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An easy recipe for making the best slow cooker black beans youll ever taste!
Ive been told I make the best slow cooker black beans ever, but I cant take all the credit. When we were still dating, my husband taught me how his family made Brazilian-style black beans when he was growing up. His aunt showed me how to make black beans in the slow cooker. Before that, I thought beans had to cook them in a pressure cooker to get them soft like the canned beans we bought. (I still remember trying to chew on the crunchy beans wed try to cook at my house when I was growing up! Ha!)
Over the past 16+ years, Ive perfected it. (High five!) Its not too difficult, but because I make slow cooker black beans about once a week or so, it was important for me to get it right and I had ample opportunity for practice. We eat them throughout the week either as a side on top of rice, in soup, or one of my favorite ways, mixed with quinoa and salsa for breakfast.
There are a few secrets to making awesome slow cooker black beans, and it applies to other types of beans and legumes too.
Lets get started!
The difference between the beans I make and other recipes is that I rely heavily on aromatics to flavor the beans as they cook. It truly does make all the difference.
The aromatics I use:
In the comments below, you can read what other readers have added to make the recipe their own. Totally add cumin, oregano, paprika, chili powder, or other chopped veggies like celery, chilies or bell peppers. I prefer to make a large plain batch of beans and add those other spices and ingredients when Im making a recipe with the cooked beans. I think of them and use them the same way I do canned beans. But by all means, spice it up!
One of the best things we do is add a ham bone to the pot. (Yes, theres salt in that, but it hasnt made too much of a difference like adding plain salt has.) It becomes the base of Brazilian feijoada (black bean and meat stew) to which we add other meats and sausages.
I get this question often. The reason the salt is added at the end is because it can inhibit the beans from softening. Will the beans turn out okay if you didnt wait until the end? Probably. Hopefully! Other things can also prevent the beans from softening as they cook too. (See further below for the answer to that question!)
Yes! Its VERY important to sort the dried beans and give them a good rinse before before cooking them.
Before you rinse the beans, sort out any small stones, broken, wrinkled, or otherwise misshaped beans.
I will place the dry beans into a large bowl or on a large plate and go through them. I find that black beans are more notorious for stones than other varieties of beans; probably because they are smaller. Dried beans arent usually washed before they are packaged up. Ive bought dried beans from a local farmers market that were covered in dust from the field, tons of small rocks, and even bits of grass, weeds, or grain. I dont like eating dirtI dont know about you!
To rinse the beans, you can do one of two things: 1) place them in a large colander (with small holes) or a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under running water, or 2) my preferred way, place the sorted beans in a large bowl of cool water. Agitate the beans with your hands to loosen any dirt, drain through a sieve or colander; repeat until the dirt is gone. The black beans will color the water, so it wont ever run clear. But you should be able to see that there is no longer dirt at the bottom of the bowl.
Ah, the most frequently asked question! I used to think you HAD to soak beans before cooking until I didnt one time and they cooked in the same amount of time as when I soaked them. This got me to thinking that it probably wasnt an issue when using a slow cooker. Im not sure how much it cuts down on cooking time on the stovetop.
Soaking is thought to help remove anti-nutrients or the extra starches that can cause gas and bloating commonly associated with beans. Personally, I dont believe soaking them makes them all that more digestible, nor do I believe the part of anti-nutrients. Eating beans often will help your body become accustomed to the fiber and starches in the beans and youll probably end up with less gas and bloating.
This advice (remember Im not an expert per se), does not pertain to kidney beans. They should be boiled first in water, drained and rinsed, then placed in the slow cooker with fresh water. Ive never been sick from eating beans that werent soaked or boiled, but some may have more sensitivities than I do.
My advice: Do what you think is best for YOU and your family. The slow cooker I use is a high end one and I know that it heats properly and cooks at a high enough temperature. I also use HIGH rather than LOW most often. Like I said, we have never been sick from a pot of beans not even once. Ive cooked hundreds of batches of slow cooker beans with no problem at all.
Read this article from eunic-brussels.eu for more info.
That being said, please read the comments below and inform yourself based on the experiences of others.
Everything goes into the slow cooker, except the salt, and is covered with water.
My slow cooker is very large (affiliate link), so I can make 2 pounds or more at a time. I use around 6 cups of water for each pound of beans. That is more than enough water. It may seem like too much water, but if too little water is added, the beans might absorb what water there is and burn. (This may or may not have happened to me a few times.)
You can always drain them later. We like to ladle a bit of the cooking liquid with the beans onto rice its very flavorful. If I make black bean soup, I will also reserve some of the cooking liquid to flavor the broth.
About 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the lid of the slow cooker and remove a few beans with a spoon and blow on them. If the skins peel back, the beans are done. They may still be a little firm. Taste one to be sure. If its still a little crunchy, the beans need more time. Another hour on HIGH, or a few hours on LOW.
I use 1 TABLESPOON per 1 POUND of dry beans. That sounds like a lot of salt, I know! But that salt will absorb into the beans and be just the right amount. Now, if you are on a salt restricted diet, of course you can omit the salt completely or use less. Weve found we like the 1 Tablespoon per pound and that the beans are well-seasoned and ready to eat or use in a recipe.
After stirring in the salt, replace the lid and let them continue cooking for the additional 30 minutes, or longer. If the beans cooked more quickly, I will remove the insert, add the salt and put the lid back and let the beans absorb the salt off the heat.
The beauty of making a big batch of slow cooker beans is that you can use some now and save some for later.
After cooking the beans and seasoning them, I let them cool completely before transferring to containers or resealable freezer bags for storage.
The beans freeze very well separated into quart or gallon-sized bags. Freezing them in flat layers helps with both storage and thawing. They stack nicely and are easy to slip into a bowl of warm water when youre ready to use them.
The slow cooker black beans will keep for about a week in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep several months in a normal freezer, or even up to a year in a deep freeze.
One pound of dry beans yields about 5 cups of beans (minus the liquid), which is the equivalent of about 3 (ounce) cans of beans, give or take.
These are some of my very favorite recipes that I make over and over again using slow cooker black beans:
And from some of my favorite bloggers:
I have owned a few different slow cookers over the years. I started with a CrockPot given to me by a good friend. I loved that slow cooker and used it often until it stopped working. Boo! I then purchased an All-Clad Quart Slow Cooker with a non-stick metal oven- and stovetop-safe insert. I loved that slow cooker dearly, but unfortunately the non-stick coating bubbled and peeled and I believe it became hazardous to keep using it. It also stopped working shortly thereafter or I would have replaced the insert. (Or it might have been our wonky old house and its crazy electrical system that did it)
Next, not wanting to give up completely on All-Clad, I bought another All-Clad Quart Slow Cooker, but this time with a ceramic inserts. I ADORE THIS SLOW COOKER. But it is a bit more expensive and not always practical for everyone. Its huge, basically. As far as price goes, they have come down a lot. They used to sell for around $ and now you can find them under $
Because I use my slow cooker numerous times a week, and because I sometimes photograph cookbooks and recipes for clients, I needed an extra slow cooker to keep up with all the slow cooker recipes I photograph. Ha! I added a CrockPot 7-quart slow cooker because they are affordable and work well. (Not as well as my All-Clad, but a decent second place.)
I have yet to purchase an InstantPot or pressure cooker. I have used one in the past, but I have an irrational fear of both pressure cooking and deep frying. Im trying to overcome both. ;) This year () I will buy an InstantPot and add directions for those that have asked.
First thing, take a deep breath and before you leave a nasty comment, a few things: 1) its not the recipe. Ive literally made this hundreds of times successfully, as have numerous readers and friends. 2) its probably not you! Ill explain more below.
Here are common reasons your slow cooker beans didnt turn out:
If you have made this recipe for slow cooker black beans and you enjoyed it (or maybe you didnt!) please leave a comment below so other readers can gain from your insight. And if you feel inclined, please rate the recipe as well. Thank you!
Variations:
White beans (Great Northern, Cannelini, navy, black eyed peas)
-add to the slow cooker: chopped vegetables (carrots, fennel, celery), rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, onion.
-use in salads, soups, purees, braised (side dish)
Pinto
-add to the slow cooker: a few sprigs fresh cilantro, dried oregano, a diced chile (serrano, jalapeno, etc), ground cumin, onion, garlic, bay leaf.
-use in chili and soups, salads, refried, etc.
Kidney
-cook the same way for pinto or black beans
-for use in Italian soupsproceed as for the white beans
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
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