How Long Do Dried Beans Last?

When it comes to beans, there is no shortage of delicious recipes that will have everyone at your table smiling. From classics like Homemade Baked Beans and New Orleans Red Beans and Rice to refreshing favorites like Three-Bean Pasta Salad, beans can easily be made the star of any recipe.

For cooking, beans are most commonly canned or dried. Since the shelf life of canned goods is two to five years, it may make you wonder how long dried beans last.

According to world certified master chef Fred Tiess, an instructor at the College of Food Innovation and Technology at Johnson & Wales, it depends entirely on how they are packed. "Typically, you should plan to use dry beans within a year of purchase if they are stored in food-grade bags," Tiess tells Southern Living. "Reducing the exposure to oxygen and light are key measures to increase the shelf life of dry beans."

How Long Do Dried Beans Last?

Beans, classified as legumes, can be dried or canned. When stored properly in food-grade bags, dried beans can last up to a year or more. While beans can technically last indefinitely as they are considered a shelf-stable food, the taste may not be the same.

How Do You Know If Dried Beans Have Gone Bad?

If you’ve discovered a bag of dried beans at the back of your pantry and aren’t sure when they were purchased, Tiess says it’s pretty easy to tell if they have gone bad.

"If you notice that the shell, or skin, of the beans is deteriorating due to infestation or because of time, then it is best to discard them," he says. "If the color of the bean has faded then the deterioration may be the result of exposure to light or oxygen, thus affecting the nutritive value."

What Is the Best Way To Store Dried Beans?

Tiess recommends consumers store beans in cabinets or pantries in sealed, air-tight containers to maximize the shelf-life. 

"Like most stored foods, beans are best stored in the absence of oxygen and light," a study on storing dried beans from Utah State University states, adding that colder storage temperatures will increase shelf-life.

Do Dried Beans Expire?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture beans are non-perishable. “They are shelf stable, so they typically do not require an expiration date printed on the bag,” Tiess says.

How Long Does It Take For Dried Beans To Go Bad?

Tiess explains that, in general, older beans will take longer to cook if they are stored in an arid environment. As Tiess notes, beans stored in food-grade bags have a shelf-life of 1 year or more. Like other foods, storing in colder temperatures can increase the shelf-life even more.