# Kidney Beans: Dark Red vs Light Red.  What's the difference?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-beans-dark-red-vs-light-red-whats-the-difference/523557>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 4, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-beans-dark-red-vs-light-red-whats-the-difference/523557 "2010-01-04T01:13:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-beans-dark-red-vs-light-red-whats-the-difference/523557/1 "2010-01-04T01:13:44Z")

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So I’ve started making chili, and the last time I shopped for the beans I simply grabbed whatever was closest. In fact, I don’t think the beans were labeled anything other than “Red Kidney”.

But this time at the store, I noticed there are “light” and “dark” red kidney beans.

What’s the straight dope? Are the darker red ones nutritionally better for you?

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**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-beans-dark-red-vs-light-red-whats-the-difference/523557/2 "2010-01-04T06:45:57Z")

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Nutrition? I have no idea.

But I do know that any true Cajun would never make Red Beans and Rice with the lighter ones. And I agree with them.

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-beans-dark-red-vs-light-red-whats-the-difference/523557/3 "2010-01-04T13:19:03Z")

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I don’t think there’s a difference in the nutrition (or the taste, for that matter) – just a matter of which you prefer visually. I prefer the dark ones, but have been known to buy the light ones for a bean stew thing I make (which also has cannelli, black beans, and garbanzos, plus corn), just to get an extra color in there.

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**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-beans-dark-red-vs-light-red-whats-the-difference/523557/4 "2010-01-04T13:29:55Z")

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I’m not aware of any difference, either nutritionally of tastewise. When I make chili (which I haven’t done in a while) I usually use a mixture of both, just because it adds variety to the appearance.