How To Fix Over Salted Beans

One of the problems you are likely to encounter during cooking is adding too much salt.

Over salting may happen when you cook a larger batch than you are used to or try a new recipe.

If you add too much salt to beans while cooking, they may become inedible. Luckily, there are a few tips you can use to reduce the amount of salt in your beans.

Why Are My Beans Still Hard After Cooking? Click to Learn.

To fix over salted beans, you can;

Add more water.
Remove the liquid in the beans and replace it with salt-free stock or water.
Add corn starch.
Add lemon juice and avocado.
Add potatoes.
Use a roux.
Throw in some vegetables.
Add mozzarella cheese or sour cream.
Add unsalted crackers, tortilla chips, or cornbread.
Add tomatoes or tomato paste.
Make another batch.

This article explains how to use the methods mentioned above to reduce. Read on.

Ways to fix over salted beans

Here are ways to fix salty beans.

Add more water

Adding more water to the pot is the easiest way to fix salty beans. However, you shouldn’t add multiple cups of water to the beans at once.

The best way to go about it is by adding one cup of water at a time. Taste the beans after adding each cup to see if they are still salty. If they are, add another cup until they are no longer salty.

Remove the liquid in the beans and replace it with salt-free stock or water

If your beans are too salty, your best bet would be to drain all the liquid out of the pot and rinse the beans using cold, running water.

Once properly rinsed, return the beans to the pot and add salt-free stock or water. Bring the beans to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the beans are fully cooked.

If the beans were already fully cooked before you added the stock or water, bring them to a boil, then drain the liquid and use as normal.

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Add corn starch

You can fix over-salted beans by adding corn starch. Mix one tablespoon of water with one tablespoon of corn starch and combine them to form a slurry.

Add the water and corn starch mixture to your over-salted beans and mix thoroughly so that it completely combines with your beans. Bring the beans to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Note that you mustn’t directly add corn starch to the beans as it will cause clumping. If you don’t have corn starch on hand, you can use masa, polenta, cornmeal, harina, or cornflour.

Add lemon juice and avocado

Lemon juice can reduce the saltiness of beans because of its high acid content.

Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to your beans and taste to see if the flavor is right. If not, add another tablespoon until it reaches your desired flavor.

While serving the beans, top them with avocado slices and a squeeze of lemon juice.

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Add vinegar and sugar

A mixture of vinegar and sugar can make your beans less salty. Add one teaspoon of vinegar to the dish, then add a teaspoon of sugar and taste to see if the flavor is okay.

If not, add another teaspoon of vinegar and sugar. Be careful not to add too much sugar or vinegar as they may ruin the flavor of your dish.

This method is ideal if your beans are already part of a dish and you can’t rinse them off with water.

Add potatoes

Adding potatoes is another reliable way of fixing over-salted beans. Potatoes will absorb some of the salt from the beans, thus making them less salty than before.

This method only works if your beans are mildly salt since potatoes only absorb a small amount of salt. If your beans are too salty, the potatoes may not be effective.

If you don’t have potatoes in stock, you can use sweet potatoes or yams as long as they complement your dish.

Use a roux

You can use a roux to make your beans less salty.

To make the roux, melt a tablespoon of unsalted butter in a skillet and add one tablespoon of flour. Mix the two ingredients until they combine entirely and the roux turns brown.

Once the roux is ready, stir it into your beans and let it simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Throw in some vegetables

Vegetables can neutralize the saltiness of your beans. You can use chopped kale, chopped spinach, peas, leeks, carrots, or cooked cauliflower.

Broccoli is also an option. If you choose to use broccoli, go for the raw ones, not the frozen ones.

Chop the florets finely, then add them to your pot of beans. Bring the beans to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer until you can hardly see the broccoli.

Mushrooms are another viable option. However, it would be best not to use frozen or canned mushrooms. Finely chop the mushrooms, stir fry them and then add them to your over salted beans.

Add mozzarella cheese or sour cream

Most dairy products reduce the amount of salt in dishes you add them to. You can add sour cream or mozzarella cheese to your beans to reduce their saltiness.

You can also add other low-sodium cheeses like ricotta, goat cheese, or Swiss cheese.

Add unsalted crackers, tortilla chips, or cornbread

Adding unsalted starches like crackers, tortilla chips, or cornbread to over-salted beans is a great way to fix the beans.

Crumble three or four crackers into each serving and stir them in. If the beans are still salty, add more crackers.

To use crushed tortilla chips, add a layer of them into your bowl before adding in the beans and stir until they combine. You can also add crumbled cornbread to your beans and mix to reduce the salt.

Note that this method only works if your beans are mildly salty.

Add tomatoes or tomato paste

For beans that are part of a dish, you can reduce their saltiness by adding unsalted ingredients like tomatoes or tomato paste.

Tomatoes and tomato paste are highly acidic. Therefore, they will neutralize the salty flavor. If you don’t have them on hand, you can use potato cubes as a substitute.