Pink Beans (Dried)

Pink Beans: Nutrition and Complete Guide

Pink beans are small, oval, pinkish-tan dried beans — somewhat similar in appearance to a small, less colourful pinto bean — important in Puerto Rican, Dominican, and broader Caribbean and Latin American cooking, where they are known as habichuelas rosadas or habichuelas rositas. In Puerto Rico, pink beans cooked in sofrito (a blend of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and herbs) and served over rice are a daily staple — one of the most beloved comfort foods in the national cuisine. They have a smooth, creamy texture when cooked and an earthy, mild flavour that absorbs the bold sofrito and adobo seasonings of Caribbean cooking particularly well. In Hawaiian plate lunch culture, a form of pink bean — called "Portuguese bean soup" — is a beloved local preparation reflecting the culinary heritage of Portuguese immigrant communities.

Nutritional Value and Cooking

Dried pink beans provide 343 kcal and 21 g of protein per 100 g, with 62.3 g of carbohydrates and 12.7 g of fibre. They provide folate, thiamine, iron, phosphorus, manganese, and potassium — the nutritional profile typical of Phaseolus beans. Cooked: approximately 130 kcal and 8.3 g protein per 100 g. Soak overnight and simmer forty-five to sixty minutes. Cook with sofrito — onion, garlic, tomato, green pepper, cumin, oregano, and sazón — and serve over white rice for an authentic Puerto Rican arroz con habichuelas. Kidney beans or pinto beans substitute readily in most recipes.