I Asked 5 Food Pros To Name the Best Canned Beans—They All Said the Same Thing

You’ve probably been in this particular situation before. There’s a recipe you want to cook – maybe a white chicken chili or a chana masala – and you need to grab a can of beans. But with so many options on offer, how do you know you’re grabbing the best tasting bean for your recipe?

Are they all the same or are some better than others? At this point, you’re probably feeling decision fatigue so you give up entirely and go for the cheapest model. What if I took over the decision making for you?

I reached out to five food editors and asked them about their favorite brand of canned beans. Not just the type of bean, but also the actual brand. This means that no matter what type of bean you need, you can be confident that you are getting a high quality selection with beans that taste really good. Luckily, all of these editors pointed me in the same direction.

The food editors I asked

The best brand of canned beans, according to food editors

Food editors agree that store brands like 365 from Whole Foods Market are the best beans to buy when grocery shopping.

Whole Foods carries a variety of canned beans—both organic and traditional—in cans with BPA-free linings. You can grab all the major types of beans like black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans and more. They’re delicious and canned with simple, wholesome ingredients, making them an easy companion.

Additionally, many editors like this particular choice for canned beans because of the “No Salt Added” option.

“It’s great to have control over the spices so I can tailor each dish to my exact taste,” says Tarantino. “My absolute favorite is the Organic Bean Trio (365 brand) – a mix of kidney, pinto and black beans. When I cook for myself, it’s a real game-changer. I don’t have to open three different cans to get this classic combination, which makes portion management much easier.”

“I like these because they’re lower in salt without being a low-sodium option,” says McDonald. However, McDonald also points out that while Whole Foods 365 is a popular brand, she also likes to buy dried beans when making recipes like soup or chili, where the beans can be cooked in the broth with other ingredients, giving them more flavor.

What if you don’t live near a Whole Foods Market? Although Malcoun doesn’t shop at Whole Foods herself, she agrees that store-brand organic canned beans are a good option regardless of where you get them, and tend to be competitive in price compared to the non-organic varieties.

“When it comes to canned beans, I don’t think there’s any difference between a store brand and a branded product,” she says. “There is also a wide variety of store-brand beans available – including low-sodium, no-salt varieties.”

Canned beans like 365 from Whole Foods Market are a great starting point for many recipes and are perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t know what to mix together. Some of my favorite easy dinners to make with canned beans include black bean burrito bowls and this easy Tuscan bean soup.

_{You can find out more about our approach to product recommendations HERE.}