Four common beans (black, kidney, great northern, and pinto) were extracted with hexane and found to contain about 2% triacylglycerols. The fatty acids in these bean oils were mainly linolenic (41.7-46 wt%), linoleic (24.1-33.4 wt%), palmitic (10.7-12.7 wt%) and oleic (5.2-9.5 wt%). Because of the high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the bean oils had iodine values between 174 and 177 g/100 g (compared to 130 g/100 g for soybean oil). Yet, the bean oils exhibited high oxidative stability due to the presence of high amounts of tocopherols (2,670-2,970 ppm). The bean oils had lower pour points (-18 to -11°C) compared to -9°C for soybean oil. Among the four bean oils, kidney bean oil had the highest acid value (15.4 mg KOH/g) and kinematic viscosities over a wide range of temperatures.