Cranberry Beans (Borlotti): Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Cranberry beans are the seeds of the common bean plant, Phaseolus vulgaris (pea family). They have cream-colored skins with red-pink streaks and are also sold as borlotti or Roman beans. They are eaten dried and cooked, or canned, in soups, stews, pasta dishes and salads, mostly for fiber, plant protein and folate. This page covers the whole bean as food, keeps cooking safety in view, and keeps the food apart from extracts and supplements.

Read this first

• Cook dried beans properly. Cranberry beans are the same species as kidney beans. In a 2021 laboratory study raw borlotti beans had about the same lectin activity as raw kidney beans (13,312 versus 13,214 units per gram), and none was detected after a 12-hour soak and 45 minutes of boiling. [3] The FDA says raw or undercooked beans can cause nausea, severe vomiting and diarrhea, and advises soaking at least 5 hours then boiling in fresh water at least 30 minutes. [4] Health Canada's shorter 10-minute boil is written for dry red kidney beans. [5] We read no poisoning report about cranberry beans and no boil time written for them, so see "Choosing, storing and food safety".
• Canned beans are already cooked. The FDA says the low lectin (PHA) levels in canned and properly cooked kidney beans will not affect you. [4] We read no cranberry-bean-specific statement, but canned beans are cooked in the can. [5]
• Evidence in one line: pooled trials of pulses as a group show a small LDL cholesterol drop and, in some analyses, lower blood sugar markers. Studies of cranberry beans alone are not in what we read. [8] [9]
• Digestion: beans contain carbohydrates that gut bacteria ferment, so gas and bloating are common. People on a low-FODMAP plan are usually asked to limit them for a short time. [12] [14]
• Allergy: we did not read a source on cranberry bean allergy. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat after any food, call 911 (or your local emergency number). [15]

What is in it (USDA values)

The main columns are for cranberry (roman) beans, mature seeds, boiled without salt (USDA FoodData Central item 173736, SR Legacy) [1]. The serving is the USDA household portion, 1 cup cooked (177 g). The last column is the same bean dry and uncooked (item 175189) [2]; do not compare it with the cooked columns, because cooking adds water. Canned beans usually contain salt and are a different product.

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; the cup column is the 100 g value multiplied by 1.77. USDA lists no Daily Value for energy. Values vary with variety, growing place and cooking time.

Plant compounds: a 2020 laboratory study of borlotti beans found that cooking and soaking at home released little of the bean's polyphenols, while a lab model of starch and protein digestion released about twenty times more (40.4 versus 2.22 mg gallic acid equivalents per gram). Extracts of the cooked beans lowered two inflammation markers by 25% and 40% in mouse immune cells. [7] That is cell work, not a result in people. The authors note their long digestion step may not match the human gut. [7] Beans also contain lectins, phytic acid and tannins, which animal and cell studies suggest can reduce mineral absorption; Harvard calls this theory and says human research is very limited. [6]

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as an extract. The trials above used pulses eaten as food. The extract result is from a cell model. Observational findings show an association, not proof that beans cause the difference. We did not read who funded most of the pooled analyses.

How much is a normal serving

The USDA household portion is 1 cup of cooked cranberry beans (177 g), with about 241 kcal, 16.5 g of protein and 15.2 g of fiber (see the table). [1] The NHS counts 80 g of beans and pulses as one portion and says they count only once a day toward 5 A DAY, however much you eat. [13] The cholesterol trials used a median of about 130 g of pulses a day. [8] Harvard cites about 3 cups of legumes a week in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. [12] This is information, not a prescription.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Raw or undercooked beans (lectins). The FDA says phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) is a lectin found in raw or undercooked beans and at high levels can cause nausea, severe vomiting and diarrhea. [4] Health Canada says symptoms usually start within 1 to 3 hours and pass fairly quickly. [5] Harvard adds that raw beans simmered at low heat, as in a slow cooker, will not lose all their lectins. [6] Do not eat dry beans raw or only warmed through.
• How often and how bad for this bean. We read no poisoning report that names cranberry or borlotti beans. Health Canada says the main concern is red kidney beans. [5] Beans of this species had similar raw lectin activity in the lab. [3]
• Digestion. Resistant starch and oligosaccharides ferment in the colon and can cause gas, bloating and cramping. [12] A hospital low-FODMAP leaflet names beans and pulses as the main source of galacto-oligosaccharides and says the restriction is temporary, usually four to six weeks. [14] See beans, gas, FODMAPs and digestion.
• Allergy: we read no source on cranberry bean allergy. Reactions can include hives, swelling and trouble breathing; anaphylaxis is a medical emergency, call 911. [15] See food allergy basics and emergency signs and legume allergy and cross-reactivity.
• Kidney disease, medicines, pregnancy, children: USDA lists 685 mg of potassium and 239 mg of phosphorus in a cup of cooked beans (15% and 19% of the Daily Value). [1] We read no source on bean limits for kidney disease, on medicines, or on pregnancy for this bean. See foods, kidney disease, potassium and oxalates, food and medicine interactions and foods in pregnancy, and ask a clinician.
• If someone gets sick after eating beans: see poisoning: what to do first.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Dried beans: the FDA says soak beans at least 5 hours, then boil in fresh water at least 30 minutes. [4] Health Canada gives soaking for at least 5 hours and a vigorous boil of at least 10 minutes for dry red kidney beans. [5] The lab study that found no lectin in borlotti used a 12-hour soak and 45-minute boil, and its authors call that Danish guidance sufficient for beans and lentils. [3] The sources differ and none gives a cranberry-bean time on its own, so follow your national food-safety authority; the FDA figure is the longest we read. See soaking and cooking times for dried beans and lentils.
• Canned beans are cooked in the can; check labels for added sodium. [12] See dried vs canned beans, soaking and sodium.
• Slow cookers: Health Canada says not for dry red kidney beans. [5] Harvard says low-heat simmering may leave lectins in raw beans. [6] Boil first.

Related pages

• Lectins in beans: cooking dried beans safely
• Kidney beans
• Pinto beans
• Soaking and cooking times for dried beans and lentils
• Beans, gas, FODMAPs and digestion
• Legumes as food: what trials found
• Foods for cholesterol and heart health