Making Mexican-style black beans from scratch is surprisingly easy! This classic Mexican side dish is vegetarian and uses just a few ingredients.
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This Mexican black beans recipe is so easy! No soaking required. No stock needed. Very little effort. Give them a stir from time to time. You got this.
Somehow, simmering the beans in water creates a creamy, smooth broth with mind-blowing flavor. Just let those beans do their thing. It's simple, it's vegetarian, and it makes a great side dish!
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Ingredients
- Dried black beans: Choose a high-quality brand. Cheap beans don't make delicious broth. Goya and La Preferida are good choices and widely available. If you want to go with an heirloom variety, that works, too!
- Yellow or white onion: White onion is more traditional for Mexican recipes, but I prefer the mellower sweetness of a yellow onion. Pick the one you like best.
- Epazote: Epazote is an aromatic herb commonly used in central and southern Mexican cooking. It has a light, mint/tea/tarragon sort of flavor and aroma. You can get it at Mexican grocery stores. If you can't find it or simply don't like it, leave it out, these beans will still taste really good!
- Vegetable oil: To sauté the onion. I used olive oil, but canola oil would do just fine.
- Water: No stock necessary! Let those beans taste bean-y!
- Salt
- Cilantro: Optional garnish
- Cotija cheese or queso fresco: Optional topping
How to make them
Adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
Pick over the beans to check for any stones, or beans that look bad. Then rinse thoroughly.
Add the vegetable oil to a deep pot over medium heat. I love my Lodge enameled cast iron Dutch oven for recipes like this.
Add the onion and cook until golden, stirring often, about 10-15 minutes.
Add beans and water to the pot and remove any beans that float.
Add epazote if using, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 2 hours.
Stir the beans from time to time, and make sure that the water is about ½ inch above the beans at all times. Add more if it sinks below this level.
You want the beans to be cooked all the way through and creamy. If they aren't ready after 2 hours, simmer a little longer, adding a bit more water if necessary.
Once beans are cooked all the way through, add the salt and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve topped with crumbled cotija cheese on top, garnish with fresh cilantro.
Tips and variations
- The instructions are correct: you don't salt the beans until they are finished cooking! I could not believe this when I first tried the recipe, but it's true. Wait until they are done, then add the salt and simmer a little longer. I don't know how this works, but it does.
- You can add other herbs and spices to suit your taste. If you like a little cumin, add it! If you want them spicy, cook up some chopped jalapeño or serrano peppers with the onion.
- This recipe can be made with pinto beans and other types of Mexican beans. Cooking time may need to be adjusted.
- If you would like, you can substitute lard or bacon drippings when sautéing the onion.
FAQ
No, you can cook the beans without soaking them. Cook them low and slow for about 2 hours, and they turn out perfectly.
The trick to cooking these beans so they turn out creamy inside and not chalky is to use a little fat when cooking, (in this case, the olive oil used to sauté the onion) and to keep them covered with water by about ½ an inch at all times.
You can freeze these black beans for 2 - 3 months in an airtight container or ziptop freezer bags. So make a big batch to have at the ready when you need them for a side dish or for use in other recipes.
What to serve alongside
Black beans make a perfect side dish for so many Mexican recipes!
- Baked Eggs in Avocados with Chorizo and Queso Fresco or Chilaquiles Verdes with Fried Eggs and Chorizo make for a great Mexican brunch!
- Almond Orange Mole with Grilled Halibut is light but full of flavor from the quick mole sauce.
- Tomatillo Salsa Verde is so easy to make at home!
- Mango Avocado Salsa is a giant flavor bomb!
Related Recipes
These recipes use canned black beans, or make black beans from scratch and put some aside so you can use them here!
- Spicy Black Beans with Cheddar, Garlic, and Chipotle is a cross between dinner and dip and ready in 15 minutes, so how can you say no?
- One Pot Chicken Thighs with Rice and Black Beans is a crowd-pleasing one-pan meal!
Recipe
Mexican Black Beans (Frijoles de la Olla)
Ingredients
- 1 lb black beans picked over for stones
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion small in size, diced
- 1 sprig epazote optional
- 2 quarts water
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- cotija cheese or queso fresco optional, to sprinkle on top
- fresh cilantro optional, garnish
- salt to taste, once beans have finished cooking
Instructions
- Pick over the beans to check for any stones, or beans that look bad. Then rinse thoroughly.
- Add the vegetable oil to a deep pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden, stirring often, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add beans and water to the pot with the onion. Remove any beans that float. Add epazote if using, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 2 hours.
- Stir the beans from time to time, and make sure that the water is about ½ inch above the beans at all times. Add more if it sinks below this level. You want the beans to be cooked all the way through and creamy. If they aren’t ready after 2 hours, simmer a little longer, adding a bit more water if necessary.
- Once beans are cooked all the way through, add the salt and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Serve topped with crumbled cotija cheese on top, garnish with fresh cilantro.
Notes
- The instructions are correct: you don’t salt the beans until they are finished cooking! I could not believe this when I first tried the recipe, but it’s true. I should know better than to doubt Rick Bayless. Wait until they are done, then add the salt and simmer a little longer. I don’t know how this works, but it does.
- My Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven is a go-to for this recipe, because it cooks the beans evenly.
- This recipe is adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen. He is one of my favorite chefs. I have many of his cookbooks and I love his Chicago restaurants.
Natalie
Can I use a crock pot?
Debra
Hi Natalie,
This recipe doesn't work with a slow cooker, because you have to stir occasionally, and monitor the water level in the pot, adding more if necessary. If you keep taking a lid off of a slow cooker, it lets too much heat out and takes a long time to come back up to the proper temperature.
These beans don't really take that long, and don't need a lot of attention, so I hope you'll find that cooking them on the stovetop is pretty easy and stress free.
Thanks for reading and let me know if you try these!
Debra
Carlos J
I lost my mom's Mexican black bean recipe in a house fire in 2015. This recipe is delicious, and came out almost exactly like hers used to.
My modifications
Sauteed in bacon fat
Used more onion
Added 3 cloves garlic to the onion
Added diced tomato, diced white onion, and chopped cilantro to beans when cooked, and let them simmer for about 15 minutes before serving.
Debra
Hi Carlos,
I'm so glad you liked this recipe, and that it brought back memories of your mom. Your adaptations sound delicious! I do love to add some bacon fat to so many things I cook - I think I'll try that myself next time!
Thanks for reading,
Debra
Terrance McDaniel
What would you recommend I do if I decide to do dry beans instead of canned beans?
Debra
Hi Terrance,
This recipe does call for dried beans, cooking them down slowly is where all that delicious flavor and broth comes from.