One pound of dried beans = four cans worth — let me show you how!

If you’ve been relying on canned beans, I want to show you a simple swap that saves money, reduces waste, and honestly just tastes better. Today I’m cooking a full pound of dried black beans in my Deluxe Multi-Cooker — and by the end, I’ll have the equivalent of four cans portioned and ready for the freezer.

This is the kind of meal prep that makes weeknight cooking so much easier. Let’s do it!

What You’ll Need

• 1 lb dried black beans
• Cold water (enough to fill to the halfway line)
• Your Deluxe Multi-Cooker
• A colander
• Freezer-safe zip-top bags

That’s it. No salt, no oil — just beans and water.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Rinse the beans. Pour your beans into a colander and rinse well under cold water. Most beans are pretty clean these days, but it’s worth a quick look to make sure there aren’t any small pebbles or debris hiding in there.

2. Add beans and water to the pot. Dump the rinsed beans into the Multi-Cooker pot and fill with cold water to about the halfway line. This gives the beans plenty of room to expand as they cook. Important: never fill above the max line!

3. Set the cook time. Secure the lid and make sure the silicone gasket is pressed in all the way. Turn the dial to Beans, press the button, and you’ll see it automatically sets to 25 minutes — perfect for black beans. Press and hold to start.

Note: While it says “Run,” the cooker is building pressure first. The countdown begins once pressure is fully built.

4. Natural release for 10 minutes. When the cook time is up, let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes. Once the “Keep Warm” mode kicks in, you’ll see it counting up — that’s your natural release timer. After 10 minutes, go ahead and manually release any remaining pressure. Always point the release away from you!

5. Check for doneness. When the red pin on the back of the lid drops, it’s safe to open. Give a bean a gentle mash — if it’s nice and tender, you’re done! If they need a little more time, just put the lid back on and add 2–4 more minutes.

6. Drain, rinse, and cool. Carefully pour the beans into a colander (watch the steam!) and rinse with cold water to help them cool down faster.

Freezer Portioning

Here’s the part I love. Once your beans are cool, use a 2-cup scoop and portion out 1¾ cups per bag — that’s roughly the equivalent of one can of beans. Squeeze out all the air, seal, and label. Then store all the individual bags inside a larger freezer zip-top bag to prevent freezer burn.

From one pound of dried beans, I get four ready-to-use portions in the freezer. Any time a recipe calls for a can of black beans, I just grab one!

Why I Love This Method

✔ Budget-friendly — Dried beans cost a fraction of canned
✔ No added sodium — You control what goes in
✔ Always on hand — Pull from the freezer anytime
✔ Simple — The Multi-Cooker does all the work!

Want to learn more about what the Deluxe Multi-Cooker can do? Check it out here!

Have you tried cooking dried beans from scratch? Drop a comment and let me know — I’d love to hear what you’re making!