How to Cook Black Beans (From Scratch!)
This foolproof recipe yields the best black beans. Make a pot and enjoy black beans all week! Black beans are healthy, pantry friendly and affordable.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Meet my go-to, foolproof black bean recipe! If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to cook black beans from scratch, this guide is for you. These beans are rich and creamy, yet lively and full of flavor. They rival the frijoles negros I’ve loved in Costa Rica, Mexico and Belize, and they make a delicious side dish or meal component.
Home-cooked black beans offer far more flavor than canned beans, especially when you include the right seasonings. I’m thrilled with how these turn out. Dried beans are also less expensive than canned beans, and they reduce waste (no cans to throw away).
Plus, black beans are very good for you. Black beans are rich in fiber and plant-based protein, and a fantastic source of folate, thiamin (vitamin B1), phosphorus, manganese and magnesium. If you’ve ever read that beans are “unhealthy,” it’s because beans contain lectins until they’ve been sufficiently cooked. Lectins, which are naturally present in many plant foods, are considered an anti-nutrient. If you’re eating properly cooked beans, as instructed below, there’s no reason for concern.
You might be surprised to hear that black beans are actually so blue that they appear black. Black beans are full of anthocyanins, a powerful group of flavanoids that also makes blueberries, purple cabbage and red onions so nutritious. You can read all about black bean nutrition here.
If you’re learning to cook dried beans, start them early. The wild card with dried beans is that you’ll never be 100 percent certain when they’ll finish cooking. Better to start cooking well before you’re in a rush for dinner. Let’s get to it!
Watch How to Cook Black Beans
Black Bean Seasonings
Many black bean recipes incorporate bacon or lard, but these beans are free of meat products (they’re vegetarian and vegan). I played around with spices and flavorings until I came up with a clear winner.
You can simplify the recipe by omitting any of the seasonings listed in the ingredients, but for the best flavor, I recommend using all of them. Here’s what I add to the pot before cooking:
- Red onion and garlic lend a savory backbone to these beans. We’ll chop up the onion and add it raw (I tried cooking it first, as I do for most recipes, but the flavor is distracting at that point). We’ll peel the cloves and add them whole. Once the beans are done, we’ll just smash them against the side of the pot and stir them in. Easy!
- Bay leaves further amplify the savoriness of these beans, offering an herbal flavor somewhat similar to oregano or thyme. Mexican black beans typically incorporate an herb called epazote that is somewhat reminiscent of oregano, so you can see how bay leaf would work as well.
- Extra-virgin olive oil (just a splash) makes these beans cook up nice and creamy.
- Ground cumin is commonly added to black beans, because they’re perfect together!
- Orange zest offers a subtle “je ne sais quoi” flavor. Just one small strip (peeled with a vegetable peeler) makes a big difference. I never would have thought to add orange, but Serious Eats suggested this Cuban twist and I love it.
- Red pepper flakes lend some heat. If you prefer mild beans, reduce or omit them.
After cooking, I like to stir in some chopped cilantro (skip it if you don’t like it) and a squeeze of lime juice to brighten up the whole pot.
Black Bean Yield & Conversions
Dried black beans are typically sold in one-pound bags, so I wrote this recipe to use the whole bag. It yields a big pot of beans (about six cups). If you don’t think you’ll be able to finish off the whole pot within five days, you can easily halve the recipe, or freeze leftovers for later.
Here are some measurements and conversions that might be helpful:
- Dried (raw) black beans: 1 pound = 16 ounces = scant 2 1/2 cups
- 1 pound dried black beans = 6 cups cooked black beans = four 15-ounce cans of cooked black beans
- Each 1/2 cup of dried beans yields a little over 1 cup cooked beans
The Great Bean Debates
To Soak, or Not to Soak
Here’s a compelling argument for not soaking beans by Kenji Lopez on Serious Eats. In summary, un-soaked beans require only marginally longer on the stove (as little as 20 minutes longer), have a deeper color (likely also more nutrients), and better flavor (less watered down).
Beans that are larger than black beans, such as chickpeas, may benefit from a soak. In my experience, soaking black beans is an unnecessary extra step.
To Salt Before Cooking, or Afterward
This is another highly contested matter, and once again, I leaned on Serious Eats for guidance. In their experiments, salted beans cooked more evenly. Unsalted beans actually absorbed too much water and popped open before their skins sufficiently softened. You can see their side-by-side comparison here.
Another bonus of salting early is that your beans will be more flavorful than if you reserved the same amount of salt until after cooking.
Stovetop vs. Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot)
Cooking your beans on the stovetop is the way to go. I truly wanted to offer a reliable Instant Pot shortcut, but my Instant Pot bean experience has been too frustrating to recommend.
Here’s the problem: When you’re cooking beans in a pressure cooker, you can’t keep an eye on them. Cook times for beans in the Instant Pot vary with every batch, for reasons explained below. Many times, you’ll need to re-pressurize the pot and cook the beans longer. How much longer is always a guessing game. Sometimes, the beans cook unevenly because they run out of water along the way. Or, if you accidentally cook them a few minutes too long, the beans become mushy and bland.
You’ll also love stovetop black beans for their condensed, stewy cooking liquid. It’s delicious! You’ll never achieve the same nice cooking liquid with Instant Pot beans because the water can’t evaporate during cooking. Instant Pot beans will be watery, even if you manage to cook the beans properly—such beans would be fine as a replacement for drained canned beans, but they won’t make a great side dish on their own.
Timing Issues with Old Beans and Hard Water
Here’s the frustrating reality about cooking beans from scratch: You’ll never know exactly how long they’ll take to cook. Sometimes, very old beans will never soften sufficiently.
If you just bought your beans from a store with good turnover, they might be done cooking after just an hour-long simmer. Most likely, they’ll be done by an hour and a half to two hours.
Check your bags for a harvest or expiration date. Ideally, we’ll cook them within a year of harvest. Store your beans in a dark, cool place in the pantry in an air-tight container. If you don’t remember how long your dried beans have been sitting in your pantry, I can’t say how long they might take—or if they’ll ever fully cook through. This is a risk you take with cooking beans from scratch.
Another factor, which surprised me, is that the minerals in hard water can slow the cooking process! I live in an area with hard water, and I’ve witnessed the difference water can make. We can thank Melissa Clark for this clue.
My fresh-from-the-store beans cooked up in a mere hour when I used filtered water. My next batch, the same beans purchased at the same time, took over an hour and a half because I cooked them in tap water.
So, use filtered or distilled water if you can. Here’s a map of hard water areas in the United States, and here’s the affordable water filter (affiliate link) that seemed to improve my cooking time. I also have a larger filter system at home, which is great.
How to Serve Black Beans
These black beans are a great side dish to serve with Mexican, Cuban or other Latin American-inspired meals. Here are some of my favorite options.
- Burritos: Sweet Potato Burrito Smothered in Avocado Salsa Verde or Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos
- Casseroles: Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
- Chilaquiles: Chilaquiles Rojos or Chilaquiles Verdes
- Enchiladas: Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas, Spinach Artichoke Enchiladas or Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas
- Quesadillas: 10-Minute Quesadillas or Crispy Mushroom, Spinach and Avocado Quesadillas
- Tacos: Favorite Breakfast Tacos, Halloumi Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Aji Verde or Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos
Or, replace the bean component in the following recipes with these home-cooked black beans:
- Austin-Style Migas with Black Beans
- Kale, Black Bean and Avocado Burrito Bowl
- Simple Kale and Black Bean Burritos
- Southwestern Kale Power Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa & Avocado Sauce
- Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowls
Lastly, these beans are a fantastic burrito bowl component. Add any of the following:
- Rice: Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice or Mexican Brown Rice
- Something saucy: Classic Pico de Gallo, Creamy Avocado Dip, Cilantro Hemp Pesto, Guacamole, Red Salsa or Salsa Verde
- Maybe some extra greens or veggies: Chunky Avocado Salsa, Fresh Corn Salsa, Quick Collard Greens or Marinated Kale
- Garnishes and accents: Quick-Pickled Onions, toasted pepitas, crumbled Cotija or feta cheese, sliced cherry tomatoes, etc.
View all of my recipes containing black beans here.
How to Cook Black Beans
This foolproof recipe yields perfectly tender and delicious black beans. Make a pot and enjoy black beans all week! No need to soak the beans before using. Recipe yields 6 cups beans (the equivalent of 4 cans); you can freeze leftovers or cut the recipe in half.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (16 ounces or scant 2 ½ cups) dried black beans*
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 4 medium cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- One strip of orange zest, about 2 inches long by ½ inch wide
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit or reduce if sensitive to spice)
- 8 cups water**, more if needed
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, optional
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- First, pick through your black beans for debris (sometimes tiny rocks can sneak in). Place the beans in a fine mesh colander or sieve and rinse very well. Pour the beans into a large Dutch oven or saucepan (4 quarts or larger in capacity).
- Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, olive oil, salt, cumin, orange zest and red pepper flakes (if using) to the pot. Pour in the water.
- Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Remove the lid and reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Give the beans a stir to make sure none are stuck to the bottom of the pot, and set a timer for 1 hour. Leave the pot uncovered and adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer (you should see several small bubbles popping to the surface at any given moment).
- Once the timer goes off, test a couple of beans by using a fork to press them against the side of the pot. If they’re easy to press through, taste a few (carefully! they’re hot!) to see if they’re sufficiently plump, tender and delicious.
- Otherwise, continue cooking, testing in 15 to 30 minute intervals as needed, until they’re done. If you’re running low on liquid, add water in 1-cup increments so the beans are covered at all time. (As mentioned in the post, if your beans are old, they can take several hours to cook and require a lot more water, and some very old beans may never cook through.)
- Once the beans are very tender and tasty, you can increase the heat a little to reduce the cooking liquid into a more gravy-like consistency, about 5 to 15 minutes (it will continue to thicken up as the beans cool).
- Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully remove the orange zest and both bay leaves. Use a fork to press the garlic against the side of the bowl to break it up. Add the cilantro, if using, and lime juice. Stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt, if needed. Use as desired.
- Allow leftover beans to cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 to 5 days. You can also freeze leftover beans for several months.***
Notes
Recipe created with guidance from Serious Eats.
*Bean note: It’s very important that your beans are fresh. Freshly purchased beans from a store with good turnover can cook in as little as one hour. Older beans can require several hours on the stove (and several more cups of water). Very old beans may never soften all the way through, and will never be suitable for consumption.
**Water note: If you live in an area with hard water, the minerals in the water may impede the cooking process (your beans will take longer to cook). Use distilled or filtered water if possible.
***Freeze it: I like to freeze leftover beans with their cooking juices in wide-mouth, pint-sized mason jars. You could also use small freezer bags—once frozen flat, they can be stacked. Regardless of your container, be sure that your beans have cooled to room temperature before freezing. If you’re using a rigid container (instead of a bag), allow some room at the top for expansion, and wait until the beans are fully frozen before securely attaching an air-tight lid. Defrost the containers in the fridge for several hours before using as desired.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
You are 110% correct on da water. I use bottled water. and a slow cooker on low 7ta eight hours. den leave it on warm all day . smash wit a fork some beans against da side to thicken sometimes I add a remigrated acne chili wit da water adds a nice flavor Never tried bay leaf or orange but. will soon Its great to see a twist on tradition thank you. Mr. Joseph !!!
I’m glad you have figured it out too! Thanks for sharing, Joseph. I appreciate your review.
hi Kate have you tried Ananazi beans ,,, please do you are in for a treat.
Hi Kate,
I love your recipes. The tabouleh has been out of this world!! Anyways, wondering if you’ve tried this in a pressure cooker? Any additional tips if taking that approach? I plan on giving it a go so I will share anything Iearn here as well…
Hey Shai! So glad to hear it! That’s a good question. I just added a whole section about the Instant Pot since I’ve been getting lots of questions about it. :) I greatly prefer these beans when cooked on the stove, for reasons explained in the new section.
If you really want to try it—you could try combining all of the ingredients in the pot (except for the cilantro and lime juice, which go in after cooking). Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes (35 minutes if you’re certain your beans are super fresh. Many recipes suggest even less time, but lower times have never been sufficient in my experience.). Allow the steam to release naturally for 20 minutes.
The frustrating part—after all that, your beans may still not be fully cooked, and it’s not safe to consume undercooked beans (also, not tasty). If you need to cook them longer, make sure there’s enough liquid in the pot to keep them fully submerged. Try 5 minutes more. Repeat as necessary.
Hello. Can this be cooked in an Instant Pot?
Hi MiJo! I have outlined my thoughts on the Instant Pot in the post. :)
Hi- this looks yummy. What would need to be modified to cook the beans in an instant pot?
Hi Richard! I have outlined my thoughts on the Instant Pot in the post. :)
Indeed you did – and apparently I missed it! Thanks.
You didn’t miss it! I added it later because I got a lot of Instant Pot questions. :) If you really want to try it, I’ve provided some guidance in the first comment reply on this post. Hope your beans turn out great, however you cook them!
What are your thoughts about sprouting black beans to remove phytic acid from the beans?
Thx!
Judy
Hi Judith! Good question. I’ve honestly never had the patience or foresight to sprout beans, but I understand that sprouted beans offer increased bioavailability of a few nutrients. Here’s some information I found on the subject: “The good news is that eating vitamin C in the same meal as nonheme iron significantly increases its absorption even in the presence of phytic acid [Hallberg L. 1981, Siegenberg et al. 1991]. Good sources of vitamin C include red peppers, parsley and broccoli [USDA Nutrient Database].
Compared to the absorption of iron, the zinc and magnesium bioavailabilites in beans are relatively good at about 25% and 50%, respectively [Sandström et al. 1989, Insel et al. 2004].”
I live at 10,200′ altitude *and* have hard water, so I cook beans in a pressure cooker. I usually just use beans, water, and olive oil (no salt, but might try that), but I think this recipe will work perfectly in the pressure cooker. I will try it and let you know! It looks amazing.
I’m at 4500 feet and also use a pressure cooker! With our hard water and altitude, the beans would take at least 2 hours to simmer until done, I’m sure! This recipe will work well in my Instant Pot. I will need to have an orange on hand the next time I cook black beans!
Sounds yummy!
Please do! I just didn’t have much luck with my Instant Pot.
This recipe worked beautifully in the pressure cooker! I cooked them on high pressure for 32 minutes. I always cook beans the shortest time, then simmer for a bit until tender. My pressure cooker has “simmer” and “keep warm” functions so it is more like an Instapot than a traditional pressure cooker. The only things I changed: I used regular tap water. I did not add cilantro at the end because my daughter is a cilantro-hater. I think she was switched at birth! Like most cilantro-haters, she says it tastes like soap.
Also, my daughter used the beans to make her signature black bean chili–worked very well!
Do you know how I would cook in an instapot
Hi Adrienne! I will be adding more to the post about that soon, but unfortunately I didn’t like the instant pot results. The results were pretty inconsistent and I didn’t love the flavor.
Regarding salting black beans before or after cooking, I’d like to offer one more benefit to adding salt before: beans will cook faster in salted water. Saltwater boils marginally faster, has a higher boiling point, and has higher mass (meaning it transfers heat faster) than unsalted water.
Thanks for your input, SG!
This recipe sounds great. I have very old beans that I hate to throw out. If I cook them in the slow cooker for a long time, would they be safe to eat, even if they are tough?
Hi Laura, I’m not sure. Sorry! I don’t have luck with old beans and would check the best used date for sure.
Thanks Kate.
Looks like a great recipe
Just a question:
I have heard that when you soak beans, the soaking water contains oligosaccharides, released from the beans during soaking, that can lead to digestive discomfort, and should therefore be discarded.
If skipping the soaking (as you suggest), is the oligosaccharides not released in the cooking water then, which therefore wouldn’t be advisable to intake?
Or have I misunderstood something?♀️
Hi Therese! Good question, and I’ll to the best of my understanding, though I’m not a food scientist. It appears to be true that soaking beans for several hours (then discarding the soaking water) reduces the oligosaccharide content. Oligosaccharides are not inherently unhealthy—in fact, I think we’re learning that oligosaccharides are what give beans such good “prebiotic” powers. They can, however, produce gas as they are fermented in the colon. I honestly don’t have trouble with beans, maybe because I eat them so often. If you do, you might want to soak the beans, just be aware that your cooking time will be reduced.
I was just wondering about making black beans from scratch! It’s like you read my mind! Can’t wait to try.
Let me know what you think, Laura!
This recipe sounds fabulous, love the addition of orange zest. Beans are something I am trying to eat a lot more of! I admit I had a bad experience years ago with the beans staying “hard” in a chili I made, so I switched to using canned beans. But after having success with making refried beans from scratch I was back to cooking dried beans. And much more economical! I’ll always wonder why the beans I cooked years ago wouldn’t soften.
This was a great article on black beans. I learned so much! Thank you. These delicious beans will be made at my house very soon. I receive your emails and really enjoy your recipes. Thanks for sharing your talents.
I never cook beans from scratch but I’m excited to try. Intrigued by the use of orange zest (it seems very South American) too!
Thank you, C&K! Can’t wait to try. I always learn so much from your recipes – there is so much useful detail. Just made your 30 minute rice recipe for the millionth (almost) time today – it’s foolproof!!
Would you recommend doing this in an Instapot?
HI ZB, I’m working to add more on that in the post. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the results. It was pretty inconsistent.
I too was just thinking about making a pot of black beans to go with my perfectly cooked quinoa(thank you for that info). I will be trying this tomorrow and was wondering if I might be able to adapt it for my slow cooker so I don’t have to babysit it all day. Have you tried this with any luck?
Love your site and many of your recipes are my go to favorites!! Thanks for keeping us healthy!
Hi Annette! I haven’t don’t this in the slow cooker, but if you plan it right it does only take an hour. :) Sorry to not be more helpful!
The Smitten Kitchen website has a recipe for making beans in a slow cooker.
Interesting, but since I’ve been looking for a good recipe for salted black beans I can cook ahead to use in assorted recipes, I’d omit all the spices and such suggested save for the salt kosher only and a smidge of oil.
We don’t have beans in pound bags where I am and rarely use volume measurements unless it’s one of Grans hand written recipes received from one of her friends.
The smallest package I can get of freshly packaged ( so important to not buy old beans) black beans as well as all other beans at my health food shop is 900 gram bags so will have to do a bit of weighing before going ahead.
Thanks for posting!
Just reading the description and recipe is making my mouth water. I’ve made black beans many, many times both on the stove and in the Instant Pot. And now I am going to quit soaking and start adding the salt when they’re cooking. Great time saver!
I cook mine pretty much the same, no soak, no salt, add seasonings but I us the Instant Pot and they come out great.
Thank you for sharing your variation, David! I’m glad you enjoy your Instant Pot result. I just couldn’t quite get mine to be what I wanted, so stovetop for me!
Hi
curiously i see a lot of people cook in the Instant Pot.would it be ok to cook the black beans from scratch in the Instant Pot
would appreciate your thoughts
thanks
kaajal
Hi! I have information on my thoughts regarding the Instant Pot in the post. :)
Just want to put my hand up in support of the microwave for cooking beans. It doesn’t save a lot of time (it’s around 45-50 minutes for beans depending on the size and the amount), but it’s a lot less effort as you don’t have to hang around waiting for them to boil and then turning them down, and they don’t need stirring. It’s better not to fill the container beyond about 1/3 full and only just cover them with water as otherwise they tend to boil over.
I made black beans over the weekend almost to the T except used a white onion because that’s what I had. I did not use red chili flakes but used 12 oz. of Ortega chili’s and chipotle chili powder. Neither are very hot but add great flavor. I also added a half of a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice at the end of cooking.
Thank you for sharing your version, John! I appreciate your review.
What a fantastic and informative article! Answered all my questions and frustrations and way more. Thank you Kate!
You’re welcome, Barbara! I’m happy to hear it.
I have been cooking beans in my crock pot for years. I cook them without salt for health reasons. I always cook the entire package which takes about 4-5 hours on low. No mess, no fuss. Drain and put into 2 c ziploc bags for the freezer. Lay them on a flat small cookie tray, stacked alternately with seal on left, next one on right. Easy to do. After they are frozen, I tore in my freezer in a bin container for easy access.
At first I put in a half onion, peeled but uncut. It did not seem to make much flavor difference and I was putting them in recipes that had plenty of spices.
Thank you for your recipes and tips.
Thank you for sharing, Deb!
I cook beans from scratch all the time but have never tried it like this, and can’t wait. One supposed benefit of soaking and rinsing before cooking (I typically soak and rinse thrice) is that… and sorry about this but, those rinses apparently get out the *gas* that the beans otherwise produce. I love the idea of cooking with salt water! Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Heather! Thanks for your note. I hope you love this method. It’s true that soaking and rinsing beans before cooking reduces the oligosaccharides that can cause flatulence. I’ve heard some rumors that cooking beans with bay leaves (this recipe does) can help as well. Anecdotally, I didn’t have any digestive issues with these beans, but I eat a lot of beans! If you do run into trouble, try some fennel tea. :)
Thank you Kate! I love that you tell us we can cut the recipe in half as many of us are cooking for just one person. I will try this recipe and keep you posted.
johnette
Please do, Johnette! I hope you love it.
Hello Cookie and Kate!
I’m nearly 75, been cooking beans from scratch for over 50 years, and these are THE BEST BLACK BEANS EVER!
Thank you so much for this recipe and all the research you did to make it perfect!!
Cathryn in Corvallis
Well, that’s great news Cathryn! Thanks for your comment and review.
The BEST black beans I’ve ever had, let alone cooked myself. I can’t stop eating them!
I’m a huge fan and use your cookbook and online recipes almost every day. As a vegetarian for almost 50 years, I love beans! However I was shocked last year to be diagnosed with osteoporosis in my lumbar spine & hip joints, so I’ve gotten serious about building bone naturally. (Highly recommend “The Healthy Bones Nutrition Plan & Cookbook,” by mother & daughter team Kelly & Kelly.) I now soak all my dried beans, nuts and seeds to “Disarm Anti-Nutrients in Plant-Based Foods,” as one chapter is entitled.
These beans are EPIC! They are off-the-charts delicious! I will be making them frequently. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!!!
Nice recipe (like just about every one I’ve seen on your website). I also like the combination of flavors in the black bean burrito bowl and that’s quickly becoming a staple here. A couple of points on the water discussion–I’ve not had any problems cooking beans of a great many varieties in my water, which is some of the hardest water in California. Old beans, it’s true, take a lot longer and big old beans never really cook satisfactorily, and not just in my water. Other point–the filters mentioned above won’t do anything to make water “softer,” that is, they won’t reduce the dissolved ‘hard water” minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Technologies for that generally center around water softeners of various persuasions, including salt-based household (ion-exchange) softeners, more sophisticated ion-exchange zeolite-based units ($$$), and reverse osmosis (RO) units. Of these, only the salt based unit doesn’t result in “pure” water–it leaves sodium in the water through the calcium-sodium exchange process. RO units are somewhat more practical but they have a number of drawbacks, including a backflush requirement and short filter life in hard water areas. Second best but still acceptable (and how I do it): our grocery store and a number of other places in town and out in the world have “Glacier” purified water dispensers which provide very pure water for roughly $.40 per gallon. I use that water to feed the plants, change the aquarium water, and for most of my cooking, beer-brewing, and bread making (fermentation loves pure water). It’s perhaps a bit inconvenient but it’s quite reliable and it comes with all kinds of peace of mind. So again, I love this website (and Cookie is a pretty cool dog too), and I hope it continues for a few dozen more years.
Made these in my crock pot and it was so easy! And the beans have such great flavor! Made enough to freeze for later!
Being cuban, i found this recipe delicious. Not my mom’s recipe, but nothing can ever be!! just a quick note, in our family, we leave the bay leaves in. when dishing out the beans (or anything with bay leaves), it is considered good luck if your the one who got the bay leaf!!
I have never really been into black beans, they’ve always seemed kind of meh to me, but I had some in the cupboard so I gave this recipe a go anyway. These beans do not disappoint! So much more flavourful than any other black beans I’ve ever had, I find myself putting them in everything!
Thanks for the recipe C+K, you’ve got a black bean convert in me!
The beans were flavorful but next time I will add a jalapeño and cover the pot while simmering. This was the first time I cooked beans uncovered and I think the beans cook more thoroughly when covered. I appreciated all the thoughtful notes in the recipe explaining the “why’s” behind the instructions and the InstaPot challenges (..yes)
This was my first time attempting dry black beans and it was a huge success! This recipe is fantastic! It did take me more like 2 – 2.5 hours cooking time and probably 10 cups of water, (don’t know how old my beans were), but it was so worth it. So easy and delicious. The orange ended up cooking right down into the beans and I didn’t remove it (Bc I couldn’t find it) – didn’t make a difference. My 15 year old daughter commented at least 5 times on how yummy they were with the lime cilantro rice (which by the way was also excellent). Definitely the BEST recipe for dry black beans I’ve ever eaten. Thank you for posting!
Just made these beans tonight and followed the recipe exactly but with low expectations. I mean, I’ve been cooking dried beans for decades and they’re just beans, right? Wrong! These beans are fabulous, Kate. Wonderful combination of flavors! Can’t wait to share the recipe with several friends — giving all credit to you, of course. Do you know whether this type of no-soaking recipe works for garbanzos, Great Northern, and other beans? Got any ideas about seasoning these other types of beans?
Thanks for a great recipe.
Hi Jonny! Hooray, I’m so glad to hear it! To answer your question—I believe chickpeas might benefit from a soak, since they’re larger than black beans, which are pretty small and thin skinned relative to other beans. I’m not sure about Great Northerns. I think that cooking almost any variety of bean with onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, and bay leaves would produce a superior result! Not sure I’d add cumin or orange peel to the other varieties, though. I haven’t tried. Hope this helps!
Have you tested adding Baking Soda to a batch? I saw in your post about Hummus that you use it there. I read that adding a pinch helps break them down a bit faster.
I grew up watching my mother make them on the stove all the time! We used to drink the cooking liquid before the beans were completely done for the nutrients!
I have also done them in the Crock Pot if I want to be able to let them go without scorching risks, Piece of cake!
I haven’t tried, that may be true. I did notice a funny flavor with the chickpeas, as to why I suggested rinsing them really well. If you did that with this recipe, you would loose all the great flavor. Using fresh black beans wouldn’t be necessary for that step. Hope this helps!
I did not have an orange on hand, and omitted the orange rind in the recipe. Black beans were still the most delicious that I have ever eaten! My entire family of 4 loved them!
These beans are great. I’ve cooked dried beans for years and always soaked them. I didn’t soak them today, I used filtered water, and the seasonings in your recipe. It’s too hot here to boil on the stove so I cooked in my slow cooker on high for six hours and they are perfect! I think the filtered water was a good idea.
This turned out great. It is so easy and so flavourful.
I’m excited you loved them, Christine! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I have good results cooking beans in a slow cooker/crockpot. Sure, it takes hours but it’s hands off and difficult to over cook the beans and they turn out creamy. Once I figured out the timing for my slow cooker I realized that I can cook beans overnight and they’re ready to refrigerate or freeze the next day. One of my kids will even eat beans for breakfast when they’ve been cooked overnight!
OMG, Kate, I never thought I’d say it, but your black beans have got mine beat, hands down. The depth of flavor is impressive. The beans are perfection. I followed your directions, suggestions and recipe exactly. Only changes are personal taste: Next time, I will cut down the red pepper flakes to (a generous) 1/4 teaspoon. I also added another teaspoon of salt at the end. Just glorious. Thank you from your newest fan (& fam)!!
I’m excited you love them, Tim! Thanks for sharing.
These beans were restaurant quality – far superior to doctored canned beans
These are the best black beans I have ever had!!
2nd time making this and I can’t bring myself to have canned black beans ever again. this morning I made my guest and myself a burrito bowl with this recipe, the corn salsa recipe, and BEST OF ALL the pickled onions recipe… along with greens and forbidden rice. Perfect Thank you Kate!
Can I still use same ingredients if I am using canned black beans?
Hi Cynthia! This was specific to cooking dried beans that helps get the best flavor. I haven’t tried this combination with canned. It would likely taste great. However, I’m not sure the adjustments without trying it (less water, cook time, etc).
Wow wow wow thank you for this! just made a half batch and they’re seriously the best beans I’ve ever made!! I think the orange zest cooked off, couldn’t find it
Just made this recipe and it is sooooo easy and more importantly, sooooo delicious!!!! I didn’t have any cilantro on hand, made the recipe in the spur of the moment craving. Decided to put my homemade canned giardiniera (hot peppers, carrots, green olives) in it when serving to replace the lemon/lime juice and to add spice for me but not for the kiddo. YUM! Thank you so much for sharing this. I thought I’d have to wait till tomorrow to make my black beans because I hadn’t soaked them. I’ll get the cilantro tomorrow and have it again! Thank YOU!
I’m excited you loved them and that it worked with your creative touches! Thanks for sharing, Kristie.