Kidney beans substitutes
Kidney beans substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called red kidney beans, dark red kidney beans, light red kidney beans, rajma
Use Pinto beans
1 cup for every 1 cup kidney beans
Use pinto beans, 1 cup for every 1 cup of kidney beans, or one 15-ounce can for one can. They taste close and are in most cupboards, but they are softer, so add canned pintos in the last 20 to 30 minutes of a chili. If the beans need to stay firm and whole, as in a salad or a long-simmered pot, black beans or cannellini beans hold up better.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Stir canned pintos in for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking so they stay whole.
- Best for —
- chili
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what are the kidney beans doing?
Pick your caseIs the dish a long simmer, a salad, or something where the red color matters?
Any mild, medium-to-large bean works at the same amount. Pinto beans are the usual choice; black beans hold their shape better. With canned beans, add them for the last 20 to 30 minutes.
Notes on pinto beans, black beans or small red beans
1 cup per cup
Pick a firm bean. Cannellini beans match the size and texture; chickpeas are firmer still. Rinse and drain them well.
Notes on cannellini beans, chickpeas or black beans
1 cup per cup
Use small red beans. They are the same color and nearly the same flavor, and they cook a little faster.
Notes on small red beans
1 cup per cup
Use cannellini or cranberry beans at the same amount. Both are traditional in those soups and turn creamy in the broth.
Notes on cannellini beans or cranberry beans (borlotti)
1 cup per cup
Kidney beans add bulk, protein and a firm, meaty bite, and their thick skins keep them whole through an hour or more of simmering. Their flavor is mild, so in a seasoned dish like chili what you notice is the texture and the dark red color more than the taste. The best substitute depends on which of those the dish needs: something that stays whole, something that looks red, or simply a mild bean.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 cup kidney beans| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup kidney beans | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pinto beanschili | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 2 | Small red beansred beans and rice | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 3 | Black beanschili | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Cannellini beansminestrone and other soups | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Cranberry beans (borlotti)Italian soups and stews | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Chickpeasbean salads | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Canned baked beans | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
| Not a swap | Red lentils | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Pinto beans
similar, a little earthier
The other classic chili bean. Similar mild, earthy flavor, with a thinner skin and a creamier inside.
- Best for
- chili, soups and stews, burritos and taco fillings, baked bean dishes
- Texture
- softer, creamier
- Prep
- Stir canned pintos in for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking so they stay whole.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
Pintos break down sooner than kidney beans and thicken the pot as they do. That is welcome in chili and less so in a salad, where they look mottled and beige instead of red.
Small red beans
same
Smaller, rounder red beans with the same color and a slightly softer skin. In the pot they look and taste the most like kidney beans.
- Best for
- red beans and rice, chili, soups, bean salads
- Texture
- smaller, slightly softer
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
They are about half the size, so a spoonful holds more beans, and dried ones cook a little faster. They are a common choice for red beans and rice.
Black beans
earthier
Smaller, firm beans that keep their shape through long cooking as well as kidney beans do.
- Best for
- chili, taco soup, rice and bean dishes, salads
- Texture
- firm, smaller
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
The flavor is earthier and the liquid from the can is dark and will tint a pale soup gray. Rinse canned black beans well when the color of the dish matters.
Cannellini beans
milder, nuttier
Also sold as white kidney beans. The same shape, size and firmness with a milder, nuttier flavor and a pale color.
- Best for
- minestrone and other soups, bean salads, white chili, pasta e fagioli
- Texture
- same
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
This is the closest match on texture. The only real change is color: a red chili with white beans looks different, and a three-bean salad loses its red.
Cranberry beans (borlotti)
nuttier, sweeter
Medium beans, pink with red streaks when dried, that cook to an even tan with a creamy, chestnut-like inside.
- Best for
- Italian soups and stews, pasta and beans, braises
- Texture
- creamier
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
They are creamier than kidney beans and lose their streaks when cooked. Good in anything brothy; too soft for a bean salad that will be tossed hard.
Chickpeas
nutty, different
Firm, round and nutty. They hold their shape better than any bean here, and they taste clearly different.
- Best for
- bean salads, curries, vegetable soups
- Texture
- firmer, drier
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
Chickpeas stay firm and never turn creamy, so they do not thicken a chili the way beans do. In a salad or a curry that suits them. In chili the pot tastes and eats like a different dish.
Canned baked beans
sweet, sauced
Navy beans packed in a sweet tomato or molasses sauce.
- Best for
- nothing in place of plain kidney beans
- Texture
- soft, breaks down
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
The sauce is the problem. It carries a lot of sugar and its own seasoning, so the chili or salad turns sweet. Rinsing does not remove it all, and the small soft beans fall apart in a long simmer.
Red lentils
Split lentils that share the word red and nothing else.
- Best for
- nothing in place of whole beans
- Texture
- dissolves to a puree
Red lentils dissolve into a puree in 15 to 20 minutes. They will thicken a chili but leave no beans to bite into. Brown or green lentils hold their shape better, though they are still far smaller and softer than a kidney bean.
Don’t swap it here
2 cases- SafetyUsing dried red kidney beans in place of canned without boiling them first, especially in a slow cooker.Soak dried kidney beans at least 5 hours, drain, and boil in fresh water for at least 10 minutes before adding them to anything. Canned beans are already fully cooked.
- Rajma or another dish where kidney beans are the main ingredient and the name of the dish.Use small red beans if you must, and call it a bean curry.
Questions
6 questionsWhat can I substitute for kidney beans in chili?
Pinto beans, in the same amount. They are softer, so add canned pintos for the last 20 to 30 minutes. Black beans are the next choice and hold their shape better. Small red beans look the most like kidney beans in the bowl.
Can I use black beans instead of kidney beans?
Yes, cup for cup. Black beans are smaller and earthier and stay firm through long cooking. Rinse canned ones well, because their dark liquid can turn a soup gray.
Are red beans and kidney beans the same?
No, but they are close. Small red beans are about half the size, rounder, and have a slightly softer skin. They swap for kidney beans cup for cup in chili, soups and red beans and rice.
Are light red and dark red kidney beans interchangeable?
Yes. Dark red kidney beans have a slightly thicker skin and hold their shape a little better; light red ones are a touch softer. In a finished dish the difference is mostly color.
Can I use dried kidney beans instead of canned?
Yes. A heaping ½ cup of dried beans replaces one 15-ounce can. Soak them at least 5 hours, drain, and boil in fresh water for at least 10 minutes, then simmer until tender, usually 45 to 90 minutes more. Do not cook raw kidney beans in a slow cooker without boiling them first.
Can I leave the beans out of chili?
Yes. Replace each can with about 1 ½ cups of extra meat or diced vegetables such as bell pepper, zucchini or sweet potato, so the pot has the same amount of bulk.
Tips for substituting kidney beans
5 tips- One 15-ounce can of beans gives about 1 ½ cups once drained. A heaping ½ cup of dried beans cooks up to about the same amount.
- Rinse canned beans under cold water for 15 to 20 seconds. It removes the starchy liquid and a good share of the added salt.
- Add canned beans of any kind for the last 20 to 30 minutes of a chili. They are already cooked and only need to heat through and take on flavor; an extra hour turns softer beans to mush.
- Boil dried red kidney beans hard for at least 10 minutes before lowering the heat or moving them to a slow cooker. The same applies to dried cannellini beans, which are white kidney beans.
- For a chili with more interest, use two kinds: one can of pinto beans and one of black beans in place of two cans of kidney beans.