White Bean Stew
Tender white beans simmered with onion, tomato paste and olive oil in a rich, gently spiced sauce.
The Turkish pantry
Beans (white, dried)
Dried white beans to sort, soak and cook thoroughly before using in a stew or salad.
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Dry mature white haricot beans are the subject here. White beans vary in size and cultivar, including small white-bean forms. They are not ready-to-eat cooked beans, and their dry weight cannot be exchanged directly for a cooked or canned weight.
Types & forms
Dried white beans
Hard mature seeds requiring proper cooking. Nutrition is for 100 g dry beans.
Cooked white beans · comparison
Hydrated and tender; their water content changes values per 100 g.
Canned white beans · comparison
Already cooked, with possible added salt; drained weight matters in a recipe.
What to look for when buying
- Choose an intact dry pack with beans of a broadly similar size, free of visible mold, insects or damp clumps.
- Read the variety and cooking directions. Small haricot beans and larger white kidney beans need not soften at the same rate.
Prepare & cook
- Sort out stones and damaged beans, then rinse. Soak in ample water for at least five hours; refrigerate for an overnight soak. Drain and use fresh water for cooking.
- Bring to a full boil and boil for at least 30 minutes, then continue cooking until fully tender, following the product directions. Do not taste raw or partly cooked beans or rely on a low-temperature slow cooker alone. Add hot water if needed to keep them covered.
Store it well
- Store dry beans sealed in a cool, dry cupboard and keep moisture out of the pack.
- Refrigerate cooked beans promptly in a covered container, or freeze portions with enough cooking liquid to protect their texture. Label cooked portions separately from dry stock.
Substitutions depend on the dish
Cooked or canned white beans
Use the recipe’s stated cooked quantity and adapt the method; do not replace gram for gram with dry beans.
Another dried white-bean variety
A possible variation with a different size or texture. Follow its soaking and cooking directions and judge tenderness.
Nutrition
Beans, white, mature seeds, raw [1]
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 333 kcal |
| Protein | 23.4 g |
| Total fat | 0.85 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.22 g |
| Carbohydrate | 60.3 g |
| Dietary fiber | 15.2 g |
| Total sugars | 2.11 g |
| Sodium | 16 mg |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Calcium | 240 mg |
| Iron | 10.4 mg |
| Potassium | 1,800 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg |
Dry mature white beans, before soaking or cooking. Not 100 g cooked beans; hydration changes weight and composition per 100 g. Values are rounded for readability; “not reported” does not mean zero. A “<” value is below the source’s measurement limit.
Nutrition values come from the reference source named above. They are published reference values, not our own measurements. Actual products and cooking methods may change the values.
At the Turkish table
Kuru fasulye starts from dried beans in the linked recipe. The separate cooked-white-bean guide serves recipes that begin with beans already cooked; keeping both identities avoids quantity and cooking confusion.
Cook with Beans (white, dried)