How To Cook Black Beans
A quick easy guide on how to cook black beans.
Servings 12
Calories 50kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) black beans
- 12 cups (2.83L) water or stock
- seasonings of your choice and to taste
- salt add after one hour of cooking
Instructions
- Pick through the beans and discard all stones and broken beans.
- Soak the beans in water overnight, making sure that there is enough water to fully cover. The longer you soak them, the shorter the cooking time will be.
- Drain, rinse, and then transfer to a large pot.
- Add enough water or stock so that the liquid is about 1 ½ inches above the beans.
- Add in any seasonings (but not salt). I like to add garlic, bay leaves, and sliced onions.
- Bring to the boil, then simmer partially uncovered for 1-3 hours, depending on how firm or soft you want your beans.
- Add in the salt after about 1 hour of simmering time.
- If the cooking liquid dries out before the beans are done, just add more.
- Once done, drain the beans and serve. You can reserve the cooking liquid and use it to cook rice or to add flavor to soups and stews.
Notes
- You can add much more flavor to the beans when you cook them from scratch.
- 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.
- Reserve the cooking liquid and use it to cook a divine-tasting treat.
- Oh, and you can easily cook more beans than you need and store them in the fridge. They keep this way for about 5 days without any problem.
Nutrition
Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 3g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg