Black beans contain 2.0 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. Grams is a measure of weight. To put 100 grams in perspective; consider alternative measures for this food:
- 1 cup equals 172 grams.
In the category of beans; we excluded protein isolates and other processed foods from the Top 10 list and include only whole beans. You can assume that if the whole version made the top 10 list; so too would the refined version.The food tested for the particular graph below can be described more specifically as:
Beans; black; mature seeds; cooked; boiled; with salt
Read more about iron in beans or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Black Beans: Rich in Iron
Black beans are a high-iron food. They are tasty and versatile in cooking. The primary issue to keep in mind with black beans is that they contain mineral inhibitors that will reduce your ability to absorb all of the iron in them. You will not benefit from all of the iron indicated on the label unless you employ some strategies in your kitchen to reduce the iron inhibitors. These strategies will reduce iron inhibitors by half or more and will increase your digestion of the iron in the black beans. The primary strategy with any bean is to soak them in warm water overnight in a warm spot. We usually start with beans and near-boiling water in a stainless steel bowl and place it in a warm spot in our house overnight with a tea towel on top. The towel keeps out unwanted bugs, though they may help with the iron content. When you are ready to cook them, simply strain off the soaking water and add new water to cook them in. Note that they will need half or less the water that your recipe calls for because they will have been soaked. We like to cover them with water.
Explore this website for more information on the iron content of your favorite foods.