Experience the incredible taste and convenience of slow cooker black beans! Perfect for any occasion, homemade slow cooker black beans can be prepped in no time with little effort. Get ready to savor the flavor that only slow-cooked black beans can bring!
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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.
When made in the slow cooker, black beans become infused with flavor and develop an incredibly creamy texture. Also, slow cooker black beans are a healthy and versatile dish that can be used in a variety of recipes, like burritos, tacos, salads, soups, stews, and more!
If you love making black beans with your own added flavors, you'll especially enjoy these with my Sweet Potato & Black Bean Nachos or this tasty Black Bean Salsa!
Ingredients
- Dried black beans - Before adding your beans to the slow cooker, rinse your dried beans and remove any bits that don't belong.
- Seasoning Ingredients - A delicious combination of herbs, spices, broth, and veggies make these black beans really stand out. For this recipe, you'll need chicken broth, olive oil, cumin, oregano, onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.
Tools needed for this recipe
- Slow Cooker
- Knife and cutting board for vegetable prep.
How To Make Slow Cooker Black Beans
Place the sorted and rinsed black beans in the slow cooker.
Add the chicken broth, water, olive oil, cumin, and oregano and stir. Lay the onion, jalapeno, and bay leaves on the beans.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours until the beans are tender.
Once the beans are cooked, remove the bay leaves, onion, jalapeno, and smashed garlic.
Serve and enjoy!
How To Store Crock Pot Black Beans
Storing black beans: Let the black beans cool to room temperature before storing them. Transfer the black beans to an airtight container. Store for up to 5 days.
Freezing black beans: Allow them to cool to room temperature before transferring the black beans to an airtight freezer-safe container. Before freezing, divide your cooked beans into separate servings and transfer each one into separate freezer bags or containers. Place them in the freezer, and store them for up to 6 months!
How To Serve Black Beans
As a side: Serve with rice, chicken, peppers, and onions for a quick fajita.
As a topping: Serve seasoned slow cooker black beans on top of nachos, a crisp salad, on top of rice
A tasty spread: Use refried black beans as a spread on your avocado toast and eggs for breakfast.
As a yummy addition to recipes: Use these black beans in dishes like my Jamaican Rice & Beans or Black Bean Salsa.
FAQ's
It usually takes 6-8 hours on low heat to cook black beans in a slow cooker or crockpot, but this time can vary based on the size of your slow cooker.
Yes, if you are short on time you can replace the dried beans with 2 cans of precooked and unseasoned black beans that have been drained and rinsed.
Nope, after rinsing toss the beans into the slow cooker and start cooking.
Yes, you need to add enough water so that the beans are covered by at least 1-2 inches of liquid while they are cooking.
One pound of dry black beans makes roughly 3 to 4 cans of cooked black beans.
Notes
- Rinse the beans thoroughly before cooking to remove any dirt or debris.
- Check on the cooked beans regularly and add more liquid if needed.
- Adjust the seasonings as you need. Taste and re-season them with pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and onion powder.
- Add salt at the end of cooking to control the salt content. The saltiness of the broth will increase as it cooks. Salt to taste at the end.
- For a savory flavor profile, add smoked meats like bacon, ham hock, or smoked turkey. Add these meats at the beginning of the slow cooking process.
Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Try these out:
- Super Easy Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Mushrooms
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Hot Shrimp Dip
If you have tried this recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Slow Cooker Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound Dried black beans sorted and rinsed
- 4 cups Chicken broth
- 2 cups Water
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 Onion peeled, cut into 4ths, root attached
- 1 Jalapeno pepper seeded and halved
- 4 cloves Garlic smashed
- 2 Bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the sorted and rinsed black beans in the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken broth, water, olive oil, cumin, and oregano and stir. Lay the onion, jalapeno, and bay leaves on the beans.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours until the beans are tender.
- Once the beans are cooked, remove the bay leaves, onion, jalapeno, and smashed garlic.
- Serve and enjoy.
Suggested Tools
Notes
- Add salt at the end of cooking to control the salt content. The saltiness of the broth will increase as it cooks. Salt to taste at the end.
- Adjust the seasonings as you need. Taste and re-season them with pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and onion powder.
- Check on the cooked beans regularly and add more liquid if needed.
Donna says
This black bean recipe is the best I have tried!
Tanya says
Thank you, Donna! So happy you like the recipe 🙂
Pascale says
Can this be done without a slow cooker?
Tanya says
Hi Pascale, yes, it can be. I cook it in a pot on the stove for 60-90 minutes over medium heat.