Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro
Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro are great for a side dish, and these beans are so easy to make in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker! And though a side dish of spicy black beans may be a bit of a splurge on carbs, personally I’d eat this occasionally to feed my cilantro-loving taste buds!
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I’m updating an old favorite slow cooker recipe today, so now you can make Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro in the Instant Pot or the Slow Cooker. The flavorful black beans were so easy to cook in the Instant Pot without soaking the beans first. However, it’s important to use fresh beans when you’re not soaking them; the ones that have been on the store shelf or in the pantry for a while will take much longer to cook.
The black beans cook in vegetable stock with minced garlic and dried cilantro, and if you have some I’d add the Mexican herb called Epazote. When they’re cooked the beans get spicier with chopped cilantro, diced green chiles, and some lime juice that cooks with the beans for a few minutes.
And we loved the tomato, green onion, and cilantro mixture served on top of the beans, but purchased guacamole was also amazing with these beans! This recipe may not be for people who don’t enjoy cilantro or anyone who’s strictly limiting carbs, but personally I’d eat this occasionally for a treat.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- dried black beans
- vegetable broth or stock
- dried cilantro (affiliate link)
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- dried Epazote (affiliate link)
- fresh cilantro
- diced green chiles (affiliate link)
- fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice.)
- green onion
- fresh tomatoes
- olive oil
Why do I use Epazote in the spicy black beans?
Epazote is a perennial herb that’s used in Mexican cooking, especially to add to beans. It can be used fresh but Dried Epazote (affiliate link) is most common in the U.S. and adding some Epazote to your beans not only adds flavor, but it makes beans easier to digest. Don’t use too much or you might not like the strong flavor, although cooking mellows the flavor, and I think it’s especially good with black beans.
How spicy are the spicy black beans?
This recipe only uses one can of diced green chiles (affiliate link), and in the U.S. those will always be mild Anaheim chiles. If you’re really not sure about that, you can definitely use half the can to start and then add more when you taste the cooked beans.
What Size Instant Pot Did I Use?
I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Recipes! You can find more Instant Pot Recipes on my other site, Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker and that site was recently re-designed to make it easier to use!
How to make Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the instant pot version of the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe that includes slow cooker instructions. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Put black beans in the Instant Pot with broth, oil, Minced Garlic (affiliate link), dried cilantro (affiliate link), and Epazote (affiliate link) (if using.)
- Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH TEMPERATURE, 45 minutes.
- When time ends, let it natural release 20 minutes, then quick release.
- While beans cook, chop cilantro and get diced green chiles and fresh lime juice ready.
- When Pressure is released stir in chopped cilantro, diced green chiles and lime juice. Use SAUTE, MEDIUM TEMPERATURE, and cook 5 minutes.
- While that cooks, chop up diced tomatoes and slice green onion if you’re making the tomato topping.
- Combine sliced green onion, diced tomatoes and the rest of the chopped cilantro with lime juice and olive oil to make the tomato topping.
- We also loved these beans with this favorite purchased guacamole on top if you don’t have fresh tomatoes or don’t want to bother making the tomato mixture!
Make it a Meal:
I served my spicy black beans with Cuban Flank Steak, but these tasty beans would also be amazing with Salsa Verde Chicken Bake or Southwestern Pot Roast.
More Tasty Recipes with Black Beans:
- Southwestern Quinoa Salad
- Chicken Black Bean Soup
- Black Bean and Pepper Salad
- Black Bean and Rice Soup
- Black Bean Jicama Salad
Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro
Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro are great for a side dish, and this recipe has instructions for making the black beans in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker!
Ingredients
For Beans in Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
- 1 lb. dried black beans (see notes)
- 4 cups vegetable stock ( see notes)
- 1 T dried cilantro
- 1 T minced garlic (see notes)
- 1 tsp. dried Epazote (see notes)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (measure after chopping)
- one 4 oz. can diced green chiles
- 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
For Tomato-Cilantro Salsa (if using)
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
- 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (measure after chopping)
- 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 1 T olive oil
Instructions
- Put black beans in the Instant Pot with vegetable broth, olive oil, minced garlic, dried cilantro, and Epazote (if using.)
- Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH TEMPERATURE, 45 minutes.
- When cooking time ends, let it natural release 20 minutes, then release the pressure.
- While beans cook chop cilantro and get diced green chiles and fresh lime juice ready.
- When Pressure is released stir in 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, can of diced green chiles and 2 T lime juice.
- Use SAUTE, MEDIUM TEMPERATURE, and cook 5 minutes.
- While that cooks, chop up diced tomatoes and slice green onion if you're making the tomato-cilantro mixture.
- Combine sliced green onion, diced tomatoes and the rest of the chopped cilantro with lime juice and olive oil to make the tomato topping.
- We also loved these beans with purchased guacamole on top if you don't have fresh tomatoes or don't want to bother making the tomato mixture!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
1. The night before you plan to cook this, rinse beans and pick out broken pieces.
2. Place beans in a large slow cooker (at least 4 quarts), cover with cold water by several inches, and soak overnight.
3. The next morning, rinse and drain beans, then place beans, stock, dried cilantro, minced garlic, and dried Epazote (if using) in Slow Cooker.
4. Cook all day on low, 8-10 hours for very soft beans. (If you want firmer beans, start to check after about 7 hours.
5. When beans are as soft as you prefer, wash fresh cilantro and dry well. (I used a salad spinner.)
6. Chop enough cilantro to measure one cup (or less if not making tomato mixture).
7. Turn slow cooker to low and stir in 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, diced green chiles, and lime juice.
8. Let beans cook 20-30 minutes more.
9. Serve immediately, garnished with tomato/cilantro mixture if desired.
Notes
For the slow cooker beans will cook better if they're soaked overnight. I love Epazote (affiliate link) in dried beans, but it's completely optional. You can use chicken stock if you prefer. Minced garlic from a jar is fine for this.
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 233Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 341mgCarbohydrates 41gFiber 10gSugar 4gProtein 13g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Spicy black beans cooked like this make a perfect side dish for any phase of the original South Beach Diet and they’re also good for low-glycemic diets. Dried beans are too high in carbs for a strict low-carb diet plan, but I would eat these occasionally for a treat..
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot or Slow Cooker for more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Slow Cooker version of these black beans was first posted in 2006 and updated in 2012. The post was updated in September 2020 with slow cooker and Instant Pot instructions, and it was last updated with more information in 2023.
32 Comments on “Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro”
1/2 chopped fresh cilantro (measure after chopping)
1/2 what?
Sorry about that, both places should say 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, so one cup total for beans and salsa. I will fix that in the recipe.
The perfect side dish for tacos, enchiladas, or any southwest inspired meal! They come together quickly and easily, and I love how flavorful and delicious they are!
So glad you enoyed!
Great recipe! This was my first time making beans from scratch. The recipe was easy to follow and turned out delicious.
I know I'm years late with this, but just found this recipe while looking for a different way to cook my black beans.
If you don't have dried cilantro, try using ground coriander, which is the cilantro seed. I've never used dried cilantro, but I've used ground coriander when I didn't have fresh. That might hold up better to long cooking than fresh cilantro.
I made a version of this tonight! YUMMY! http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/2012/11/recipe-for-slow-cooker-crockpot-black.html
Carrian and Kelley, this is quickly becoming my favorite method for cooking beans (although I like the pressure cooker when I'm in a hurry.)
I've done a similar version with pinto beans but not black beans. Thanks for helping me think outside the box! (or crockpot………)
Kalyn, I've been craving (strangely enough) rice and beans. Cannot wait to try this out with our steak burritos later this week!!
Glad to know you are looking forward to trying some of my recipes. You could make this with all fresh cilantro, but I don't know that it would be quite the same. I definitely would still put the fresh cilantro in close to the end of the cooking time because long cooking completely destroys the flavor of fresh cilanto. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
The beans are measured before they're soaked. Sorry if that was confusing.
I want to try this today but I ended up confusing myself with a silly question — 2 cups (about 1 pound) of dry beans turns into 4 cups when I soak them overnight — does this recipe use one and a half pounds of beans or only 1 pound of soaked? Thanks!
P.S. for Becky, I think I will add that to the recipe, thanks!
Becky, I'm pretty sure I used my oldest crockpot for this, which is 5 1/2 quarts. It may not need to be quite that big, but I'd use one that's at least 4 1/2 quarts to give room for the beans to expand.
I think this will freeze very well.
This sounds great! A couple of questions…does it matter what size crockpot you use? Also, do you think the leftovers freeze well? I'm the only black bean fan in my house 🙂
Ana Luisa, fun hearing from someone in Mexico. I like epazote a lot, but it's not that common in the U.S. Thanks for sharing your bean soaking method.
We eat beans as part of our daily meals, and I love black over the other brown kind.
I prefer to use "epazote", although cilantro is always good, too.
I soak dry beans the quick method:
pick over, rinse then put into pot and cover with water, bring to boil, turn off heat and let stand for 1 hr. Drain soaking water, then cook as desired. Never fails!
Tiffany, if you like black beans these are easy and good.
This looks so good! We will be trying that for sure 😀
Sounds amazing!! I'll bet it would make for a yummy taco filling, too.
Kati, I love hearing that! Thanks so much for letting me know you are enjoying the blog.
I made this recipe last nite and I am making two more of your recipes this weekend. Thanks to your website my husband and I have each lost 70 pounds and my husband is off of his insulin. I can’t imagine the time it must take to maintain this blog, thank you again. Kati
Janna, I just got a pressure cooker recently and am looking forward to using it to cook beans!
Hi Kalyn,
I make black beans in the pressure cooker. I don’t even soak them-just cook for about 30 minutes and bingo, delicious beans ready to eat.
I’m sure you know, but don’t add salt to beans while they’re cooking, or the skins will get tough and it will be hard to get them done.
Anonymous, you could certainly duplicate this with canned black beans, but I’d use a lot less chicken stock and cook it for a much shorter time. Let us know how it turns out if you try it.
Can you make this with canned black beans (drained and rinsed)?
Oh my gosh I have to try this too!
Kalyn, I just saw a recipe for Cilantro Canapes in the November Better Homes & Gardens. You are going to want to make this, even though it involves bread!
Whether it’s a soup or a side dish, it still looks delicious.
I love beans, they’re very rarely found in professional cooking, which is strange – they’re a perfect starchy alternative to potato.
Bill, it’s not soup. It’s a side dish of beans, kind of like the black beans served with Cuban food.
That looks pretty thick for a soup.