How to Dry Beans

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How to dry beans comes down to three steps: let the pods finish on the plant or in a dry place, shell the seeds once they are fully dry, and store them where moisture and light stay out. The Penn State, Clemson, Washington State and UC Master Gardener pages we opened agree on that sequence. They differ on details such as the target moisture and the storage temperature, so this guide shows which source supports each step.

Quick answer

Leave the pods on the vine until the beans inside rattle, and pick them when the pods are dry and shriveled.
If wet weather is coming, pull the whole plant and hang it upside down in a protected place.
Shell the beans by hand or by threshing, then finish drying until they are completely dry.
Treat vine-dried beans in a freezer or oven to kill insects and their eggs, then store them in airtight containers in a dark, dry place.

What dried beans are

Dried beans are a different crop from fresh snap beans, even though they belong to the same plant family. The UC Master Gardener column says “Dried beans are primarily shell beans grown specifically for the seed or bean inside the pod.” Popular dried types it lists include black, red kidney, cannellini, cranberry, lima and pinto beans. Washington State University Extension explains the main difference in the pod. Green beans are selected for stringless pods, and “dried bean pods are very fibrous and not good eating.”

Snap beans can still be dried. WSU says “Green beans can be saved and eaten as a dry bean but they don’t store as well”. The UC column agrees that the seeds can be dried, but it adds that “the quality and taste might not be comparable to shell beans.” For beans meant for storage, the sources point toward varieties grown for drying.

Choose a variety that finishes in time

Maturity decides whether the seeds have time to dry before the weather turns. WSU Extension advises that “You will want to find varieties that mature in under 95-100 days.” It says “Dried beans come in both bush and pole varieties”, and it notes that pole beans “take up less space than bush beans, keep producing for a long time, and are easy to pick.”

WSU also says bush types suit its region. “Bush beans are earlier, which work well in our Pacific Northwest gardens with the short growing season and cool summers.” The 95-to-100-day target is therefore a regional guide, written for a short season. The sources do not say how many days a dry bean needs in a warmer climate.

Know when the pods are ready

The three main markers in these sources are the pod’s color and texture, the sound of the seeds, and the amount of moisture left. Washington State says to “Harvest beans once pods turn brown and leathery before they split open.” The UC column describes the same stage in different words: “Harvest dry beans when their pods are crinkly and brittle and the seeds inside the pod are hard.” It adds that “Sometimes you can hear them rattle when you shake the pod.”

Clemson Extension and Penn State Extension both use the rattle as the signal. Clemson’s guidance is to leave the pods on the vine “until the beans inside rattle.” It then says to pick the beans once “the vines and pods are dry and shriveled”. The UC column also warns about timing: “Be sure to harvest beans before the pods split on their own and send seeds into the garden to plant themselves.”

Weather can force an earlier harvest. The UC column says, “If the forecast calls for wet weather, harvest the whole plant and hang it upside down to dry in a protected area.” WSU gives a similar option for a whole plant, saying “Plants can be pulled entirely, or individual pods can be picked.” Both methods use a protected place, and neither source tells you to leave wet pods outside.

Pick, shell and thresh

Shelling takes the most time, and the sources describe a few ways to do it. Washington State gives the two main choices in one sentence: “Shell by hand or thresh the whole plant by stomping.” The UC column describes the hand method as the traditional one, in which people “traditionally crack the dried seed pods open with their hands.” For larger amounts, it describes stomping “on them in a container with sides” or threshing by “swatting a burlap bag full of beans with a stick”.

Clemson describes a cloth-sack method for a smaller batch. Once the pods are dry, the gardener should “shake or hit the sack to release the seeds from the pods”, and then remove the pods and pour off the seeds. WSU also suggests a use for the leftover plant. It advises that you “Compost the plant residue into the soil at the end of the season to provide nitrogen for next year’s crop.” If you are planning your compost, see the guide to making a compost pile.

Finish the drying

Once the beans are out of the pods, they still need to dry. Clemson lists the choices: “Complete the drying process in the sun, oven or a dehydrator or place pods in a cloth sack and hang in a warm place for up to two weeks to finish drying.” Penn State makes a similar list, saying “Drying can be completed in the sun, oven or a dehydrator.” Penn State adds that “No pretreatment is needed if the beans are completely dry”, so no soaking or blanching step is described before drying.

Washington State gives the most specific steps. It advises that you “Place beans in a sunny area or dry sheltered area to dry completely.” If the weather does not cooperate, WSU offers a machine option: “If necessary, use a dehydrator set at 90 degrees F for 24 hours before storing.” Clemson also gives a simple check for an unfinished batch. It says “If beans are still moist, the drying process is not complete”.

Check the moisture before you store

The sources use different tests. Washington State gives a number: “Make sure your beans are completely dried with less than 15% moisture before storing”. The UC column uses a feel test, looking for pods that are crinkly and brittle with seeds that are hard. The Penn State and Clemson pages do not give a moisture figure at all, so their advice rests on the drying steps and the rattle rather than a reading. A gardener who wants a number should use the WSU limit, and a gardener who wants a feel test should use the UC column’s description.

Treat vine-dried beans before storing

Penn State says “Vine dried beans need to be treated in the freezer or the oven to kill insects and their eggs.” Its freezer method is to “Freeze at 0°F (-18°C) or below for at least 48 hours”. Its oven method is to “place in a single layer on a tray or shallow pan in a preheated oven at 160°F (71°C) for 30 minutes.” Clemson describes the same two methods. It suggests sealing the beans in freezer-type plastic bags and freezing them for at least 48 hours, or spreading them in a single layer in an oven preheated to 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Both extension pages present the treatment as a separate step after drying, and they use the same two methods. The UC column does not describe a treatment, so the sources do not all cover this step. The sources also do not say how long the beans can be left between treatment and storage.

Store the beans to keep them sound

Storage is where the guides give similar advice. Washington State says to “Place in well labeled jars, tins, plastic storage boxes or other containers with tight fitting lids and store in a dark, dry place.” The UC column agrees on the container and gives a temperature: “For the longest storage time, put beans in airtight containers and store them in a dark and dry area at around 70 degrees.” It lists suitable containers as “Glass jars or other containers with tight fitting lids or thick sealed bags”, and it adds that “Little oxygen absorbers (packets with silica gel) inside the containers could increase shelf life for up to ten years.”

The NDSU research summary shows why light and warmth matter. The study used pinto beans, and it found that beans kept at 80 degrees Fahrenheit were darker after 120 days than beans kept at 40 degrees, with the darkening increasing as moisture rose. Its strongest finding on light is that “Ultraviolet light dramatically darkened the beans within two weeks.” The authors conclude that “These results indicate a need to minimize exposure to light in storage”.

Common mistakes to avoid

Picking too early. The UC column says to harvest dry beans when the pods are crinkly, brittle and the seeds inside are hard.
Waiting too long. The UC column warns against letting the pods split on their own, because the seeds then go into the garden.
Storing damp beans. WSU says to make sure beans are “completely dried with less than 15% moisture before storing”.
Skipping the treatment for vine-dried beans. Penn State says vine-dried beans “need to be treated” to kill insects and their eggs.
Storing in light or heat. The NDSU summary found that light darkened the beans quickly, and warmer storage darkened them more than cooler storage.

How long dried beans keep

The sources give a range rather than a fixed date. WSU says dry beans “can be stored for several years”, and that after three or more years they may develop hard seed, which will not absorb water in cooking or for germination. The UC column says that “Depending on storage conditions, dried beans can last a very long time, even many years.” The NDSU summary adds that “With time, seeds become harder,” and that light-colored seedcoats tend to darken.

How we chose

We began with the search question, how to dry beans, and looked for extension pages that describe home drying and storage. We considered several pages and kept five. Penn State Extension’s article, updated July 22, 2025, covers drying and treatment. Clemson Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center fact sheet, dated April 30, 2018, covers drying and storage. Washington State University Extension’s fact sheet FS135E is dated April 2014. The UC Master Gardener column is from the Sonoma County program and ran in a newspaper in July 2025, so we treat it as a practical summary rather than a formal bulletin. The NDSU summary is a research report on dry bean grain storage, and we drew on it only for storage findings.

We opened each page with curl on 2026-10-23 and confirmed that its text covers drying or storage. We left out canning instructions and a commercial field harvest guide. We kept a rule only when one of the pages states it, and we checked each quoted phrase against the text we downloaded.

What we could not verify

The pages do not give one set of numbers for storage or moisture, so this guide reports each figure with its source and does not choose a single standard. The pages also do not say how dry beans grown in a humid or rainy climate should be handled. This guide makes no product claim and names no product.

What the sources do not say

The sources do not agree on a storage temperature. The UC column gives around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, WSU gives a dark and dry place without a number, and the NDSU summary shows cooler storage preserved color better than warmer storage.
Only WSU gives a moisture figure, which is less than 15 percent. Clemson and Penn State use the moist-or-dry check, and the UC column uses the feel of the pod and the seed.
Only WSU gives a dehydrator temperature, which is 90 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours. The other pages say to use the sun, oven or dehydrator without a temperature.
The sources do not describe a method for beans that were picked before they were fully dry, beyond saying to keep drying them.
The sources do not give one shelf life for every storage method. The UC column mentions up to ten years with oxygen absorbers, and WSU mentions several years with a hard-seed risk after three.

Frequently asked questions

How can you tell when dry beans are ready to pick?

Look for pods that are brown, leathery, crinkly and brittle, with hard seeds inside. Penn State and Clemson both use the rattle as the signal, and the UC column says a rattle is sometimes audible when you shake the pod.

Can dry beans be dried indoors?

Yes, according to the sources. Clemson says to hang pods in a cloth sack in a warm place for up to two weeks to finish drying. WSU suggests a dehydrator set at 90 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours if the beans need extra help before storing.

Must dry beans be frozen or heated before storage?

Penn State says vine-dried beans need to be treated in the freezer or the oven to kill insects and their eggs. Its freezer method is at least 48 hours at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Its oven method is 30 minutes at 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

How long do dried beans keep?

WSU says dry beans can be stored for several years, and after three or more years they may develop hard seed. The UC column says that depending on storage conditions, dried beans can last many years.

Are dried beans the same as green beans?

No. WSU says green beans are selected to have stringless pods, while dried bean pods are very fibrous. Snap beans can be dried, but WSU says they do not store as well. If you want beans for storage, grow varieties intended for drying. For a related project, see the guide to vegetables to plant in raised beds.

Sources

https://extension.psu.edu/dried-beans-versus-fresh-shelled-beans (opened 2026-10-23)
https://hgic.clemson.edu/dry-or-can-those-legumes/ (opened 2026-10-23)
https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/extension/uploads/sites/57/2019/04/Growing-Dried-Beans-in-the-Home-Garden.pdf (opened 2026-10-23)
https://www.ccfruitandnuts.ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2025-07/PD-07-26-25-How-to-harvest-and-store-beans_0.pdf (opened 2026-10-23)
https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/carringtonrec/archive/documents/agronomyrd/docs2000/Drybean%20Storage.pdf (opened 2026-10-23)