We love this ridiculously simple black beans recipe made in one pot on the stove. Homemade black beans are ultra-flavorful, creamy, and taste much better than canned. Tips for cooking black beans in a pressure cooker (like an Instant Pot) are in the video and recipe.
How to Use Home Cooked Black Beans
Our recipe is for one pound of black beans (about 2 cups dried). One pound of dried beans makes 4 1/2 to 5 cups of cooked black beans. The beans will keep, stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days and in the freezer for a few months.
I love to spoon these creamy cooked black beans over rice and grains (see our Cilantro Lime Rice, Homemade Mexican Rice, or this tutorial for cooking quinoa). The slow simmer creates a thick creamy sauce, which thanks to the aromatics tastes amazing.
For some dishes, though, you might find that the sauce isn’t needed. Take our homemade Black Bean Burgers, for example. In that recipe, these flavorful beans would be perfect, but too much sauce would make the burgers mushy. So when following that recipe, I drain the beans first and rinse them before adding them to the burger mixture. You can always save the sauce for another recipe.
How and Why to Cook Black Beans From Scratch
We go through a lot of black beans around here. We add them to vegetarian tacos, grain salads, and use them to make our favorite Black Bean Soup, our quick and easy Black Bean Burgers (vegan recipe), as well as these homemade Veggie Burgers. We love the ease of canned beans (and still use them), but my absolute favorite black beans are cooked from dried. Here are a two reasons why:
- Just like with other dried bean recipes (like this dried chickpeas recipe), when you cook dried black beans from scratch, you have to opportunity to add flavor with spices, garlic, and other aromatics. This is why home-cooked beans taste so delicious!
- You are able to control how soft the beans are so if you want the beans to have some texture, which would be ideal for adding to soups or salsas (like this Black Bean and Corn Salsa), you can take them off of the heat before they get too soft. Alternatively, if you are turning the beans into a dip or spread, you can cook the beans a bit longer.
Cooking dried black beans from scratch is easy! Here’s our go-to three step process for doing it on the stove (my favorite method):
- Add beans to a pot with aromatics (like garlic, onion, bay leaves, and spices) and enough water to cover the beans by 3 to 4 inches.
- Slowly simmer the beans until tender, which takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Remove aromatics simmer a bit longer to make a creamy sauce, and then enjoy!
[OPTIONAL STEP] Before cooking the beans, soak them overnight. We do not find this is necessary, but some may find that an overnight soak helps with digestibility. To do it, add beans to a big bowl with enough that covers them by 3 to 4 inches, and then set aside to soak overnight. The beans will triple in size.
How to Cook Dried Beans – The Right Way – For Maximum Nutrition
FAQ
Do you have to soak fresh black beans?
Do fresh beans need to be soaked before cooking?
How do you cook black beans?
After you’ve rinsed the beans, follow Brad’s method: “Cover the beans with water (6 cups for each ½-pound of beans), herbs, garlic, sliced shallots, and a splash of white wine. Simmer ’til tender (anywhere between 10 and 45 minutes, depending on how old or large the beans are). Strain the beans and pick out all the aromatics.
What is the serving size of black beans?
You can consume as much black beans as you want. However, they can provide a lot of fiber, which can cause stomach upset and diarrhea. It is advisable to consume a portion the size of a normal plate.
How do you spice up black beans?
Right before the beans are ready, stir some garlic into the pot. Finally, season to taste. Taste the beans and season them with more salt and pepper. Then, have fun spicing them up however you like! They taste great with chili powder, Mexican oregano, lime juice and zest, and/or chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
How do you cook dried black beans from scratch?
Cooking dried black beans from scratch is easy! Here’s our go-to three step process for doing it on the stove (my favorite method): Add beans to a pot with aromatics (like garlic, onion, bay leaves, and spices) and enough water to cover the beans by 3 to 4 inches. Slowly simmer the beans until tender, which takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours.