BYThese Quick and Easy Black Beans, which start with a shortcut of canned beans, don’t require the long soaking or cooking time of dry beans and can be on the table in under 15 minutes. They’re perfect for a quick addition to any Latin-inspired meal- alone as a side dish, served over rice, or in fajitas or tacos. Try them on top of taco chicken, topped with slices of creamy avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Enjoy!
Ingredient Notes:
Onion – I like yellow onion, but white or even purple would be just fine.
Broth – You’ll use a little broth for the liquid in this recipe. I prefer the flavor component of chicken broth, but you could substitute beef broth, vegetable broth, or even just use water in a pinch.
How to make Quick and Easy Black Beans
- The first thing we’ll do is sauté some aromatics that will provide the flavor base for this recipe. Cook some onions and garlic in olive oil for just a few minutes, until they’re slightly translucent.
2. We’ll then add 2 cans of black beans that have been drained and rinsed. Any brand of black beans will work well here. At this point you’ll also add some broth for the beans to simmer in, along with some dry spices: cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, and pepper. They only simmer for a few minutes for all the flavors to come together and that’s it!
3. When the beans come off the heat, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. It adds a fresh brightness. The flavor here is rich and complex and it’s hard to believe they’ve come together in about 10 minutes! If you like your beans more deconstructed like I do, just take the back of a spoon and smash them up a little bit. The smashed beans thicken the entire pot and you can add more broth as needed to get to your desired consistency.
There you have it– Quick and Easy Black Beans that are on the table in a matter of minutes, the perfect addition to any Latin-insipred meal!
Serving Suggestions
Here are some of my favorite recipes that pair well with this recipe: Brazilian Style White Rice
Fajitas
Tortillas
Taco Chicken
Guacamole
Lime-cilantro rice
FAQs
- Can these beans be made ahead of time? Absolutely! Beans reheat beautifully on the stovetop or in the microwave. If you’re short on time, feel free to make them a day ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- How long do they keep in the fridge? Eat leftovers within 5-7 days.
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Quick and Easy Black Beans
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Six 1/3 cup servings
Description
Rich and flavorful black beans that come together in about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon oil, olive or avocado recommended
2/3 cup finely diced onion
2–3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
1 cup chicken broth (can sub beef/veg broth or even water), more if desired
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 lime
Instructions
In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Sauté onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and sauté abut 30 seconds more.
Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. If desired for thicken consistency, use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to smash some of the beans. They will continue to thicken more upon standing, feel free to add more liquid as desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/3 cup
- Calories: 70
- Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: beans, Brazil, Brazilian, Latin
Made these tonight. LOVED them!!!!! I got your cookbook for my birthday and have been in heaven trying all of your delicious recipes. Thanks!
This is probably a dumb question, but do you prefer red onion or yellow onion in this recipe?
Not a dumb question- I prefer whichever is on my counter at the moment, lol. Honestly, doesn’t matter! If I had to pick, then yellow.
Thanks! I made these last night (I used red onion b/c I didn’t have yellow.) with the cilantro rice and the grilled fish tacos. They were all amazing. I discovered your site last week and have cooked your recipes every day for the past week. Thanks so much!
I made these for dinner tonight with tostadas, They were amaizing! My husband and I loved them, and my 7 month old did too! I am also interested in the "long and sort of easy" recipe.
This is so delicious. My family loves it, including my 1 year old who is just getting used to real foods. It's a hit! Much better than just plain ol' black beans (which is what I used to make before I tried these). These have flavor 🙂
^^the saucepot is covered, of course
I was just telling someone the other day how much (many?) black beans i eat! My quick and easy way involves 1 can of black beans, a heaping scoop of Goya Recaito (this onion, cilantro-y paste), some hot sauce, a half a cup of dry rice, a half a cup of water: combine all in a sauce pot, 8-10 min on med-high, and 8-10 min on med-low…voila! my absolute favorite dinner.
(my bf has gotten sick of it, but the more i have it the more i crave it!)
I'm interested in in the "long and sort of easy" recipe, just because I have a bucket of black beans in my food storage I need to use…
These are so yummy! The lime makes all the difference. I almost ate the whole batch myself the first time I made these.
I made these tonight and they were yummy! Thank you!
These were so good! I grew up eating beans (Colombian family) and these are right up there with the all-day-pressure-cooker beans my mom and grandmas make. My boys loved them, too! And of course, Marcelo served in Brazil, so he was in heaven.