How To Cook Black Beans

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Black beans are an awesome pantry staple ingredient to have. They are budget-friendly and versatile, so they can be used in tons of recipes. This is why I am super excited to show you how to cook dried black beans in a variety of methods.

The super creamy black beans are becoming one of my new favorites. They hold their shape during cooking and are a tasty way to add some protein to meals.

Easy Cooking Guide

You can see if you prefer to soak them or use a no-soak method, cook ’em in your Instant Pot, in your slow cooker, oven or on the stovetop. Yeap, this is a comprehensive guide on how to cook black beans. I got you friend. And you can also learn How To Cook Pinto Beans.

I tend to cook a rather large batch and keep them in the fridge (whilst watchign Grey’s Anatomy) and use them over the week in dishes such as salsa, rice and beans, salads, burgers, tacos, bean soups, and chili.

Why Make This Recipe

• Budget friendly – Dried beans are budget-friendly and one bag can make so many meals.
• No pre soak needed – You can cook them without needing to pre-soak beans although they will take longer to cook. Win-win, right?
• Great texture – These can be cooked to the firmness/softness you prefer for different recipes.
• Flavor your way – You can add tons of flavor to beans cooked from scratch.
• Filling – Filling, nutritious, and loved by the whole family. Plus you can be sure that there are no added preservatives or excess sodium.
• Meal prep – Cook a big batch for the whole week and for freezer-friendly meals.

What Are Black Beans

Black beans, also called turtle beans, are a member of the legume family and one of my favorite things. They have a black outer skin and white interior with a creamy texture and a fairly mild flavor. While they might be small, black beans pack a big punch as they’re high in protein and fiber.

Commonly used in Mexican, Spanish, and Caribbean cuisine, black beans are now popular throughout the world, starring in dishes ranging from soups and stews to salads, dips, wraps, and more.

Soaking Beans Overnight

Good news! You don’t need to soak dried black beans. However soaking them means that you will greatly reduce the cooking time as well as help aid in their digestion. Just soak them overnight before heading off to bead.

Just grab your picked though dried beans, put them in a container large enough to hold them, and add about 4 times the volume of water. Drain off the liquid and thoroughly rinse the beans before cooking them according to your chosen recipe.

How To Quick Soak Dried Beans

You can also quick soak dried beans. Just add them to a pot with about 4 times the volume of water, bring to a boil, and boil away for 2 minutes. Switch off the heat and let them soak in the hot water for one hour. Drain and rinse beans before cooking them to the tenderness you need according to your chosen recipe.

How To Cook Black Beans On The Stovetop

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

• Sort then rinse the beans. Add them to a colander, pick through the beans, discarding all stones and broken beans. Rinse well, and place in a large bowl.
• Soak the beans – Soak them using one of the methods described above.
• Drain them – Drain and rinse, then transfer them to a large pot.
• Add cooking liquid and seasonings. Add enough water or stock so that the liquid is about an inch and a half above the beans. Add in your preferred seasoning (except for salt). I generally add garlic, bay leaves, and sliced onions, olive oil.
• Cook them adding salt after a while. Bring to a boil, then simmer partially uncovered for 1-3 hours, depending on how firm or soft you want your beans and how fresh they are. Add salt after about 1 hour of simmering. If the cooking liquid dries out before the beans finish cooking, then add some more about 1 cup (240ml) at a time.
• Serve. Once done to your liking, serve, drained or undrained. Add extra seasoning or toppings to your taste.

Cook In The Instant Pot

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. Layer your ingredients, starting with the broth, beans, seasoning and aromatics (like onion, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, chipotle paste and bay leaves). If using diced tomatoes then add on top do not mix them in.
2. Close the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the valve to sealing, and set it to manual pressure/high pressure for 35 minutes.
3. When done, allow for a full natural pressure release (NPR).
4. Open the Instant Pot, taste and adjust seasonings as needed, then serve.

Cook In The Oven

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. Place the pre-soaked beans in an oven-ready dish, adding enough water or broth to cover them by about an inch and a half.
2. Add the seasoning of your choice and any aromatics, stirring to combine.
3. Cover and bake in a 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C oven.
4. After 90 minutes, check the beans to determine whether they are cooked through. If not, continue cooking, checking them every 10 minutes until done.

Cook In The Slow Cooker

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. Place rinsed pre-soaked beans, seasonings, any aromatics if using into the slow cooker.
2. Top with the water or broth up until the beans are covered in 2 inches of water.
3. Cover and slow cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the beans are tender to your liking. Do not open frequently, as this will cool down the beans meaning they take longer to cook.

Recipe Tips

• Pick through. Make sure to remove shrivelled beans and any debris before cooking.
• Add veggies. Onions the veggies with what you have on hand.
• Do soak the beans. If cooking in oven, stovetop or slow cooker, soaking beans before helps them cook evenly and reduces gas / bloating. Perfect right?
• Add salt at the end of cooking. Salting at the start can cause you to end with tough beans. So season with salt when they are almost done.
• Check for doneness. Bite into a few cooled beans to check if they are tender enough for you. Alternatively, use a fork to mash a couple of beans on the side of the pot, if they mash easily then they are cooked.
• Vary the spices. Feel free to add herbs and spices from your store cupboard to your taste. Some I like using include cumin, oregano, ground coriander, chipotle paste, smoked paprika, thyme, red pepper flakes, harissa paste, diced jalapeños and cayenne pepper. Look through your spice cupboard and use whatever you have.
• Add meat. Feel free to add bacon, ham hock, smoked turkey, chorizo.
• Be flexible on the cook time: You beans may take longer to cook than recipes say, so if do let them cook a little longer if needed.
• Bulk it out. Add bulk to the meal by serving the beans over another starch such as rice or quinoa.
• Thicken it or thin it out. Feel free to remove some of the beans, mash them and add back in to thicken it. If you plan to reheat or if you want them more soupy, you may want to add more broth to thin as desired.
• Change up the beans. This method will work with other beans like navy beans, black beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) but be aware that cook time will vary.
• Extra flavor. You can add much more flavor to the beans when you cook them from scratch.
• Add salt later. Adding salt to the beans at the start slows down the softening process, so it is worth adding it in after about an hour of cooking.
• Repurpose. Reserve the cooking liquid and use it to cook a divine-tasting treat like rice.

Storage

• Storage – Keep cooled black beans in an airtight container inside the fridge for 5-7 days.
• Freeze – Store in the freezer in an airtight container or ziptop bag for up to 3 months.
• Defrost – Transfer to the fridge to defrost overnight.

FAQs

More Recipes Like This

• How To Cook Pinto Beans.
• How To Cook Ground Turkey.
• How To Cook Black-eyed Beans.
• How To Cook Frozen Hash Browns.

Serve With

• Beans and Mexican rice are a classic combination!
• Need a quick and easy meal? Serve as a side dish with Air Fryer frozen taquitos.
• I loooove using them as a topping for baked potatoes.

Weight Watchers Points

There are 0 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.

Thank you for reading my how to cook black beans recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

Get The How To Cook Black Beans From Scratch