Bursting with flavor, these delicious Cuban black beans (frijoles negros) are the perfect comfort food. You can serve them with rice or eat them as they are – they’re a wonderful meal either way!
These authentic, Cuban black beans are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. They can also be made with the addition of leftover meat. And to top it all off, they taste even better as leftovers…
Cuban Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)
Black beans. You can’t really have Cuban black beans without black beans… Just plain ol’ normal black beans are what you need – no turtle beans or black eyed peas or anything like that. I usually buy my beans on Azure Standard, I love that their organic ones aren’t too pricey! But of course you can just get them wherever you buy beans. They don’t have to be a specific brand or anything.
I always soak my beans for 24 hours before making them. If I have time I sprout them, too! (You can find out why here.) You don’t have to soak them for 24 hours, just 8 hours or overnight is fine. You can also use canned beans, if you want. Just adjust the recipe instructions to heating up canned beans instead of boiling raw ones.
Oil. A good quality olive oil is an important part of frijoles nigros. Along with the allium veggies and pepper it forms the sofrito, or base sauce, which gives this dish the classic Cuban black beans flavor! If you cannot have olive oil for some reason, I would suggest using avocado oil or coconut oil.
Alliums. Yellow onion and fresh garlic is also a big necessity in this dish. Sauteing the onions until they’re soft and translucent, then adding the garlic for a minute (you don’t want to burn it), is essential to getting the delicious deep flavor. While you can technically substitute onion and garlic powder, they just really don’t taste as good.
Peppers. Most Cuban black bean recipes have a green bell pepper in them. If I’m out of green peppers I will just use whatever peppers I have on hand, which is usually those mini sweet peppers. They change the flavor a little, but they’re still a delicious addition.
Liquids. You can use either water or stock to cook these Cuban black beans. I usually use a little bit of both. You can also use a nice red wine as part of the liquid. I don’t usually have this on hand, so I usually just use more broth. However, the red wine does make a really nice addition if you happen to have some.
Herbs. There aren’t a lot of herbs in this recipe. Just some oregano and some cumin. I would not recommend substituting either of those herbs for anything else. I like to use Simply Organic or Frontier Co-op for my herbs.
Vinegar. Most frijoles negros recipes just call for vinegar, or white vinegar. I always use apple cider vinegar. You can use any kind, though.
Sugar. This is an optional ingredient, but it is authentic to the dish. I usually use coconut sugar for whatever recipe I’m making calls for “sugar.” You can use whatever sugar you want, or you can leave it out all together. It does help balance the vinegar, though.
Leftover meat. Most Cuban black beans recipes to not call for meat. However, it is a delicious addition, and a great way to use up any leftover meat you have sitting in your fridge! Especially leftover stew meat, steak, or venison is delicious in this dish.
More delicious bean recipes.
Here are a few more of my favorite bean recipes!
- ginger, white bean & chicken soup
- the best refried beans
- easy vegetarian black bean burrito bowls
- white chicken chili
- fudgy black bean brownies
- black bean quinoa tacos
In the recipe card I’ve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks!
Cuban Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)
Free from grain, gluten, eggs, and dairy, with sugar-free option.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green pepper, diced or minced
- 1 pound black beans, soaked for 8-24 hours (I like to sprout them first)
- up to 8 cups filtered water
- 2 cups stock
- 1 cup red wine (or more stock)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar (optional)
- 1/4 pound leftover beef or venison, shredded or chopped (optional)
Instructions
Soak beans overnight or at least 8 hours (I usually soak mine for at least 24 hours). Rinse well and set back in bowl.
Instant Pot:
Press the saute button and heat up the Instant Pot liner.
When hot, add the oil and diced onion. Saute until soft.
Add in the garlic and peppers and saute for 1 minute.
Add in the beans, stock, wine, herbs, salt, pepper, and enough water to cover the beans.
Put on the lid, seal the vent, press the “chili” button, and set the timer for 50 minutes. (You can just use the manual button for 50 minutes if your Instant Pot doesn’t have a chili option.)
When the Instant Pot is done cooking, quick release the pressure.
Stir in the remaining ingredients (vinegar, sugar, and optional leftover meat) and serve over rice or eat as a soup.
Stove top:
Heat a large pot over medium heat.
When hot, add the oil and diced onion. Saute until soft.
Add in the garlic and peppers and saute for 1 minute.
Add in the beans, water, stock, wine, salt, pepper and herbs.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
Simmer covered for 3-4 hours, or until beans reach desired tenderness, adding water if necessary.
When beans are cooked through, add vinegar, sugar, and meat, if using. Heat through and serve over rice or eat as a soup.
