Natural form

Dried black beans: small, glossy, jet-black ovals with a cream-colored hilum.

Shows the distinctive color, size, shape, and surface sheen that identify raw dried black beans before any preparation.

Legumes & Beans

Black Beans

Earthy, creamy beans for bowls, soups, and tacos

Soft and earthy, black beans star in burritos, soups, and rice bowls, and bring plant protein to any meal. Dried keep for ages airtight; canned are a speedy shortcut.

Black beans (frijoles negros, also called turtle beans) are small, glossy, jet-black legumes with a dense, creamy interior and a mild, faintly sweet, earthy flavor — the backbone of Latin American and Caribbean cooking. They hold their shape well while turning meltingly soft inside, which makes them equally at home whole in a salad or simmered down into a thick, soupy stew. Like all dried beans they're a nutritional bargain: high in plant protein and fiber, cheap, and shelf-stable for ages. Canned black beans are one of the great pantry shortcuts — drained and rinsed, they're ready in seconds — but dried beans simmered from scratch with aromatics give a creamier texture and a flavorful cooking liquid worth keeping. Their deep color comes from antioxidant anthocyanins, the same pigments in blueberries.

Measured in: g
Storage: Airtight

Find it in

Canned GoodsPasta Grains

Types & varieties

Dried black beans

Best texture and a flavorful broth; need soaking and simmering.

Canned black beans

The fast pantry option — drain and rinse; ready instantly.

Black turtle beans

The classic variety name — small, dense, glossy.

How to cook (from dried)

Soak, then simmer gently with aromatics until creamy. Salt toward the end-of-cook camp is largely a myth — salting the soak or early actually seasons throughout — but acid (tomato, vinegar) should wait until the beans are tender or it keeps them firm.

Soak overnight (or quick-soak: boil 2 min, rest 1 hr), drain
Simmer in fresh water with onion, garlic, bay, and cumin 1–1.5 hr
Keep at a gentle simmer — a hard boil splits the skins
Add acidic ingredients (tomato, lime) only after the beans are tender

How to store & use the broth

The dark, savory cooking liquid is liquid gold — don't pour it away. Cooked beans keep well and freeze beautifully in their broth.

Save the cooking liquid to thicken soups and rice
Cooked beans: refrigerate ≤5 days, freeze up to 3 months
Rinse canned beans to wash off the tinny, salty liquid
Mash some beans against the pot to thicken a pot of frijoles

Common uses

Black bean soupFrijoles negros over riceTacos, burritos, and bowlsRefried beansBlack bean burgersBean and corn saladsFeijoada and stewsDips and spreads

Tips & pitfalls

Save the inky bean broth — it's flavor you'd otherwise throw away.
Add acid (tomato, lime, vinegar) only after the beans are tender, or they'll stay tough.
Cook with a bay leaf, onion, garlic, and cumin for the classic Latin flavor base.
Mash a ladle of beans into the pot to thicken without flour.
A pinch of baking soda in the soak softens stubborn old beans (use sparingly).

Nutrition

341kcal

Energy

1427 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 25%Carbs 72%Fat 4%

Protein

21.6g

43% DV

Carbs

62.4g

23% DV

Fat

1.4g

2% DV

Fiber

15.5g

55% DV

Sugars

2.1g

of which

Sodium

5mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Folate111% DV

Thiamin (B1)75% DV

Magnesium41% DV

Zinc33% DV

Potassium32% DV

Iron28% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · Beans, black, mature seeds, raw

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In the shops

Matched grocery products

Black Beans
Hacendado · 1 kg · Mercadona
€2.50
Luengo Black Beans
LUENGO · kg · Bonpreu
€1.56
Empograna Black Beans
EMPOGRANA · kg · Bonpreu
€2.15

Good to know

Flavor & texture: Mild, earthy, slightly sweet; creamy inside, holds its shape
Cook ratio & time: Dried: simmer 1–1.5 hr (or ~60 min after soaking) until tender
Soak?: Recommended — overnight or quick-soak for even cooking & easier digestion
Nutrition: ~132 kcal/100g cooked; ~8.9g protein, ~8.7g fiber; rich in folate & iron
How to store: Dried airtight ~1–2 years; cooked refrigerate ≤5 days or freeze

Substitutes