You can easily freeze canned chili beans and use them for future meals. Freezing beans is an easy and efficient way to maintain their taste and flavor and reduce food waste.
When you freeze canned chili beans properly, you can preserve their quality for up to two months. And, they remain safe for consumption even after this period.
But, as with any other food storing, you need to know the do’s and don’ts so that you maximize the food’s safety and quality.
Keep reading to learn more about the best way to store canned chili beans in the fridge or freezer!
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Can You Freeze Canned Chili Beans?
Yes, you can!
Freezing chili beans is possible and it’s in fact an excellent way to preserve food that you can use for meals in the future.
You can easily freeze them. First, rinse and drain them off and then transfer them from the can into a reusable freezer container or a freezer bag. Make sure you add water to immerse the beans fully. You can label your frozen chili beans and seal them.
When they’re frozen this way, chili beans from a can remain safe for consumption for up to six months. When you decide to use them, thaw the whole bag or a part of it, depending on how much you need.
Drain the beans and use them as you wish.
It’s good to know that when you haven’t used a whole can of chili beans, you can keep them in the fridge for up to three days. But, make sure you’ve placed them in a clean, airtight container first.
If your weekly menu doesn’t include them, don’t worry: you can freeze them for later use. Chili beans are a tasty and nutritious addition to meals and provide plant-based protein.
They’re suitable for batch cooking of all-time-favorite dishes like soup and chili.
How Does Freezing Lower Food Waste?
Beans are sustainable due to the reduced use of water and energy needed for their production than to the production of animal-origin food.
They also help get nitrogen back into the soil (it fertilizes nature). Cooking with beans and freezing them as part of a healthy and nutritious diet is a sustainable method of decreasing food waste, helping the planet, and saving precious time.
Frozen chili beans, and other freezer-safe foods too, have numerous other advantages to offer.
Check out some of the best ones below:
- ⅓ of all food goes to waste: freezing is a great way to reduce food waste
- It lowers waste during farming, fishing, transportation, and preparation
- Reduces waste in the household
- Prolongs the food’s freshness
- Allows you to use the food whenever you wish
Is Freezing Leftover Chili Beans Possible?
Let’s be honest from the start: all of us have opened a can of chili beans thinking we would use it all, but it ends up going bad in the fridge.
Covering the can with foil doesn’t do much for the beans and they eventually end up in the trashcan. The key is knowing how to store leftover chili beans from a can. The first rule of thumb is to take them out of the can.
Cans and the fridge don’t pair well, according to Carl Batt, a food microbiologist from Cornell University. It’s difficult to seal the can well and as a result, the food dries out and absorbs smells from other foods in the fridge.
Plus, there’s the leaching of metal from the can into the food. This isn’t usually a health concern, but it can worsen the taste.
Transfer the beans into a safe plastic or a glass container and recycle the can. Store them in the fridge.
You can use them as you wish: either in a salad, a soup, or a stew, the choice is yours! This method is ideal if you plan to use them within several days.
If you need them to last a bit longer in the fridge, pour a layer of olive oil on top so that they don’t dry out. If the recipe is oil-free just rinse them off and dry them before use.
If you don’t plan to use the chili beans within five days or so, it’s best to freeze them. Cover them with fresh water and make sure the container is freezer-safe. Leave them to thaw and then strain them to remove excess water.
How to Use Frozen Chili Beans?
Canned chili beans are such a convenient food option. You can use them to prep yummy and warming chili which you can freeze for later. Usually, chili beans are beans cooked with a ground meat chili sauce.
The most common type of beans used for this product are pinto beans, but there are also options with kidney or black beans. The meat is either turkey or ground beef.
This processed food contains sauce from chili peppers, tomatoes, and sauces. After the sterilization, they’re sealed in the can.
They can be added to a long list of dishes or consumed as a condiment. You can also use them instead of cooked dry beans. The safest way to consume them is to use the whole can for the recipe or to freeze it for later.
You can thaw and strain the beans and use them for chili with meat, chili stew, soups, salads, etc. You can mix the canned chili beans with cilantro, fresh lime, and onions and dice it and serve.
They can also be served with some fresh toppings like a spoonful of sour cream or shredded cheese.
There are really various ways in which you can use canned chili beans in your diet: they’re a delicious and convenient food choice.
Final Thoughts
Following these simple how-to tips, you can easily freeze canned chili beans. This helps reduce food waste and ensures you save food for upcoming dishes.
Chili beans are essential for a variety of meals so it’s good to know how to preserve their flavor and quality.
The leftovers will be as tasty as the first time you opened the can.
Although you can keep the chili beans in the fridge for several days without worrying about their safety and quality, the freezer is a better solution.
By freezing them, they will stay fresh for up to six months!
