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Fresh Cranberry Beans with Olive Oil & Garlic

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Ever wondered how to cook cranberry beans and what to do with them?  Then this recipe is perfect for you. It is quick, simple and super flavorful.

Side view of a blue ceramic bowl filled with cooked cranberry beans

What are cranberry beans?

Have you ever heard of cranberry beans ?

I know, I know. Thanksgiving has already come and gone, and between all the prepping, the eating and the leftovers, you probably don’t wanna hear the word cranberry till next year…

But don’t worry, cranberry beans actually have nothing to do with cranberries. They’re beans that are white and have this really cool deep pinkish-red color lines (hence the name) and a nice nutty flavor.  Unfortunately, cranberry beans lose their beautiful color once cooked, but they are still deliciously creamy and flavorful.

fresh cranberry bean in their pod

How to cook cranberry beans

We had never heard of cranberry beans before, but happened to find them the other day at our local produce market and  couldn’t resist. They looked so pretty, we had to buy them. We had no idea what they would look like on the inside, or what they would taste like, but you know how much we love experimenting, so we figured we would give them a try anyway.

So when we got home, we opened up the pods, and these little guys were inside. Really cool looking, aren’t they?

shelled fresh cranberry beans

We were trying to figure out what to do with them, when the light went on. We thought about an old friend originally from the northern part of Spain, who taught us how they cook fresh black beans in his hometown. Super simple, but bursting with flavor.

The ingredients are simple: really good olive oil, garlic, herbs, and water. That’s it! You will have a flavorful pot of beans in 20-25 minutes.  A super simple recipe that lets the flavor of the cranberry beans shine!

If you can’t find fresh cranberry beans, you can buy them dry, but you will need to soak them overnight before cooking them.  The cooking time will be longer, about 30-45 minutes, and you will need more water.

The method to cook cranberry beans is simple

  1. Cook garlic in olive oil, tilting the pan so the garlic cooks evenly

Garlic cooking in olive oil to make cranberry beans

2. Add thyme (or you favorite herb) and hot pepper flakes

Garlic cooking in olive oil with thyme and hot pepper flakes to make cranberry beans

3. Add the beans, water and bay leaves and cook until tender

Cranberry beans cooking in a pot with water herbs and bay leaves

4. And that’s it! Enjoy!!

Cooked cranberry beans in a pot with a wooden spoon

Fresh Cranberry Beans with Olive Oil & Garlic

bird's eye view of a blue ceramic bowl filled with cooked cranberry beans

Other Bean Recipes You May Enjoy

 

Close up view of a blue ceramic bowl filled with cooked cranberry beans

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    bird's eye view of a blue ceramic bowl filled with cooked cranberry beans

    Fresh Cranberry Beans with Olive Oil & Garlic

    ★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Vicky & Ruth
    • Prep Time: 15
    • Cook Time: 35 - 50
    • Total Time: 50- 65
    • Yield: 4 cups 1x
    • Category: Entree
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: Spain
    Print Recipe

    Description

    If you ever wondered how to cook cranberry beans and what to do with them, this recipe is perfect for you. It is quick, simple and super flavorful.

    Ingredients

    • 2 lb fresh cranberry beans ( about 4 cups shelled) ( See Note 1 for dry cranberry beans)
    • 6 garlic cloves, whole
    • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/2 tsp red hot pepper flakes (or to taste)
    • 1 tsp fresh thyme
    • 2–4 cups water
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 1/2 tsp salt ( more or less to taste)

    Instructions

    1. Shell the cranberry beans, rinse and drain
    2.  Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and  tilt the pan so all the oil goes to one side of the pan and the garlic cooks evenly.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until it starts to get a slight golden color (make sure it doesn’t burn!)
    3. Add the red hot pepper flakes and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes
    4. Add the shelled beans, stirring well so the beans get evenly coated with the oil and cook for 3 minutes
    5. Add 2 cups of water, bay leaves and salt. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, uncovered
    6. Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the beans are tender but not mushy. (See Note 2).  You should have some cooking liquid remaining in the pot. If the beans are not tender and there is little water left, keep adding water until thy soften. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed (take into consideration that, as the beans, cook the flavor and saltiness concentrates. Do not oversalt!)
    7. Mash the garlic into the cooking liquid ( It should be very tender and mash easily. These are delicious eaten plain, served over rice or with crusty bread

    Notes

    1. If you can only find dry cranberry beans, you will need to soak them overnight in 2.5 times their volume in water. Add a couple of teaspoons of baking soda.  The next day, rinse the cranberry beans really well and follow the cooking instructions. You will probably need to use more water (just remember to check the pot periodically during the cooking process).
    2. It may take longer than 20 minutes for the beans to get tender, it will depend on your stove and the beans.  Just keep adding water as it cooks out.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 cup
    • Calories: 331
    • Sugar: 0
    • Sodium: 292
    • Fat: 11.3
    • Saturated Fat: 1.7
    • Unsaturated Fat: 1.5
    • Trans Fat: 0
    • Carbohydrates: 43
    • Fiber: 15.2
    • Protein: 16.5
    • Cholesterol: 0

 

 

 

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  3. marianela says

    Where can I find cranberry beans. I was looking for them for a long time, I know for sure they are really good but unfortunately until today I haven’t been able to find them.
    If you can tell me where to buy them I will really apreciate
    Marianela

    Reply

    • Vicky & Ruth says

      We found cranberry bean in our local market. If you cannot find fresh may me you can soak some dried cranberry beans overnight with some baking soda, rinse them and and follow the same recipe. It may work, but it will take longer to cook and may require more water.

      Reply

    • Catherine says

      Maria,
      We happen to be at a Health Food Store & found the Cranberry Beans there. Maybe you like to look there for them…

      Reply

  4. Don Jose says

    This was mighty tasty. I stirred in some fresh vegetables — brussells sprouts, broccolini, green beans) and chopped Tofurky Cajun sausage— and served over cous cous. Even with all that, the cranberry beans stood out, tastewise.

    Reply

  5. Mary Beth says

    This is perfect for me today. I love cranberry beans and am willing to pay the $6.99/lb when I find them.

    I just started this and didn’t want to peel so many garlic cloves, so I smashed them lightly. Do you think the result will be too garlicy? My husband loves garlic so it won’t be a problem but I am wondering if you want the flavor to be more subtle.

    I am also using pimenton de la vera just because I like the flavor and I have some that I don’t want to go bad.

    Reply

  6. Stina Cahill says

    I picked up some fresh Vermont cranberry beans from Tacoma farmers market for 3.99/lb. Had no idea what to do with them but they were so strikingly beautiful I knew my kids would love them. We wanted a simple recipe because I only had a few ingredients on hand this one was perfect. Even with out the thyme, bay leaves and red pepper flakes they were delicious everyone loved them! I doubled up on minced garlic and ended up cooking them a little longer (5-10 min) and putting tablespoon of dried onion and teaspoon of salt. They came out perfect! Husband said he’d never had beans this good! I’d never cooked fresh shelled beans like this and now maybe that’s all we want!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  7. lisa says

    This recipe is wonderful. The deceptively simple ingredient list produces a surprisingly deep flavor. These may be the best beans we’ve made! I plan to return to the farm stand tomorrow in hopes of capturing more fresh cranberry beans.thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

  8. Dorothy says

    Bought some at the farmers’ market to make for Shabbat dinner: building on your recipe, stew the beans with some chopped onion (I like Vidalia when in season), a little red or green chopped pepper, tomato paste (or tomato sauce), a few fresh basil leaves &, sliced green olives. Sometimes I add in a bit of diced potato.
    It’s dismaying that cranberry beans lose that gorgeous color in cooking. But they still taste great!

    Reply

  9. Dorothy says

    An addendum: Omit the thyme and bay leaves from the recipe if using fresh basil leaves. The three of them don’t mix. Thanks

    Reply

    • Wanda says

      That’s pretty much your own recipe. LOL
      I plan to make it per the ORIGINAL recipe tonight only in the slow cooker. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thank you for sharing! ❤️

      Reply

  12. Kalena says

    My mom used to make my Vovo’s version of Sopas de Feijão(Portuguese bean soup and she always used cranberry beans as her base even for the nightly feijão pot! Portuguese eat beans, rice, potatoes and a crusty bread liken Broa with most soup you it stew you dishes! Obrigado ! I remember picking these as a child in her garden!

    Reply
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