No soaking required for these simple homemade Black Beans! These beans are deeply savory with a hit of spice and so much flavor.
Prepare Black Beans as a delicious side dish and then re-purpose leftovers in a number of ways outlined below; this recipe has so many possibilities. This recipe was tested in both a slow cooker and Instant Pot®.
Black Beans
After sharing these Pinto Beans (and the subsequent recipes using them), I’m totally hooked on preparing beans in the slow cooker and/or pressure cooker. It’s my favorite way to cook for my family this new year. I love preparing the beans as a way of meal prepping at the beginning of the week and then use those beans in meals all week long. While canned beans are convenient, nothing compares to the flavors and textures you’ll get from these from-scratch black beans.
Not only are they economical (the cost of dried beans versus canned can be staggering!) they’re also incredibly simple to make. I’ll share some shortcuts for making Black Beans and I’ll share some of the recipes we’ve used these beans in as a part of my “cook once & enjoy meals all week long” series.
These recipes feature these from-scratch black beans:
One batch of Black Beans makes about the equivalent of three 15-ounce cans of black beans and each of the recipes above uses about 1 can (or slightly less). So if you prepare the beans at the beginning of the week, your family can enjoy them as a side dish that first day and then the rest can be stored and used in those three recipes throughout the week. They freeze well, too, so you can save these beans for later, as well.
With the seasoned beans prepared, the remaining prep during the week on those other three recipes listed above is so much quicker! Additionally, as the beans sit, they only get more flavorful! So those recipes will have so much more flavor than using a can of beans!
Quick Tip
Love this series? We did a similar series (cook once, enjoy all week!) using these homemade pinto beans in these bean and cheese burritos, pinto bean tacos, and bean tostadas.
Slow Cooker versus Pressure Cooker
I tested Black Beans in both machines, and they end up very similar either way. (Note: When I use the term pressure cooker, that applies to the Instant Pot, which has a pressure cooker setting.)
The beans do end up with slightly more liquid in the pressure cooker, but it’s very easy to get these beans to your ideal liquid-to-bean ratio. Simply drain off as much of the liquid as you’d like. I typically leave all (or most) of the liquid because I like these beans pretty saucy when serving over rice or in a grain bowl. However, if they’re going in burritos or a bake, I do drain them before adding.
Whichever machine you choose to use, it may take a bit of experimenting your first time. All slow cookers and pressure cookers cook slightly differently, but once you’ve figured out the time for your specific machine, you’ll no longer have any guesswork.
Ingredients In Black Beans
- Dried Black Beans: Rinse dried beans thoroughly before use.
- Veggies: In a rush? Throw all the veggies in a food processor for quicker prep.
- Seasonings: Cook in oil for more flavor.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: Taste before adding more salt, as adobo sauce can be salty.
- Liquid: Use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock for a vegetarian option.
Black Bean Preparation Tips
- Rinse and pick through the beans. While a little tedious, be sure to give the beans a quick rinse and look through them for any shriveled beans, debris or rocks that may have snuck into your bag.
- It may be tempting to throw everything in the slow cooker and let it go, but sautéing the veggies in the olive oil brings tremendous amounts of flavor. It adds layers of flavor to these beans.
- Season to taste. Depending on how salty the chicken stock is, and the actual type of salt you’re using (not all salts season the same!) you’ll want to adjust the amount of salt to personal preference. If the beans taste flat, it’s probably as easy a fix as adding in some more salt! Also, we love Black Beans with some fresh herbs (like parsley, cilantro, or green onions) and fresh lime juice. It’s amazing the life those two ingredients bring to the black beans.
- Freeze leftover chipotle peppers. See “quick tip” below.
Quick Tip
There’s nothing worse than using only one or two peppers (like in this recipe) and not being able to use the rest of the can before it goes bad. Luckily, canned chipotle peppers freeze beautifully! Here’s how to freeze them:
- Spread a sheet of parchment paper onto a large pan.
- Spoon out peppers with the adobo sauce, 1/2-inch apart, on to the pan. Place the pan in the freezer until peppers and sauce are frozen solid, about 1 hour.
- Once frozen, peel the peppers and sauce off the tray.
- Add the frozen peppers to a freezer-safe plastic bag, seal while pressing out any air, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- To thaw, take as many peppers as needed out of the bag and let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until thawed through (or pop individual peppers in the microwave for 10-15 seconds).
Shortcut tips
- Preparation shortcuts. These beans are easy to make, and while the chopping can take a bit of time, you can save time by chopping all the veggies in a food processor. Save more time by using store-bought chicken stock; we’re adding loads of flavor without extra work. (By the way, why do we use both chicken stock and water? We tested all different ratios of water to chicken stock and found 1:1 to be the perfect complement to the beans without overpowering the flavor.)
- Don’t soak the black beans. We do not need to soak the beans before cooking–now there’s a real shortcut! The amount of liquid in this recipe is ideal to get the beans ultra-tender, without spending hours soaking ahead of time.
Repurposing Black Beans into meals for the week
Beyond the three recipes I linked to above, you can use these from-scratch black beans in so many recipes! Here are some additional ideas:
- Add to tacos: These Black Bean Tacos or these Vegetarian Tacos or these Butternut Squash Tacos are three of our favorites!
- Black beans and rice: Spoon the beans over steamed rice. (or even better, cilantro-lime rice!) If you’re feeling extra sassy, drizzle on some cilantro-lime sauce (recipe on this Shrimp Tacos post).
- Add beans to bulk up a soup or chili. (They’d be amazing in this vegetarian chili or this turkey chili.)
- Add them to a taco salad like this Chicken Taco Salad or this Turkey Taco Salad.
- In a quinoa dish like these Crockpot Quinoa Tacos or this Quinoa Black Bean Salad
- Add to a wrap, quesadilla, or tostada.
- Or: Refrigerate or freeze these beans in individual 1.5 cup portions so you can use them instead of canned beans for any recipes calling for black beans (more info on freezing leftovers below).
Freezing leftover Black Beans
- Begin by labeling air-tight freezer bags. Let beans cool completely and then scoop 1-1/2 cups of the beans into prepared freezer bags, leaving plenty of space in the bags for expansion. Seal and transfer to the freezer until you need them. Beans keep in the freezer for about 6 months.
- Thawing: You can add frozen beans directly to recipes like chili or beans and rice. (They thaw quickly in the pot.) For recipes where you need to start with thawed black beans, pull them out of the freezer the night before and let them thaw in the fridge, or for a quicker thaw, add the sealed bag to a large bowl of cool water until thawed through.
More recipes using Black Beans
- Black Bean Corn Salad ready in 15 minutes!
- Turkey Taco Skillet serve with chips!
- Cowboy Caviar so much better than plain ole salsa!
- Kale and Couscous Salad a vegetarian treat!
- Chicken Fajita Bowls full of Tex-Mex goodness!
Black Beans (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
Equipment
- Large cast-iron pan
- Pressure cooker or slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion 1 onion
- 1 finely diced red pepper 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic 4 to 6 cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound dry black beans
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, I recommend Swanson
- 2 heaping tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce measure the peppers and surrounding sauce, see note 1
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro optional
- Fresh lime juice optional
Instructions
- For a quicker prep, give onion and pepper a quick coarse chop, then add along with garlic cloves to a food processor and pulse to chop.
- Add olive oil to a large cast-iron pan (or set to sauté in the pressure cooker) and heat to high. Add in diced onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 7–9 minutes. Add in all seasonings (paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and oregano) and sauté 1 minute or until fragrant. Use a spatula to scrape mixture into the pressure or slow cooker.
- Rinse beans in a strainer and pick through them, discarding any shriveled beans, debris, or rocks. Add rinsed beans, stock, and water to the pressure or slow cooker. Add in chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I add 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, but add to preference.) Slow Cooker: Stir everything together, cover, and cook on high for 7–9 hours in the slow cooker or until beans are very tender (8 hours in my crockpot). Pressure Cooker: Seal pressure cooker, turn valve to seal, and cook on manual mode for 45 minutes (it takes about 15–20 minutes to get up to pressure). Once finished, allow for a natural release for 25 minutes (I recommend setting a timer so you don’t forget!) before releasing the rest of the pressure manually.
- Remove lid and taste beans. I typically add another 1 teaspoon salt here, depending on how salty the stock used is; add slowly until flavors sing. Remove chipotle peppers (they will continue to increase in heat and make beans hotter if left in) and remove bay leaf and discard. Add chopped cilantro if desired and squeeze in fresh lime; stir through. Serve as a side dish or use in another recipe. Beans will continue to thicken as they sit and become more flavorful as they’re stored in the fridge overnight. I store the beans in the liquid and drain as needed to use in other recipes.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Anyone have any idea how this translates to the Breville Fast Pro Go? Why would u use the bean setting? Is this due to the additional ingredients? Thanks if anyone has tried this with the Breville.
I have made this recipe many times, and I just wanted to stop and leave some love for it! I usually use the beans as a side dish with tacos or enchiladas when they are fresh, and then freeze the rest to use later for Chipotle-style bowls. They freeze and defrost beautifully, and the flavor cannot be beat—even when defrosted! It is absolutely worth going through the effort to make this when you can stretch one big batch to use in so many meals.
I am beyond thrilled to hear this! So happy to hear they freeze and defrost well! Thank you so much Briana! 🙂
I am so excited to try this recipe. 😋
I am a little concerned though, because I am the only one in my house, family of 6 🤗, that likes black beans. How long will they last when stored in the fridge? Is it OK to freeze, or possibly even can?
I’m not familiar with canning food, but they do freeze nicely! They’ll last about a week in the fridge 🙂
I love these beans, but I am the only one that eats black beans, could I substitute pinto beans for black beans? Would they still taste as good?
Have you tried these Pinto Beans? You may like to do those instead!