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!

PIN the Spicy Black Beans recipe to try it later!

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.)

1. Put black beans in the Instant Pot with broth, oil, Minced Garlic (affiliate link), dried cilantro (affiliate link), and Epazote (affiliate link) (if using.)
2. Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH TEMPERATURE, 45 minutes.
3. When time ends, let it natural release 20 minutes, then quick release. 
4. While beans cook, chop cilantro and get diced green chiles and fresh lime juice ready.
5. When Pressure is released stir in chopped cilantro, diced green chiles and lime juice. Use SAUTE, MEDIUM TEMPERATURE, and cook 5 minutes.
6. While that cooks, chop up diced tomatoes and slice green onion if you’re making the tomato topping. 
7. Combine sliced green onion, diced tomatoes and the rest of the chopped cilantro with lime juice and olive oil to make the tomato topping.
8. 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 

Continue to Content

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Yield: 8 side dish servings

Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Additional Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

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 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

1. Put black beans in the Instant Pot with vegetable broth, olive oil, minced garlic, dried cilantro, and Epazote (if using.)
2. Lock lid and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH TEMPERATURE, 45 minutes.
3. When cooking time ends, let it natural release 20 minutes, then release the pressure.
4. While beans cook chop cilantro and get diced green chiles and fresh lime juice ready.
5. When Pressure is released stir in 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, can of diced green chiles and 2 T lime juice.
6. Use SAUTE, MEDIUM TEMPERATURE, and cook 5 minutes.
7. While that cooks, chop up diced tomatoes and slice green onion if you're making the tomato-cilantro mixture.
8. Combine sliced green onion, diced tomatoes and the rest of the chopped cilantro with lime juice and olive oil to make the tomato topping.
9. 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:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount 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.

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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.

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