Black Beans (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Black Beans (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)

These homemade Black Beans are packed with flavor and a little spice. No soaking required—easy and delicious!

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: Dinner, Vegetarian

Cuisine: American, Healthy, Vegan

Keyword: black beans

Servings: cans (equivalent to 3 cans of black beans)

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $3.22

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 dried 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

US - Metric

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

Notes

Note 1: If you’re worried about heat, add just the peppers and remove them promptly after beans have cooked. Check out the post for how to save/store the rest of the can of chipotles!

Storage: To freeze Black Beans, let beans cool completely, then scoop 1-1/2 cups of the beans into prepared freezer bags, leaving plenty of space in the bags for expansion. Seal and freeze for up to 6 months.

Nutrition