This versatile pantry staple stars in top recipes including crowd-pleasing vegetarian chilli, speedy tacos, sensational soups and so much more.
With a heartflavour and texture black beans are our number one choice for Mexican stews, burritos, tacos and enchiladas. Such a simple way to add protein and fibre to your favorite meals. And better yet, they aren’t just good for you, but they’re a budget-friendly food too.
When you have the extra time it’s best to go with dried black beans for a superior texture to canned. One of the best ways to cook black beans is using dried beans in a pressure cooker, which cuts out any soaking and cooking time. We recommend you save salting beans until they’re tender, because salt can slow down softening time as well (the same is true for acidic foods, like tomatoes and vinegar.)
Experience the magic of black beans with these flavour-packed recipes, with everything from hearty stews to new takes on tacos, dips, and bakes.
Have plenty of canned chickpeas too? Well, we also have plenty of ways to use up canned chickpeas—that aren’t just homums.
Buying dried pulses in bulk is a great way to save money, but they do require a bit of prep before cooking.
And while, ideally, you should be soaking them for a few hours, our Test Kitchen have a nifty trick for speeding up the process if you’ve got a last minute dinner to get going – or you just forgot.
Soaking pulses
First pick over the beans, checking for stones or other foreign objects.
Add approximately three cups of cold water for every cup of beans and leave to soak for a minimum of eight hours and a maximum of 24 hours at room temperature.
Speedy soaking
If you’ve forgotten to soak your beans for a recipe, place them in a saucepan and cover with five cm of water. Slowly bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes; remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to stand for one hour.
Once you’ve drained and rinsed your beans, they’re ready to use in your favourite dish.
Harissa barbecued corn tortillas with black beans
Corn and mixed bean salad
Black bean, corn and chipotle stew
Black bean chilli with guacamole and corn chips
Quinoa, black bean and chipotle chilli
10 minute chicken and bean tortilla soup
Beet and black bean burger
Zucchini, black bean and corn enchiladas
Corn and kidney bean quesadillas with tomato salsa
Cuban black bean soup in the slow cooker
Mexican rice and black beans
Chickpea ‘tofu’ with spiced black-eyed beans
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