Quick and always reliable, this Mexican Black Beans recipe is super easy to make. A delicious side dish with Tofu Tacos, Vegetarian Enchiladas, Cauliflower Tinga Tacos or along side Spanish Brown Rice, this Mexican beans recipe comes together with ease. Learn How to Cook Black Beans from scratch to make the best Mexican Black Beans! This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free.
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The Easiest Mexican Black Beans
Quick, homemade Mexican black beans are better than anything you can get in a Mexican restaurant and an easy way to elevate your Mexican food favorite recipes. Whether sharing them as a side or in burrito bowls, this simple recipe from canned or made from scratch black beans, comes together in about 15 minutes.
For this black beans recipe, you’ll use cooked beans as the base. Use either canned or cooked from dry homemade beans. I prefer homemade, but something you’ll always find in my pantry are canned black beans, just in case homemade doesn’t happen.
To cook dried beans from scratch, check out my How to Make Black Beans recipe three ways.
Ingredients for Mexican Style Black Beans
To make Mexican style black beans, you only need a few seasoning ingredients and fire roasted tomatoes to take the flavor of these beans over the top! Here’s what you’ll need (see recipe card for details):
- Cooked Black Beans – cooking black beans from scratch is so simple or use canned
- Onion
- Salt
- Ground Cumin
- Garlic Powder or a Fresh Garlic Clove
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes – from a can
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (look for gluten free if needed)
- Lime
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are a pantry staple. I use it in all my Mexican food recipes. It has a long refrigerator life and leftovers freeze with ease. Find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce on the Mexican food isle of your grocery store. They amp up the smoky flavors in this Mexican black beans recipe.
Quick Guide: How to Make this Mexican Black Beans Recipe
What I love about these Mexican beans is that they come together in about 15 minutes. In summary, here’s how to pull this mouthwatering recipe together (see recipe card for details):
- First, add the black beans to a small sauce pot with their cooking liquid (do not drain).
- Next, add the onions, salt, cumin, garlic, tomatoes and chili pepper and adobo sauce.
- Last, bring to a simmer on medium heat, reduce heat and lid. Stirring occasionally, cook on low until the onions are tender. Stir in a bit of lime juice just before sharing.
The bean brine thickens as the beans cook and create a creamy, flavorful base for this black bean side dish.
A Few Recipe Notes
- If you are someone who loves black beans, you can easily and economically cook black beans from dry beans using my How to Make Black Beans guide. Homemade beans are so flavorful, they’re freezer friendly and can be used in many of your favorite Mexican food recipes.
- How Spicy? Take the spicy up or down in this recipe by adjusting the amount of chipotle pepper. If you prefer spicy black beans, use a whole or half pepper. If you prefer just a little spice, leave it out, but be sure to include the adobo sauce. There’s so much flavor there!
- For meal prep, these Mexican style black beans can be made up to two days in advance and are freezer friendly.
- This Mexican black beans recipe yields four modest servings, but the recipe doubles with ease if needed.
RELATED: Build a better burrito bowl! Whip up these Cilantro Lime Brown Rice and Mexican Corn Salsa recipes to make all your Mexican food veggie bowl dreams come true!
More Mexican Food Recipes to Love
- Spanish Brown Rice
- Tostadas with Fajita Veggies
- Homemade Sofritas Recipe – Burrito Bowl Style
- Mexican Inspired Tofu Tacos
- Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers
- Rancheros Tofu Scramble
- Roasted Cauliflower Tinga Tacos
- Cheesy Tofu Enchiladas
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Mexican Black Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 C (465g) Cooked Black Beans undrained, about one can or cooked from scratch
- 1/4 C (35g) Red or White Onion diced, about 1/4 small onion
- 1/2 C (140g) Fire Roasted Tomatoes from a can, freeze the leftovers
- 2 tsp Adobo Sauce Gluten free if needed *see note
- 1 Chipotle Pepper minced, gluten free if needed. (optional - but takes the spicy up!) from the can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder or 1 garlic clove minced
- Lime Juice
Instructions
- In a small sauce pot, add the cooked black beans and their cooking liquid, onions, tomatoes, adobo sauce, chipotle pepper if using, salt, cumin, and garlic powder.
- Bring the ingredients to a simmer. Lid, turn the heat to low and gently cook for about 15 minutes or until the onions have softened.
- Stir in a good squeeze of lime juice and taste for salt adjustment.
- Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge and gently rewarm on the stove top.
