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 872mg 36%

Total Carbohydrate 39.9g 13%

Dietary Fiber 16g 66%

Sugars 0.6

Protein 13.4g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 5%

Calcium 6% • Iron 18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find red kidney beans: Red kidney beans are usually found in the canned goods section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Red kidney beans are a member of the Legumes and Legume Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 红芸豆
British (UK) term: Red kidney beans
en français: haricots rouge
en español: frijoles rojo

How much do red kidney beans weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup	256 grams
1 tbsp	16 grams

Legumes and Legume Products

Beans 235 Beans with pork, canned 45 Beans, dried 19 Black beans 445 Black beans, dried 29 Great northern beans 58 Kidney beans, canned 128 Red kidney beans 519 Red beans 47 Navy beans, dried 26

Recipes using red kidney beans

There are 519 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Meatball Chili Stew

Tex-Mex meatball chili stew with crushed tortilla chip-bound meatballs simmered in picante sauce, tomatoes, and kidney beans. Topped with cilantro and more tortilla chips for crunch.

Buffalo & Beans

Buffalo and beans is a hearty chili that mixes ground bison with ground beef, kidney beans, sweet peppers and mushrooms. Long-simmered for deep flavor, leaner than all-beef chili and meatier than pure bison.

Beefy Chunk & Cheese Chili

Curried beef and kidney bean chili topped with sharp cheddar and fresh scallions. The unexpected curry powder addition transforms a basic chili into something with serious depth and global flavor.

Chili Con Cervesa

Chili con cervesa simmers ground beef and kidney beans in a beer-spiked tomato base with chili powder, garlic, and oregano. A pantry-friendly chili with deep malty flavor from a full bottle of beer.

Chili Con Carne Winchester

Chili con carne Winchester loads ground beef, kidney beans, and stewed tomatoes with a sneaky can of Veg-All for one-pot nutrition. Easy weeknight chili in under an hour.

Mom's Favourite Chili

Mom's chili stacks beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, and a quiet blend of cumin, oregano, and basil into a slow-simmered family-style pot. Old-school weeknight chili with a long-simmer payoff.

Amazing Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati's iconic chili simmers with warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cocoa powder, creating a Greek-influenced meat sauce perfect for ladling over spaghetti.

Chili Soup

Hearty chili soup with ground beef, kidney beans, strained tomatoes and a surprising swirl of cream. Simple to make with just a handful of ingredients, simmers low and slow.

Meatless Monday Chili

Vegan chili made hearty with marinated tempeh, kidney beans, mushrooms, and a long simmer in tomato and vegetable stock. Deep, savory, slow-cooked Meatless Monday meal.

Chili, Chuck Morford

A hearty beef and two-bean chili loaded with jalapenos, kidney and black beans, and a deep spice blend, slow-simmered with an optional splash of beer. Big-batch, crowd-pleasing, and seriously warming.

Chili Spiced Beef & Bean Stew

A succulent dish that brings some variety to dinner and a tantalizing flavor everyone will enjoy!

Chili N'Awlins

Chili N'Awlins is a New Orleans-style beef and pork chili with green chiles, oregano, and a Cajun edge. Topped with corn chips, sharp cheddar, and shredded lettuce for a hearty crowd-feeder.

Chili Ala Capt. James Mcdonnell

Beef and Italian sausage chili with a tablespoon of instant coffee for depth, two kinds of beans (kidney and refried), and a Monterey Jack topping. Captain's recipe.

Cheesy Chili for a Crowd

Cheesy chili mac for a crowd with ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, and melted cheddar cheese sauce over pasta. Family-friendly one-pot chili that feeds 12.

A Very Tasty Chili

Smoky beef chili with toasted dried chiles, habanero heat, and kidney beans. Toast, blend, and simmer for deep chile flavor that'll ruin you for canned chili powder forever.

Spicy Red Bean Soup

Spicy red bean soup with a smoky ham hock, cheesecloth-bundled cumin and cayenne, and a finish of Tabasco and parsley. A slow-simmered pot of Southern comfort food.

Remember the Alamo Chili

Remember the Alamo Chili: a hearty Texas-style ground beef chili built on fresh hot chilies, garlic, cumin and citrusy Mexican oregano in a rich tomato base. Add beans if you must, and finish with a cool spoonful of sour cream.

Chernobyl Chili

Chernobyl Chili: a big-batch ground beef and red kidney bean chili with 4 tablespoons of chili powder and serious heat. Cooked in the microwave then served from the crockpot. Built for a crowd.

Chili with Kidney Beans

Chili with kidney beans is a hearty crowd-size beef chili built on garlic-browned ground beef, peppers, tomatoes, and red kidney beans, simmered low with chili powder, cloves, and bay. Crowd cooker for game day.

Southwestern Rice & Bean Salad

Colorful Southwestern rice and bean salad with kidney beans, corn, and picante dressing. Vegetarian, low-fat make-ahead perfect for potlucks.

Carol's Moosewood Vegetarian Chili

Moosewood-style vegetarian chili with kidney beans, bulgur wheat, fresh tomatoes, peppers, and a warm chili-cumin spice mix. A hearty, protein-rich plant-based main from the iconic Ithaca cookbook tradition.

Hearty Bean Soup

Hearty bean soup combines kidney beans, sweet corn and tomatoes in a chili-cumin spiced broth, topped with shredded cheddar. A 35-minute pantry meal that feels like it simmered all day.

Vegetarian Chili Texas Style

Hearty vegetarian Texas-style chili with meaty textured vegetable protein, kidney beans, peppers and tomatoes. A high-protein, meatless pot simmered low and slow, and even better the next day.

Arcadian Eight Bean Chili

Arcadian eight bean chili packs six bean varieties, ground beef, bacon, and dried poblanos into a smoky simmered crowd-feeder. Cinnamon and coriander give this chili an unexpected depth.

Cheesy Curry Chili

Curry-spiked chili with ground beef, kidney beans, and a generous shower of sharp cheddar. A 30-minute weeknight pot that crosses Tex-Mex with Indian warmth.

Bowl of Compassion Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian chili loaded with kidney beans, three kinds of peppers, jalapenos, and TVP for hearty texture. A cookoff-tested vegan chili that tastes even better the next day.

Aunt Em's Hearty Soup

Ground beef browns with onions, then simmers all day in the slow cooker with kidney beans, lima beans, stewed tomatoes, and creamed corn spiked with chili powder for a stick-to-your-ribs winter soup.

Bob's Beef Chili

Nothing is better than a bowl of warm chili in a cold day. It's cozy and warm you up.

Easy Delicious Chili Dogs

Homemade chili dogs topped with beefy chili made from ground beef, kidney beans, tomato sauce, and chili powder. A diner-style classic for game day or weeknight dinner.

Mom's Chocolate Chili

Beef chili with kidney beans, tomato puree, green chiles and a finishing stir of bittersweet chocolate. Mole-inspired depth from cocoa balances the heat. A 1-hour one-pot weeknight dinner.

Bert Greene's Peppered Chili

Bert Greene's peppered chili layers ground beef and beef shoulder strips with three different chiles (mild ground, caribe, fresh serrano). Slow-baked three hours with red wine, fresh tomatoes, and herbs. Kidney beans go in last. A serious cook's chili.

Cincinnati 5-Way Chili

Cincinnati 5-way chili: cinnamon and allspice-spiced beef chili ladled over vermicelli, then crowned with beans, onions, and cheddar. Greek-influenced Midwestern original.

Great Vegetarian Chili

Hearty vegetarian chili built on TVP, kidney beans, tomatoes, and green chiles. A high-fiber, low-fat one-pot meal seasoned with cumin, oregano, and chili powder. No meat, no soaking dried beans, ready in under an hour.

$Crockpot Tex Mex Chili$

Crockpot Tex Mex Chili

A spicy traditional chili that can be left to simmer while you are at work.

A Working Woman's Chili

Quick weeknight chili with ground round, kidney beans, chipotle in adobo, black olives, and a splash of oregano vinegar. Hearty 60-minute one-pot dinner.

$Tex-Mex Salad$

Tex-Mex Salad

A hearty salad that's suitable as a main dish. Lots of flavors and textures throughout.

Crock Pot Chili Con Carne

A succulent crockpot dish that is made with beef and kidney beans.

Texas Sloppy Joes

A quick and easy one-skillet Text style beef dinner is served on top of buns to make delicious Texas Sloppy Joes.

Bon Appetit Vegetarian Chili with Chipotle Chilies

Bon Appetit Vegetarian Chili with Chipotle Chilies recipe

Beer Chili Con Carne

Robust beer chili with ground beef, fire-roasted peppers, and kidney beans. The beer adds malty depth while three-hour simmer creates complex, layered flavor.

Cindy's Salsa Chicken

Reasonably easy to put together, and it came out quite tasty. A good weeknight meal if you have rice or noodle or bread on the side.

Slow-Cooked Chili

Slow-cooker chili with ground beef, red kidney beans, diced tomatoes, bell pepper, and a generous shake of chili powder. Set it in the morning, eat by dinner. Hands-off weeknight comfort.

Consumer Report's Chili (Scaled Down)

Classic beef chili with crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, and an 8-tablespoon hit of chili powder warmed up with cumin, coriander, and allspice. Simmered until thick and adjustable from mild to wildfire.

Bob's Cold Weather Chili

Cold weather chili simmers ground beef with sweet red peppers, plum tomatoes, kidney beans, and chunky picante salsa. A long-cooked, layered chili built for snowy nights when nothing else will do.

Best Chili Ever

Hearty ground beef chili built on tomato juice, two cans of kidney beans, and a generous five tablespoons of chili powder. A weeknight one-pot dinner with serious depth from a long simmer.

Vegetarian Chili Con Carne

Instead of baking in the oven, I cooked it in a skillet. Browned the onions with a bit olive oil and garlic first, next browned carrots and celeries; then added remaining ingredients, brought to a boil, and simmered for about 30 minutes. Very tasty and filling, I had it with a few warm corn tortillas. Yum!