This restaurant-quality Cuban Black Beans recipe has creamy, authentic flavor. With just 5 ingredients, these beans are an easy make-ahead side dish that will feed a crowd.
I'm a big fan of Hispanic cuisine with all its nuanced, savory flavors! I just can't get enough of dishes like Arroz Con Pollo (Chicken With Rice) and Ground Beef Tacos—especially when served with delicious toppings and a side of cilantro lime rice and beans.
Jump to:
- What are Cuban-style black beans
- Why you'll love this recipe
- Ingredients
- How to make this Cuban black beans recipe
- How to build flavor
- 3 black bean cooking methods
- Tips for using canned black beans
- Equipment
- Make-ahead and storage information
- What to serve with Cuban-style black beans
- FAQ
- More side dish recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
What are Cuban-style black beans
Before jumping into the recipe, you might be wondering what makes Cuban-style black beans different from other styles. It really comes down to the use of a sofrito mixture of onions, garlic, and peppers, as well as, oregano, bay leaf, and a little olive oil.
You'll notice that Cuban-style black beans (also called frijoles negros) aren't spicy, just flavorful! Many Cuban dishes use bell peppers, and every Cuban household will make their beans differently depending on their taste. I wanted to add a little heat and used jalapeño peppers in this recipe, for my own twist.
Why you'll love this recipe
Don't get me wrong, I love going out to eat, but there's something so cozy and comforting about making restaurant-quality, traditional dishes right from your own kitchen!
When you need the perfect side dish to go with all your favorite Latin and Mexican meals, you can't go wrong with a homemade batch of black beans!
Here's what makes this recipe my go-to for black beans:
- Flavorful: For super flavorful beans, I seasoned the dish with sofrito, and traditional oregano and a few extra seasonings of chili powder, cumin, and coriander. Plus, they're soft, creamy, and saucy with a hint of heat from added jalapeño.
- Versatile side dish: Keep it simple and enjoy these beans served over white rice with a squeeze of lime. They also make a great side dish for Latin favorites like, tacos, burritos, and nachos.
- Feeds a crowd: These beans are super filling and the recipe makes a lot! You can turn leftovers into soup, or freeze them for later.
- Easy shortcut recipe: Traditional slow-cooked dry black beans take some time to make on the stovetop. I'll be sharing two shortcut methods for speeding up the recipe using an instant pot pressure cooker or canned black beans.
I'm obsessed with these black beans! They are so good!
- Jess
Ingredients
Soft, creamy Cuban-style black beans are just like the beans from your favorite restaurant. Easily make them with a few ingredients you probably have around the kitchen. See recipe card for quantities.
For cooking the black beans
- Dried black beans: It's best to pick through the dried beans to remove bad beans and stones.
- Small jalapeño: Quarter and remove the seeds before use. Can be replaced with a green bell pepper.
- Small yellow onion: Peel and quarter before use.
- Whole garlic cloves
- Bay leaf
- Water
For assembling the black beans
- Olive oil
- Sofrito mixture: Finely dice a small yellow onion and a small jalapeño. You'll also mince 2 garlic cloves.
- Kosher salt
- Spices: For extra flavorful beans, you'll need dried oregano, chili powder, ground coriander, and ground cumin.
- Chicken broth: I like to use low-sodium chicken broth, but you can also use regular chicken broth, or vegetable broth.
Tip: Jalapeño peppers are notorious for adding that extra zing to dishes. They are hot, but fairly moderate in relation to other peppers. This makes them perfect for adding spice and a little heat to contrast with the creamy black beans.
How to make this Cuban black beans recipe
Whether or not you've made a traditional black bean recipe from scratch before, rest assured that this recipe is very easy! Use this step-by-step photo tutorial to get familiar with the recipe. See recipe card for more comprehensive instructions.
Cook dry black beans
- Step 1: Pick through dried beans and remove bad beans and stones.
- Step 2: For stovetop method only, soak beans for 4 hours or overnight.(Soaking is not required for the Instant Pot method, skip to step 3.)
- Step 3: For the stovetop method, rinse the soaked beans under cold running water. For the Instant Pot method, similarly rinse the dried beans (they'll be quite dusty).
- Step 4: Place beans in large pot or Instant Pot with the water, onions, garlic, bay leaf, and jalapeños. Cook until tender according to recipe card directions for cooking method.
Hint: Drain cooked beans and remove any large aromatic pieces you see (garlic, onion, jalapeño, bay leaf). Use immediately or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Finish black beans
- Step 1: Make the sofrito by sautéing chopped aromatics, then stir in spices. Add the broth and drained, cooked beans. If using canned beans, reduce or omit the salt, and add half a cup canned bean liquid.
- Step 2: Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally until flavors blend, approximately 10 to 12 minutes for homecooked beans and 5 minutes for canned beans. Enjoy!
Hint: The beans will become thicker and creamier after a day in the fridge.
How to build flavor
Flavor is added to these beans in two places: once while cooking the beans, and again when finishing the beans.
In the beginning, aromatic vegetables like jalapeño, onion, garlic, and a bay leaf are cooked along with the beans. They become broken down and inedible when they're done and have imparted all their goodness. You'll want to remove any remaining large pieces before finishing the beans.
In the end, sautéing more vegetables (called sofrito) and adding some spices to the beans will add another layer of flavor. This second layer of flavoring makes the most impact on the overall flavor of the beans.
For the most amazing beans, don't skimp on the flavoring in either addition.
3 black bean cooking methods
The cooking time for this recipe will vary depending on whether you use dried or canned black beans, and whether you make them with the Instant Pot or stovetop method. Here's what you should know about each method:
- Instant Pot: Cooking dried beans in an Instant pot saves about an hour to an hour and a half on cook time, plus no soaking required! Cook the dry, rinsed beans with water and aromatics in just 30 minutes, and then finish flavoring them on the stovetop. This is my preferred method!
- Stovetop, with dried beans: While a more intensive process, cooking beans on the stove is just as effective and just as delicious. The beans will need to be soaked for at least 4 hours and it will take roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours to cook them. Once the beans are tender, finish them on the stovetop as directed in the recipe card.
- Stovetop, with canned beans: This is the easiest and fastest method because the beans are already cooked. You'll skip right past the soaking and cooking steps, and jump right to the finishing steps with a few minor adjustments to the recipe. Check out my tips for using canned black beans below, to learn how to adjust the recipe.
Tips for using canned black beans
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you're using canned black beans instead of dry:
- Canned beans can be very high in sodium: You'll want to cut down or omit the salt while finishing the beans and then adjust the taste at the end, adding salt if needed. Using low-sodium canned beans would also be a great option.
- Canned bean liquid makes the beans creamy: Most recipes call for draining and rinsing canned beans, but you'll want to save some of the bean liquid for this recipe. When cooking dried beans at home, they release a starchy liquid that helps thicken the finished black beans. This starchy liquid is in the cans! Drain the canned beans, but save a ½ cup of canned liquid and add it to the recipe in addition to the 1 cup of broth. This thick, flavorful liquid will help thicken the beans and make them extra creamy.
- Canned beans are slightly firmer than homecooked: To make authentic, creamy black beans, the beans need to be slightly softer than they are straight from the can. This means you might need to add some additional simmering time to help the beans fully soften. You can test the softness by smashing a few beans with a fork. The fork should flatten the beans quickly and easily with hardly any resistance.
Equipment
Make-ahead and storage information
Cook the beans in advance: You can cook the dried black beans up to 3 days in advance of simmering them with the second layer of flavoring. Keep the beans in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to finish them.
Chill or Freeze: Finished Cuban-style black beans can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw and fully reheat before serving.
Reheat: You can reheat the finished beans over medium heat on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
What to serve with Cuban-style black beans
Authentic black beans are delicious in tacos or served on the side. Try one of the following recipes:
FAQ
You'll want the black beans a little soupy, but if they are too runny, simmer them for 10 to 15 more minutes uncovered to evaporate some of the chicken broth.
The bean mixture will also thicken once cooled and chilled. When reheated the stewy beans will be thicker.
If you are using the stovetop method to cook the black beans it's essential to soak the beans for at least 4 hours (overnight is even better).
However, if you are using the Instant Pot method, you can skip the soaking step completely and start cooking the beans.
This all depends on what cooking method you decide to use to cook them.
Cooking the beans on the stovetop will require at 4-hour minimum soaking time, plus 90 minutes to 2 hours of cooking time (older beans will need more time). Altogether, you need to give yourself at least 6 hours to prepare the beans before attempting to finish them in the Cuban style.
If you cook the beans in a pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot, you'll need approximately an hour to cook and finish the beans. The beans will cook in just 30 minutes and will require approximately 30 more minutes to finish the final flavoring steps.
More side dish recipes
Looking for more flavorful side dishes? Try these:
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📖 Recipe
Authentic Cuban Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)
Ingredients
To cook dried black beans
- 1 pound dried black beans (picked and rinsed, see Note for how to use canned beans)
- 1 small jalapeño (quartered and seeded, optional)
- 1 small yellow onion (peeled and quartered)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 7 cups water
To finish Cuban-style black beans
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (finely diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 small jalapeño (seeded and finely diced)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
Instructions
Cook black beans: Instant Pot method
- Pick through dry beans for any pebbles and rinse under cold running water.
- Place in an Instant Pot. For spicier black beans add the jalapeño, for less spicy leave it out. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and water.
- Seal and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the Instant Pot do a natural release.
- Drain beans and remove any large aromatic vegetable pieces you see. Finish the beans immediately or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Cook black beans: Stovetop method -- NEEDS OVERNIGHT SOAK
- Pick through dry beans for pebbles and place the beans in a large pot and cover with 1 to 2 inches water. Soak overnight (minimum of 4 hours), drain under cold running water, and rinse.
- In a large pot cover beans with 2 inches of water. Add the onion, jalapeño if desired, garlic and bay leaf.
- Bring mixture to a simmer, then cover. Allow beans to simmer, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. If needed, reduce the temperature to prevent the beans from scorching.
- Drain beans and remove any large aromatic vegetable pieces you see. Finish the beans immediately or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Finish black beans
- In a pot or high-sided skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeño and reduce heat to medium. Sauté until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- If using homecooked beans (either Instant Pot or stovetop): Stir in the salt, oregano, chili powder, cumin and coriander and cook 30 seconds. Add drained cooked beans and broth, then bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering and stirring until flavors meld, about 10 to 12 minutes. If using canned beans: Reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon or omit it completely, and stir in the oregano, chili powder, cumin and coriander. Cook for 30 seconds. Add drained canned beans, ½ cup canned bean liquid and broth, then bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering and stirring until flavors meld and the beans are tender enough to smash easily with a fork, about 5 minutes (longer if needed to reach desired softness). Taste and season with additional salt if needed.
- Serve beans immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Mia says
So easy and absolutely yummy! Thanks for this one!
Lindsy says
These are the perfect side dish to any Mexican dish! We love these with her carnitas from her Delicious Gatherings Cookbook! So dang good!
Tara Teaspoon says
Thank you! Delighted to hear you are enjoying my latest book and finding ways to combine with recipes on my site. I can't thank you enough for your continued support. Tara
Guy Silbaugh says
This recipe is not a traditional Cuban black bean recipe! Cuban black beans do not contain jalapeños nor coriander. I have been making Cuban black beans for over 40 years and was taught by 2 great authentic Cubans. This is more a Mexican style recipe.
Tara Teaspoon says
Hi Guy, thanks for letting us know about your version. How cool to have a recipe from Cubans you know. I mention several times in the post that these beans are great with Mexican meals, and use the term "Cuban-style" to note that there may be other versions. Cuban black beans, as you know, utilize a sofrito mixture and I simply used my taste preference to add a jalapeno and coriander to this mix. I kept the authentic flavors of oregano and garlic in the mix.