We all have had red and kidney beans with our rice dishes. Although we interchangeably use them in recipes, red beans and kidney beans are not the same. Both are similar but differ in size and slightly in color.  Kidney beans are larger and kidney shaped, whereas red beans are small and red.

Red and beans are common in soups. As a source of protein, fiber and iron, both the type of beans are loved items. This article will elaborate on how the red and kidney bean differs from each other and how best you can use them as sources of nutritious food.

What Are Red Bean?

Red beans are a popular item plant derived food. The shape is oval and small. It is pinkish red but smooth surface. The flavor of the red bean is “beany” red beans give out a “beany” and tastes good when served cold. Red beans are common in Latin American, Caribbean and Creole cuisines. It goes well with soups, pepper and rice.

Red beans are rich in nutrients. For every cup or 32 gram there is 160 kcal. The other nutrients is carbohydrates, 28 g, protein, 10 g, sugar, 1 g, fiber, 0.7 g calcium, 60.0 mg, and potassium, 513 mg. It has no fat and sodium.

Research has shown that red beans have antioxidants with much more disease preventing capacity than wild berries. The antioxidants present removes radicals and prevent diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s and many more.  It ranks fourth among the 20 high antioxidant foods.

What Are Kidney Beans?

Kidney beans take the shape of a kidney, larger than the red beans and dark red to brownish in color. There are also are purple, spotted and black colored kidney beans. The cooked kidney beans have a favorable aroma and taste.

In every cup or 32 grams of salted, cooked, sweetened kidney bean, there are 215 kcal, carbohydrate, 37.1 g, protein,13.4 g,  sugar, 4.74 g, fiber 11 g, fat, 1,54 g, potassium, 607mg, sodium, 758 mg, and calcium 87 mg.

The plant based protein, nutrients, minerals, fibers and antioxidants aid in the loss of weight, keeps the colon healthy and regulates the sugar levels in the blood. Kidney beans taste best in hot or warm dishes.

 Red Beans And Kidney Beans: An Insightful Comparison

Both red and kidney beans belong to the Fabaceae family of the plant kingdom. The major difference between the two beans relates to size, shape and texture.  The red beans are small, oblong and pinkish red. The kidney beans are typically kidney-shaped, dark red and smooth in texture.

Both the beans are high in nutrition and anti-oxidative compounds. The kidney beans have higher calories, protein, fiber, and all other nutrients based on the same weight. Further, kidney beans contain fat and sodium. Both serve a wonderful source of nutritious food when combined with rice and vegetables. Red and kidney beans are some of the favorite itemss in the menu of vegetarians.

It is Possible to Substitute Red Beans with Kidney Beans?

Although, both red and kidney beans belongs to the same food group, they vary in taste. Therefore, substituting one for the other will not give the same taste. Red beans taste good when eaten cold. Conversely, the kidney beans taste best when hot.

How to Cook Beans?

We all purchase dried of canned beans from the store. Let us see how we can prepare the dried beans for cooking just in time for a meal. You will need little planning and patience to enjoy beans, a nutrition rich food.

Two cups of dried beans will end up with 6 cups with the absorption of water. Therefore, you will need to calculate and use the amount according to your recipe. If the recipes calls for 15-ounce sized can, you will need only 1.75-cup beans in the cooked form.  There are 2 steps in cooking the dry beans.

Step 1: Soaking Beans

Soaking is the first step in cooking. You may clean the beans and rinse the beans in water to cover three times more the volume of the dried beans. Soaking the beans before cooking lessens the cooking time as water absorbs the dried beans. As you soak the beans they double and triple in size. Soak the beans in one of the three methods.

i. Hot Water Soak

In a pot for every two cups of dry beans, you need ten cups water. Heat and boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the stove, cover and for 4 hours. This results in producing tender beans in less time.

ii. Quick Soaking

The method is the fasted. For every two cups of beans, add 6 cups of water. Heat and boil for 3-4 minutes. Cover and let it soak for an hour.

iii. Overnight Soaking

For every 2 cups of beans, add 10 cups of water. Cover the pots and let it stay in the fridge overnight. Drain the water and use it for cooking according to the recipe.

Step 2: Cooking Beans

You can take part of the soaked beans to cook your favorite recipe. Fridge the rest in a container for later use.

Beans can be cooked on top of a stove or a pressure cooker. In a stove, place the pan of beans and boil with fresh water. It may take 1 to 2 hours to make them tender. The approximate time of cooking of red beans and kidney bean is 90-120 minutes. In a pressure cooker, red beans cook in 15-20 and kidney beans in 20-30-minute.

Final Words

Although the red bean and kidney beans belong to the same family of the plant kingdom, they differ in shape, size, color, and slightly in their nutritional values. Although red beans and kidney beans are not the same, both are a good source of protein and fiber, also rendering anti-oxidative abilities to human.

Beans contribute to major portions of recipes in Western and Eastern cuisines.