I Asked 5 Food Editors To Name the Best Canned Beans—They All Said the Same Brand
Deciding which brand of canned beans to buy can be overwhelming, so I talked to five food editors about their go-to beans.
You’ve likely 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. Yet, with so many options on the shelf, 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? You’re probably experiencing decision fatigue at this point, so you give up altogether and grab the cheapest one. So what if I took on the decision-making process for you?
I reached out to five food editors and asked them about their favorite canned bean brand. Not just the type of bean but the actual brand. This means that no matter what kind of bean you need, you’ll know you’re getting a high-quality choice with beans that actually taste good. Thankfully, all of these editors steered me in the same direction.
The Food Editors I Asked
- Myo Quinn: Associate Editorial Director at Simply Recipes
- Laurel Randolph: Senior Recipe Editor at Simply Recipes
- Amanda McDonald: Commerce Updates Editor at The Spruce Eats
- Carolyn Malcoun: Associate Editorial Director at EatingWell
- Olivia Tarantino: Managing Editor at Eat This, Not That!
The Best Canned Bean Brand, According to Food Editors
Food editors agree that store brands such as 365 by 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 lining. You can snag all of the major bean varieties, such as black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and more. They’re tasty and canned with simple, whole ingredients, making them an easy go-to.
In addition, many of the editors like this particular choice for canned beans because of their “No Salt Added” options.
“It’s great to have control over the seasonings, so I can tailor each dish exactly how I like it,” says Tarantino. “My absolute favorite is the [365 brand] Organic Bean Trio—a blend of kidney, pinto, and black beans. When I’m cooking for myself, it’s a total game-changer. I don’t have to open three different cans to get that classic combo, which makes managing portions so much easier.”
“I like these because there is less salt without it being a ‘low sodium’ option,” says McDonald. However, McDonald also points out that while Whole Foods 365 is a go-to brand, she also enjoys buying dried beans when making recipes like soup or chili, where the beans can cook in the broth with other ingredients, which helps make them more flavorful.
What if you don’t live near a Whole Foods Market? While Malcoun doesn’t shop at Whole Foods herself, she does agree that store-brand organic canned beans are a great option regardless of where you get them, and tend to be competitive in price compared to the non-organic varieties.
“I don't feel like there's any difference between a store brand and a branded product when it comes to canned beans,” she says. “There's also a huge variety of store branded beans—including low-sodium and no-salt-added varieties.”
Canned beans such as 365 by Whole Foods Market are great starting points for many recipes, and are perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t know what to throw together. Some of my favorite easy dinners to make with canned beans include black bean burrito bowls, this easy tuscan bean soup, and this creamy polenta with white beans and roasted broccoli.
