How Much Does a Hill of Beans Cost? + Recipes for Instant Pot Refried Beans & Whole Beans

Is it Worth it to Make Beans from Scratch?

Those $1 cans of beans sure seem like a good deal – but is it much cheaper to make beans from scratch? Canned beans are convenient, and I feel have their place. If you choose to make your beans from scratch it’s nice to know how much your efforts are actually worth. As it turns out, a lot.

I know some people who do a little of both – making beans from scratch, and also keep some cans in their pantry for quick meals. As far as a nutritious food, it’s a good choice no matter how it arrives on your plate.

Personally, I like to make my own beans in my Instant Pot. This was especially true after I calculated buying canned beans vs. making from scratch.

Back to calculating those hills of beans. We need to compare the same units in order to calculate our cost. On the one hand, we have cooked beans (canned) and on the other dry (uncooked).

A can of beans contains 1.5 cups of beans. Let’s say the can costs $.99. So, that’s $.99/1.5 cups=$.66 per cup

I buy beans in bulk at Smart Food Service for $.48/lb. One pound of dry beans makes 6 cups cooked.

Cost for cooked beans in can: $.66/cup

vs.

Cost for homemade cooked beans: $.08/cup
These cost 88% less!

Now you know how much a hill of beans really amounts to! 🙂

Knowing that the beans in the cans can cost just $.12 can really shift the way you look at sales and what may “seem like a good price.” You may be thinking, “but it’s only a can of beans for $.99.” Imagine if you were to save 88% on every item on your grocery list. If you apply the strategy of comparing prices, it’s possible. See how I achieved this with a Price Book.

I use this Instant Pot in the 8 qt. size to cook my beans. It’s so easy, and the beans come out a better texture than other methods. Cost aside, I like the way homemade tastes much better. I used to make my beans in a slow cooker which took 8 hours. After you use it once, the intimidation factor is gone. Soon you will be making quite a hill of beans! Heck, maybe even a mountain! 🙂

Or maybe you choose not to make beans from scratch. In that case, you can still save money by stocking up when canned beans go on sale for the lowest price in your area.

I feel these comparisons can really help you lower your food bill dramatically. And, by applying these strategies, your savings will add up to much more than a hill of beans!

Happy Saving! 🙂

Update: I just had a request for my bean recipe, (Thank you Charity!) 🙂
Here you go, I’ve added two at the end here:

These are my go-to Instant Pot Recipes for
1) Refried (oil-free) Beans
and
2) Whole Beans

Vegan Instant Pot Refried (oil-free) Beans

thepennypantry.com

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

• Instant Pot – 8 qt.

Ingredients

  

• 4 cups pinto or black beans
• 2 whole peeled, chunked yellow or white onions
• 1 TB garlic powder or granulated garlic
• 1 TB coriander, ground
• 1 TB cumin, ground
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 whole bay leaves

Instructions

 

• Important Note: I use an 8 qt. Instant Pot and this recipe is written for that size. This gives me a large batch of beans, which I love! If you are using a 6 qt. Instant Pot, use exactly HALF of these amounts, but still fill your pot up to the 1/2 full mark when adding water.
• Measure out 4 cups of dry beans, picking out any foreign material, pebbles, etc. Rinse well with several changes of water. (I just use the metal pot insert.)
• Add all ingredients to Instant Pot.
• Add water to the 1/2 full mark.
• Be sure your valve is in the correct position per your IP's instructions.
• Set Instant Pot for 25-30 minutes (older beans take longer).
• When time is up, allow to naturally release for about 40 minutes.
• Release remaining pressure, if any.
• Remove bay leaves, very important!
• (Read the following whole sentence 1st!) Drain the cooked beans in a colander, reserving some cooking water.
• Mash by hand or with an immersion blender, adding only enough of the reserved water back in to make creamy and of desired consistency.
  
• Add salt to taste. Add more spices if you like.
• Enjoy! These beans freeze well, too. They lend themselves well to many dishes, and are even yummy just in a bowl by themselves with some hot sauce.

  Tip: Since they thicken as they cool, I like to reserve some "bean cooking juice" in the fridge to thin them out with later. Using the bean cooking water is better than adding water, as that dilutes the flavors.

I like to use an Immersion Blender to mash the beans, makes it really easy!

Vegan Instant Pot Whole Beans

thepennypantry.com

This is a great recipe to use to make beans for numerous dishes. These freeze really well, too!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

• Instant Pot – 8 qt.

Ingredients

  

• 4 cups pinto or black beans
• 2 TB onion powder or granulated onion
• 1 TB coriander, ground
• 1 TB cumin, ground
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 whole bay leaves

Instructions

 

• Important Note: I use an 8 qt. Instant Pot and this recipe is written for that size. This gives me a large batch of beans. which I love! If you are using a 6 qt. Instant Pot, use exactly HALF of these amounts, but still fill your pot up to the 1/2 full mark when adding water.
• Measure out 4 cups of dry beans, picking out any foreign material, pebbles, etc. Rinse well with several changes of water. (I just use the metal pot insert.)
• Add all ingredients to Instant Pot.
• Add water to the 1/2 full mark.
• Be sure your valve is in the correct position per your IP's instructions.
• Set Instant Pot for 25-30 minutes (older beans take longer).
• When time is up, allow to naturally release for about 40 minutes.
• Release remaining pressure, if any.
• Remove bay leaves now or later.
• Add salt to taste, and any more spices if you like.
• I like to store the beans in their cooking water as it seems to taste better. You may want to pour off a bit of water.
• Enjoy! These beans freeze well, too. They lend themselves well to many dishes, and are even yummy just in a bowl by themselves with some hot sauce.