How to Cook Black Beans (on the Stove)

How to cook black beans! Cooking them from dried products is so easy: they are cheaper and taste much better than canned ones.

Wondering how to cook black beans? You are in the right place! We are Alex and Sonja, plant-obsessed cookbook authors and recipe makers. Beans are part of our daily cuisine. Why? They’re cheap, good for you, easy to make, and add a healthy dose of plant-based protein to any meal. And if you’ve ever tried cooking dried beans, you know. Dried beans are way tastier than canned ones! They have a stronger flavor and a firmer texture. When we can, Alex and I try to remember to make a pot of beans for our weekly meals. Here is our method of cooking black beans.

Do you have canned beans? This Easy Black Beans shows you how to turn canned beans into a meal in 5 minutes!

How to Cook Black Beans (Basic Steps)

Although it sounds daunting, cooking black beans is very simple. If you have a pressure cooker, this is ideal for letting the pressure cooker do the work: it’s even faster! Go to Instant Pot Black Beans. Otherwise the method remains simple. Once you’ve done it, remember the method and start again!

• Soak your beans overnight. Soaking the beans will help them cook faster and more evenly. But you can also do without soaking, especially if your beans are fresh. You just have to cook a little longer.
• Add flavorings if desired! Add lots of flavor to your beans in no time at all by tossing in the potted adders like onion and garlic. See below for more ideas!
• Simmer in the water for about 1 hour. The timing is different each time depending on the age and brand of the beans. Read on to learn more about it…

The exact timing is variable, so taste test!

How long to cook black beans? Well, the cooking time is variable. That depends on the age and brand of the beans. Some brands of beans vary slightly. And a fresher bean will cook better than an older bean. Here are some pointers to help you know when you’re done:

• taste test. Start the taste test at 45 minutes. If the beans still have bite, continue cooking! Do this every 15 minutes or so. For this reason, prepare black beans on a weekend or evening when you’re not trying to put a meal on the table.
• Add water if necessary. The water level in the pan may begin to drop during cooking. That’s good! Just add a little more to cover the beans if they aren’t already soft.

What if I don’t have time to dive in?

Big question! You can actually cook these black beans without soaking them. So why soak at all?

• Soaking will help them cook more evenly. In our opinion, getting the most even pot of beans is definitely worth it.
• No time to soak? Cook them longer. You can still cook black beans using the following method. You have to cook them a little longer than expected (time varies). Or you can use our Instant Pot method, which requires no soaking.

Optional additions: Flavors!

Here comes the fun part: the flavors! If you have them on hand, it’s nice to add some spice to your bean pot by adding a few adders. This adds a subtle flavor to the beans but makes a huge difference in the overall flavor! Here are a few ideas:

• Onionpeeled and quartered – that can be any variety
• Garlicpeeled and crushed – we called for 4 cloves in the recipe, but add more if you like garlic
• kombu – these are dried seaweed often used in Japanese recipes: but that adds awesome Taste for vegetarian and vegan dishes! You can buy a packet and keep it in your freezer. It may seem strange if you’re not used to cooking with it, but we are Love the taste with the kombu.
• carrots Where celeryroughly chopped

How to store cooked black beans

What do you do when you finish cooking the black beans? You end up with 6 cups of beans, which equals 4 15-ounce cans. That’s a lot of beans! We like to do this:

• Store some of the beans in the refrigerator. These will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.
• Freeze anything you won’t be eating in the short term! Drain the cooking liquid and place the beans in airtight containers (we like to use mason jars). Then freeze for up to 8 months.

Point: It’s helpful to freeze your black beans in 1 ½ cup increments, which equals 1 15-ounce can.

Alternate Method: Instant Pot Black Beans!

If you have a pressure cooker, it’s perfect for cooking dried black beans! The good thing about this method is that you don’t have to soak at all. Add the beans and water and it’s ready in under an hour! It’s also nice not having to leave the stove on. Go to Instant Pot Black Beans.

Black bean recipes

Here comes the fun part: black bean recipes! Black beans are a weekly staple with us. Here are some recipes that we recommend you might want to start with:

This black bean recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.