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Basic Black Beans

Name: Basic Black Beans
Prep time: 20
Cook time: 55

(26 votes, average: 4.12 out of 5)

20 min prep

4 servings

Carrot Icon for Number of Ingredients Size

6 ingredients

Canned beans may be convenient, but these dried beans taste so much better. Black beans are so easy to make from scratch, as long as you think ahead and soak your beans for a...

1 cup dried black beans
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 onion, halved
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

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Nutrition Facts

Calories

182 cals

Fat

2 g

Saturated Fat

0 g

Polyunsaturated Fat

1 g

Monounsaturated Fat

1 g

Carbohydrates

32 g

Sugar

2 g

Fiber

8 g

Protein

11 g

Sodium

248 mg

Directions

Rinse the beans under the tap. Put them into a bowl large enough to hold them and 4 cups of water. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap and leave to soak overnight. They should double in size.
Drain the soaked beans, rinse, and put them into a heavy pot with onion and bay leaf. Add enough water just to cover the beans, and drizzle olive oil.
Bring the beans to a boil. Remove any scum that forms. Boil for 10 minutes, cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer until the beans are tender but not falling apart, 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the age of the beans.
Remove the onion and bay leaf. Add the sea salt. Use the beans or store them in the fridge or freezer.

Chef Tips

Salt your beans at the end of cooking only. They will stay hard if you add salt at the beginning.

If you forget to soak your beans, here’s a quick method to speed up the soaking: Rinse the beans, and add to a pan with four cups of water. Boil over high heat, immediately cover, turn off heat, and leave to rest for an hour. Start at Step 2 in the above recipe.

Registered Dietitian Approved

All our recipes are created by chefs and reviewed by our oncology-trained staff Registered Dietitian, Kate Ueland, MS, RD, to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and meets the standards set by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.