If you're wondering how to cook canned black beans, this is our go-to recipe to take a can of beans and turn them into a delicious side dish with lots of flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This canned black bean recipe is much easier and quicker to make compared to cooking dry beans.
- This recipe takes canned beans and adds a few simple ingredients like fresh vegetables and spices to add extra flavor. They are a great way to get in extra protein and fiber!
- This easy recipe follows a simple cooking process and doesn't require any special equipment like a pressure cooker or instant pot.
- It is a great recipe to use as a side dish for meal prep—you can easily make a big batch to use on busy weeknights.
- This is one of our favorite black bean recipes and is the perfect easy side dish for recipes such as oven baked shrimp skewers, chuck roast slow cooker tacos, and lazy enchiladas. We also love serving it with our cilantro lime rice.
Ingredient Notes
- Onion - white onion can be swapped for yellow or red onion.
- Bell pepper - red, yellow, orange, or green bell pepper all work.
- Black beans - you will need two cans of black beans for this delicious side dish.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- You can use another type of bean for this recipe such as pinto beans.
- You can easily turn this recipe into refried beans by blending the homemade beans after completing the recipe. Refried black beans would be delicious in our chicken fajitas wraps.
- Make spicy black beans by adding some hot sauce, red pepper flakes, chili powder, or cayenne powder to the pot of beans.
- Easily double the recipe to have beans on hand for a quick side dish throughout the week.
- These beans are the perfect addition to some of our favorite recipes! We love serving these with our fish taco bowls, steak and rice bowls, and our breakfast burrito bowl.
How to Cook Canned Black Beans
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Begin by dicing the white onion and bell pepper.
Add the olive oil to a pot and heat on the stove over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to turn translucent.
Step 2: Add the bell pepper and garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
Step 3: Next, add the oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, black beans, and chicken broth to the pot. Stir until well combined.
Step 4: Bring the contents of the pot to a low simmer and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans and broth begin to thicken. If you want the beans to be thicker, simmer for more time. If you want them to be runnier, simmer for less time or add ½-1 cup additional chicken broth.
Easy Black Beans FAQs
We recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eating them within 3-4 days.
This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. Make it vegan or vegetarian by using vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.
Other Tasty Side Dishes
If you make this easy black beans recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
How to Cook Canned Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- ½ small white onion, finely diced
- 1 bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2, 16-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- Freshly minced cilantro, optional
Instructions
- Begin by dicing the white onion and bell pepper.
- Add the olive oil to a pot and heat on the stove over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to turn translucent.
- Add the bell pepper and garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
- Next, add the oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, black beans, and chicken broth to the pot. Stir until well combined.
- Bring the contents of the pot to a low simmer and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans and broth begin to thicken. If you want the beans to be thicker, simmer for more time. If you want them to be runnier, simmer for less time or add ½-1 cup additional chicken broth.
- Add minced cilantro if desired.
Notes
- Save time: Purchase pre-minced garlic.
- Prep ahead: Dice the onion and bell pepper ahead of time. Measure out the spices ahead of time.
- This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. Make it vegan or vegetarian by using vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.
- The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB ." The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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