How to Cook Black Beans (and freeze them!)

This basic, fool-proof recipe shows you how to cook black beans from scratch and freeze them! Not only do they taste way better than canned, but they are more affordable, too.

Cooking beans from scratch is a great way to infuse them with extra flavor, and to save some money. We love making Instant Pot chickpeas as well as Instant pot black beans...and today I'm showing you how to cook black beans on the stove top!

This is a great recipe that will replace canned beans and work in numerous recipes, but I also have some suggestions if you'd like to give them extra flavor.

Don't forget to pin this recipe to save it for later!

 

Recipe yield

This recipe calls for 1 lb of dried black beans (2 ¼ cups), which works out to 6 cups of cooked black beans, the equivalent of roughly three 15 oz cans.

• measure out 1 lb of black beans on a kitchen scale, or use measuring cups to measure 2 ¼ cups
• you can cut the recipe in half, using the same cook time
• you can double the recipe (and freeze extras!), using the same cook time

Prepping the beans

Pick through the beans

Before you start cooking the beans, it's important to pick through the black beans, as sometimes small stones can sneak into the bag. Spread them out on a white plate or cutting board to make it easy to see them, and pick out any stones or moldy beans.

Rinse the beans

The next step is to rinse any dust or debris off the beans. You can do this by rinsing in a colander under the tap, or by covering in a pot with water, swirling the water, then carefully dumping it off.

Simmer uncovered

To cook, add the rinsed black beans, bay leaf and salt to a pot (at least 4 litres/4 quart). Cover with 4-5 inches of water, and cover. Bring the pot to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 1.5-2 hours.

If your water reduces to the point that the beans are no longer covered, add a bit more.

How to tell when they are done

Cook until the skins start to peel slightly, or just pop one in your mouth and determine if they are done to your liking. I don't like my beans firm as I find them kind of dry, so I aim for something a tiny bit more firm than canned.

Old versus new beans

One important thing to note is that older beans require a much longer cook time than new beans, so it's important to keep an eye on the pot. You can check the bag you purchased for an expiration date, which can help you guess if they are older or newer, but for the most part, it's a bit of a guessing game.

Always keep an eye on your pot of beans, and if they are not ready in 2 hours, it could be that your beans are older. Keep simmering, adding more liquid to cover them as needed.

Using a pressure cooker

If you want to speed things up, you can cook your black beans in an Instant Pot! This speeds the process, and means you don't need to keep an eye on the pot to check for over-reducing.

On the other hand, you can't taste your beans while they cook to see if they are done sooner than anticipated. Remember that old beans may require a longer cook time, but if you need to add more time onto the Instant Pot, it will come back to pressure quickly.

Check out my Instant Pot black beans recipe.

Adding more flavor

I kept the seasonings on these black beans very simple, because we use them in place of canned black beans in salads, soups and more. If you'd like these to be a standalone recipe, you can jazz things up with some added spices and aromatics:

• one onion, cut into quarters*
• 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of your knife*
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• the juice of 1 lime (after cooking)

*remove before serving or storing

Freezing black beans

After cooking, beans can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, but unless you are eating a lot of black beans, you will likely want to freeze them.

1. Cool + portion- cool the beans completely, then portion out into mason jars, meal prep containers or sturdy plastic freezer bags. I am using Weck jars above, which *just* fits a 15 oz portion.
2. Cover- cover the beans with reserved cooking liquid from the pot. You want the beans to be covered in order to keep them from drying out.
3. Freeze- once beans are at room temperature, you can freeze them. Place jars with lids ajar into the freezer, and leave until they are frozen solid. Secure the lids once frozen. Lay freezer bags flat until frozen solid, at which point you can rearrange them.
4. Thaw- thaw overnight in the fridge. Immersing the jar or bag partially in water helps speed the thawing process. Drain and rinse the beans before using.

Using the beans in other recipes

Because this recipe is simple on the seasonings, the beans are perfect for using in other recipes:

• black bean hummus
• refreshing quinoa black bean salad
• refried black beans
• Grilled Veggie and Black Bean Meal Prep Bowls
• Fudgy Black Bean Brownies