Creamy and flavorful, Cuban-style black beans are easy to make on the stove or in the Instant Pot. Serve them in burritos, atop nachos or tacos, and more!
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Soft, creamy Cuban black beans, just like the beans at your favorite restaurant, are easy to make with a few ingredients you probably have around the kitchen.
Flavorful black beans are perfect simply served over white rice with a squeeze of lime. They are also a great side dish for any Mexican meal. I serve them with tacos, in burritos, and over my nachos for a crowd.
They're saucy with a hint of heat from the jalapeño, and super flavorful. The seasonings make these authentic black beans extra special.
I made this recipe with dry black beans, but I've also given instructions on how to save a step and make them with canned beans.
Recipe Ingredients
To make these Cuban black beans from scratch, you'll first cook the dry black beans with aromatics like onion, garlic, and jalapeño.
Then, it's time to assembled the finished beans. Additional onion, garlic, and jalapeño are added to amp up the flavor.
I also add a variety of spices to the pot, including dried oregano, ground cumin and coriander, and chili powder. Cuban-style black beans aren't spicy, just flavorful!
Tip: Jalapeño peppers are notorious for adding that extra Mexican 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 Cuban Black Beans
Whether or not you've made black beans from scratch before, rest assured that this recipe is very easy! It just takes time to cook the beans until creamy.
Here's a look at how the Cuban-style black beans are made:
- Cook the dry black beans: Soak the beans overnight, then drain and rinse.
- In a large pot, cover the beans with 2 inches of water. Add the onion, jalapeño, garlic, and bay leaf.
- Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender.
- Assemble the Cuban black beans: In a pot, heat a little olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño and reduce heat to medium. Saute until onion is soft and translucent.
- Stir in the salt, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and coriander.
- Add the drained cooked beans and broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
How Long to Cook Dried Black Beans?
The black beans cooking time will vary depending on whether you make them in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. I've given instructions for both methods in the recipe card below.
- Instant Pot: Cooking dried beans in an Instant pot saves about an hour to an hour and a half on cook time, plus no stirring required! Throw in the dry beans, add water and the flavorings, and your beans will be ready in 25 minutes.
- Stovetop: While a more intensive process, cooking beans on the stove is just as effective. It's important to keep watching the temperature of the beans. The cook time should be roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Can I Use Canned Beans Instead?
Even though dried beans are a cinch to make in the instant pot, you may want to make these with canned black beans in a rush. You skip the soaking step and are that much closer to enjoying your creamy 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 on the salt called for in the recipe and adjust the seasoning to taste at the end. You can also purchase canned beans with a lower sodium content.
- Canned bean liquid is just fine to eat! Most recipes call for draining and rinsing canned beans. For this recipe you can drain the beans, but save ½ cup of the can liquid to add to the recipe with the broth. This thick, flavorful liquid helps make the final dish creamy and tasty.
- Canned beans are cooked just perfectly: And for these authentic, creamy black beans, you'll want your beans just a bit softer. This simply means that the simmering time is crucial. Softening the beans just right helps this dish taste great whether you're taking a shortcut or not.
Tips for Making Cuban-Style Back Beans
- Clean the dry beans: Before cooking the beans, you need to pick out any small stones or other debris. You must also wash the beans under running tap water (they'll be quite dusty!).
- Season to taste: Dry black beans don't contain any salt. As such, you'll need to season them to taste.
- Make ahead: Prepare this homemade Cuban black beans recipe up to a week before you plan on reheating and serving them.
What to Serve with Cuban Black Beans
Authentic black beans are delicious in tacos or served on the side. Try one of the following recipes:
Let me know how it went!
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Authentic Creamy Black Beans
Ingredients
Cook the black beans
- 1 pound dry black beans picked and rinsed
- 1 small jalapeño (optional) quartered and seeded
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 7 cups water
Assemble Authentic Black Beans
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small jalapeño 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 or vegetable broth
Instructions
For the black beans
- Pick through dry beans for any pebbles and rinse beans. 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 jalapeño pieces you see. Use or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Assemble Authentic 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. Saute until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the salt, oregano, chili powder, cumin and coriander and cook 30 seconds. Add drained cooked beans and broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Serve beans immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
To cook on the stove:
Pick through dry beans for pebbles and rinse. Soak overnight, drain and rinse. In a large pot cover beans with 2 inches of water. Add the onion, jalapeño if desired, garlic and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. Drain, remove jalapeño pieces and use as desired.Shortcut with canned beans:
Drain 3 cans of black beans, reserving ½ cup canned bean water. When ready to add beans to the cooked onion mixture, add the beans and bean water with the broth. Reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon, then taste and add more salt as desired. Let simmer for about 5 minutes to soften before serving.Nutrition
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About Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.
A'Lissa Olson says
Absolutely delicious! Super flavorful and so easy in the pressure cooker (I had one before instapots became hip). I think I’ll cook them a little bit longer next time, living at a higher altitude, but so nice not to have to plan a day ahead for beans with your dinner. I’m hooked. Thanks Tara!
Julie says
Another great recipe with tons of tips from Tara. I love black beans and I haven't found a good recipe that has lots of flavor and don't take 2 days to make (soaking, cooking, etc.). If I'm short on time I can use canned beans and not feel bad about it! Thanks!
Tara says
Thanks so much! And yes, I'm all about the options, both semi-homemade and from scratch!
Megan Palmer says
I love all the tips this post gives. I will definitely start cooking my black beans in an instant pot!
Brit says
A perfect simple side to add to your flavorful and eccentric Mexican entrees. The tips about using canned beans are super helpful and accurate!
Jacqui DeBono says
I really like the texture of black beans. It is a perfect accompaniment to other Mexican dishes. We always have dried black beans in, so I will definitely make this.
Kate says
These beans look so tasty! I appreciate the directions on how to make them with dried and canned beans. I usually have both on hand and I never know which I'll have time or energy for (it depends on the day!).
Jess says
I'm obsessed with these black beans! They are so good!
Tara says
Oh thanks! They are a favorite of mine too!
Amy Liu Dong says
This is definitely a good and tasty black beans to make. I'll have to try this at home and wish it will turn good as yours.
Amanda says
I love black beans but I'm always intimidated by dry beans and opt for the canned ones! This recipe is so easy to follow. Thanks for sharing!
Amy says
I thought for a really long time that I didn't like black beans ... than I actually tried them again and realized how delicious they are! I've been looking for yummy recipes to eat them since then. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this -- I can't wait to try it!!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
This Creamy authentic black beans looks SO deliciously good. I wish I could eat that right now!
Uma Srinivas says
I love Instant Pot so that I can cook my beans. These creamy black beans look simple and delicious.
LaKita says
This recipe for black beans looks so creamy and delicious! Love making beans in the instant pot, this recipe is sure to be my new favorite.
Natalie says
I love spices you used here in this recipe. Sounds full of flavor and so delicious. I will definitely give this a try. I always have cooked black beans in my fridge for salads. This is a chance to try something new. Thanks!
Natalie says
I love making beans for tacos, so I'm going to pair this recipe with your Fish Tacos! I'll also make sure to try it with my favorite Mexican rice. Yummy!
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.