Black turtle beans are treasures of the culinary world, offering a rich earthiness that pairs beautifully with garlic, onions, spices, and smoky meats. While canned black beans are convenient, cooking dried beans from scratch yields superior flavor, better texture, and significant cost savings. Many home cooks avoid dried beans, assuming they’re difficult or time-consuming. However, with the proper techniques, you can create perfectly tender, flavorful black beans that outshine any canned variety. Whether you know them as frijoles negros, Zaragoza, judÃa negra, proto negro, or Sarasota negro, these versatile, thin-skinned legumes cook relatively quickly compared to other bean varieties and can transform everyday dishes into nutritional powerhouses.
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
This comprehensive guide to cooking black beans works because it addresses every variable that affects bean preparation. By sorting and rinsing the beans first, you remove any debris or damaged beans that could affect flavor. The optional soaking step reduces cooking time and helps the beans cook more evenly. The various cooking methods (stovetop, oven, pressure cooker, and slow cooker) give you flexibility based on your available time and equipment. Each method has been tested repeatedly to determine the optimal cooking times and liquid ratios. Additionally, the suggested seasonings complement the natural earthiness of black beans without overwhelming their flavor. Whether you’re preparing beans for a side dish, soup, salad, or main course, these methods ensure consistent, delicious results every time.
Ingredients
- Optional aromatics – Such as chile peppers, oregano, cumin, or cilantro for additional flavor dimensions
- Dried black turtle beans – The star ingredient, providing earthy flavor and substantial nutrition
- Water – The cooking medium that allows the beans to soften and expand
- Onion – Adds aromatic depth and subtle sweetness
- Garlic – Contributes essential savory notes that complement the beans
- Bay leaf – Infuses a subtle herbal background note
- Salt – Enhances all flavors when added at the right time
How to soak black beans
There are two different soaking methods of preparing black beans.. Soaking black beans removes the natural sugar that causes those who eat these to develop pesky and embarrassing intestinal gas. Soaking beans prior to cooking means your beans will cook more quickly. The overnight soaking results in beans that do not break up as much during cooking. So the overnight soaking is ideal for salads, and whenever you want to beans are left whole. The quick soak method is great for soups!
- Soak Overnight – The overnight method is the easiest way to soak beans. After the beans have been sorted and rinsed, place them into a large bowl, and cover with cold water for at least six hours or overnight. Discard any beans that float. Beans that float may have been eaten by mites, so it is best to discard those beans.
- Quick Soak Method – place the sorted and rinsed beans in a large pot. Cover with water, boil for two minutes. Place a lid on the pot, and let the beans rest two hours before cooking.
Do you need to soak beans before cooking them?
The answer is no if you cook black beans in the oven. Some cooks claim that the oven method is better than soaking because the beans become very creamy and tasty and these cooks say they would never boil black beans again after using the oven method. Baking does not risk removing some valuable nutrients, which boiling likely does.
Black beans – the oven method
- Rinse off the beans well in cold running water.
- Transfer the beans to a Dutch oven or large pot. Add enough water to cover the beans.
- Cover the pot and bake in the oven for two hours at 375 degrees.
- Do a taste test for tenderness and if they are still crunchy bake a bit longer.
- Season as desire
How to Cook black beans fast – use an Instant Pot or another electric pressure cooker.
It’s very easy to cook black beans in an Instant Pot. Start by sorting the dry black beans and then rinsing them. Put the beans and water into the Instant Pot and cook them on high, with a 20-minute natural release. If you need the beans to be whole if you are going to use them in salads, I would suggest soaking them ahead of time. If you don’t care that the beans are left whole, you can skip the soaking.
How long do you need to boil black beans?
If you are going to cook them by boiling them, you will need to soak them first, the cooking time it will take between 1 hour and an hour and 15 minutes to cook black beans.
Which seasonings are good to use on black turtle beans?
Any seasonings you have a taste for, are good on black beans. The more popular seasonings are the following:
- chile peppers
- chili powder
- cilantro
- a pinch of cayenne
- garlic cloves
- ginger
- oregano
- thyme
- bay leaf (do not eat bay leaves)
- ground cumin
- parsley, and whatever you enjoy eating will no doubt go well.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Reheating: Thaw frozen beans overnight in the refrigerator if possible. Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of water or broth, or microwave until heated through.
- Refrigerator: Cool beans completely, then store in airtight containers with some cooking liquid for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Portion cooled beans into freezer-safe containers or bags, leaving room for expansion. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Homemade Black Turtle Beans: Four Easy Cooking Methods
Ingredients
Beans
- 1 pound black beans 2 1/2 cups
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper cored and seeded
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garnish
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
Instructions
Stove Top Directions
- Sort, rinse, and soak the black beans the night before. Discard any beans that float. Drain beans.
- Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add onion to the pot and cook the onion amd chopped jalapeno until it turns brown.
- Add water and drained beans. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the temperature to medium. Cook the beans partially covered for about 1 hour.
- Stir the beans occasionally, make sure there is at least 1/2 inch of water covering the beans at all times.
- Season with salt, and pepper. Cook for another 15 minutes so the seasonings absorb into the beans.
- Serve by placing the beans in a bowl, and top with cilantro, avocado, and red onion slices.
Instant Pot directions
- Sort, rinse, and soak black beans the night before. Discard any beans that float. Drain beans.
- Select the saute function add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pot. Add onion, stirring frequently, until the onion browns. Select the cancel function.
- Add water and drained beans. Put the lid on the pot, and make sure the vent is closed. Cook for 30 minutes on high pressure.
- When the beans are done cooking, allow them to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then perform a quick release. Season the beans with salt and pepper.
- Select saute and stir occasionally so the beans can soak in the flavor. Cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
- Serve by placing the beans in a bowl, and top with cilantro, avocado, and red onion slices.
Notes
- After you season the beans, add a chopped up piece of sausage for flavorÂ
- After you season the beans, add some left over ham in the beansÂ
- Do not salt the beans until after the main cooking process, it can make the skins tough
- Taco seasoning is a great flavor to add to the beansÂ
- Consider using chicken or beef stock to cook the beans in for enhanced flavor
Nutrition
Love black beans? Try these black bean recipes!
- Chili’s Black Beans
- Easy Cuban-Style black beans
- Panera Bread Black Bean Soup
- Corn and Black Bean Salad
If you have never tried cooking black beans before, I hope you learn how to cook black beans perfectly. These are so versatile, and go well with so many dishes!
Love black beans? Try making lentils! Learn how to cook lentils!
I love to eat black beans. The recipe is so simple to follow. Thank you for sharing it! These tasted better than beans out of a can.
Will make this for sure very soon because we love black beans and ham. Do you use an immersion blender on a portion of the cooked beans to thicken?
Me personally, I love to smash up the beans 😉 I love refried beans, and you can make them with black beans. A bit of lard, smashed beans, and you are in business.
Lard, ok. thanks.