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Are you about to make a delicious recipes that list red kidney beans as an ingredients? Did you also just open your pantry and notice that you have no red kidney beans on hand?
If you did, you are likely wondering what are some red kidney beans substitute options that you can use. Here, you’ll find out about the 7 best replacements for red kidney beans that actually work!
Red kidney beans also called rajma or common kidney beans are large kidney shaped, dark crimson red beans that are meaty with a slightly sweet flavor.
Red kidney beans are often used a lot by vegetarians to make vegetable soup and even bean burgers, but also to make tacos, bean salads, baked beans, beans and rice, chili and casseroles to name a few.
But, if you’re about to make an of those recipes and only just noticed that you have no red kidney beans, then here are the 10 best way s to substitute for red kidney beans. Hopefully, you have access to those substitutes in your pantry.
In that vein, the best substitutes for red kidney beans include black beans, pinto beans, cranberry beans, adzuki beans, anasazi beans and cannellini beans.
Below, you can read about how each substitute can be used in place of red kidney beans including substitute ratios.
Note: The items listed here do not taste exactly like red kidney beans, but, in a pinch they can work in many dishes that call for common kidney beans.
Best substitutes for red kidney beans
Canned red kidney beans
This is one of the best alternatives for dried red beans. Red kidney beans can be used in any recipe that calls for dried red kidney beans.
Use 1 ½ cup of canned red kidney beans to replace ½ cup of dried red kidney beans.
Pink beans
Pink beans are a great stand in for red kidney beans. Pink beans also called Santa Maria pinquitos are small oval-shaped pale pinkish to brown colored beans that are meaty and rich and slightly powdery in terms of texture.
These beans can be used in place of red kidney beans to make refried beans, chili con carne, soup and stews to name a few.
The best part is that pink beans and red beans have very similar soak and cook times. For example, red kidney beans need approximately 6-8 hours of soak time and 60 minutes of cook time, while pink beans needs 4-8 hour of soak time and 50 – 60 minutes of cook time.
This means that they can be swapped out in a dish quite easily as they have similar cook times.
Use 1 cup of pink beans in place of 1 cup of red kidney beans or a 1:1 substitute ratio.
Pinto beans
If you have pinto beans, these can also work as a red kidney beans substitute. Pinto beans are the perfect substitute because they can be used in almost all recipes that call for red kidney beans.
Black beans
Black beans can also be used to substitute for red kidney beans. For one, black beans and red kidney beans have very similar shapes, although the latter is larger.
And, while they have different flavors in that black bean are mind in flavor, while red kidney beans have a more sweet, delicate flavor, you can use black bean in many dishes that call for red kidney beans
These includes dishes like tacos, bean dips, soups, chilis and burgers for example. Use 1 cup of black beans to replace 1 cup of red kidney beans or a 1:1 ratio.
Cranberry beans
Cranberry beans are another great bean that can be used to substitute for red kidney beans.
Cranberry beans, also called borlotti beans are meaty, slightly sweet and nutty beans that have a creamy texture.
These beans are light brown in color with purple or pink speckles and can work in recipes like bean salads, soups and more.
Adzuki beans
These beans are another awesome substitute for red kidney beans. Adzuki beans also called azuki beans are mild, sweet and slightly nutty and can work well in soups, stews, taco bowls, refried beans and more.
Azuki beans take 4 hours to soak and 55 minutes to be cooked. While red kidney beans 5-8 hours to soak and about 1 hour cook time. This means that adzuki beans are a fairly good replacement for red kidney beans in terms of how long they be take to cook when making a dish.
Use 1 cup of adzuki beans to 1 cup of red kidney beans.
Anasazi beans
Anasazi beans are beans with a dark reddish and white spotted appearance. These beans are mildly sweet and can be used to replace red kidney beans.
These beans turn light pink when cooked and work in many recipes including soups, stews, rice and beans, and even chili.
Cannellini beans
Cannnelini beans and red kidney beans are similar in size, work almost the same way many recipes.
Cannellini beans are tender and nutty and can easily replace red kidney beans in chili, soups and any other recipe that calls for those beans.
There you have it, 7 amazing ways to substitute for red kidney beans that actually work. The substitutes include beans you likely already have in your pantry which means you don’t even have to run to the store!
