Mexican Frijoles Negros Recipe

Frijoles negros, or black beans, are a staple of Mexican cuisine. You’re going to love my easy Mexican frijoles negros recipe! These beans are hearty, delicious, incredibly versatile and packed with plant-based protein — making them perfect for vegans and vegetarians alike.

Frijoles Negros

Black beans, or “frijoles negros” in Spanish, are small legumes that have been eaten in Mexico for centuries. They are particularly popular in the cuisines of Southern and coastal parts of Mexico.

In states like Campeche, Yucatan, Tabasco, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo, frijoles negros are the bean of choice.

My family is from the state of Jalisco and we didn’t grow up eating black beans. Peruano beans and pinto beans were what we ate.

The first time I saw or ate frijoles negros was Cuban black beans. The beans were served as a side dish with white rice and plantains. So different then what I grew up eating, but so delicious too!

What Are Mexican Black Beans?

Black beans (also known as black turtle beans) are a delicious and nutritious staple of Mexican food as well as vegan and vegetarian diets.

They’re packed with protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins and healthy carbs and fats.

This makes them a great choice for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone looking to add more plant-based protein into their diet.

Plus, they’re incredibly tasty and quite versatile too.

How to Eat Frijoles Negros

They have an earthy flavor and creamy texture that naturally goes great with so many authentic Mexican dishes.

Plus, they offer many health benefits such as being low in calories but high in protein and fiber. This makes them an ideal ingredient for those looking to include more plant-based meals into their diets without sacrificing taste or nutrition.

You can serve these frijoles as a main dish — my favorite is a large bowl with some chopped avocado, a spoon full of salsa molcajeteada, crumbled vegan chicharron (if I have any), some sour cream and a pile of warm corn tortillas. Oh and some queso fresco too!

(Sometimes I’ll crumble up tortilla chips to top a bowl of cooked beans in their broth. So good!)

To serve frijoles negros you can blend them to make enfrijoladas, use them as a filling for gorditas, mash and spread them on bolillo to make tortas or molletes.

You can use these delicious homemade frijoles negros to make black bean soup.

They can also be served a side dish to any Mexican main dish. I love them with my vegan chicharron en salsa, I pair them with some arroz rojo to make a full meal…so many options!

Are Mexican Black Beans Vegan?

Cooked at home, yes! Cooked at restaurants you may want to double checked that they didn’t’ have chicken broth added to them.

Frijoles Negros Ingredients

Like other traditional Mexican bean recipes, the ingredients for these frijoles too are a simple list. Below is what I use but be sure to check out the section below to see other variations.

• black beans
• white onion
• garlic cloves
• epazote
• salt
• water

Variations

Here are some variations to other ingredients which can be included when making Mexican black beans.

Instead of epazote, you can use dried bay leaf. The taste will be slightly different but still delicious.

Spices: Some people like to add spices when cooking black beans. I like to skip them so that I can have a base recipe and spice depending on how I’ll be using the beans.

Spices like ground cumin may be used for a slight smoky touch. Chili powder or dried chiles may also be used. If you don’t have fresh garlic or onion you can use garlic powder or onion powder.

I’ve seen black bean recipes that use green peppers, you can use mild jalapeños or spicier Serranos. Or non-spicy use bell peppers, I use them when I cook red beans and it’s delicious.

Liquid: I always use water to cook my beans. I recently saw a recipe where a woman used those chicken broth cubes to give extra flavor to her beans. If you’d wanted a vegan version you could use vegetable broth.

Oil: Occasionally I’ll add also add some oil when cooking beans. It’s believed that the oil give you creamier beans. I use about a Tablespoon of olive oil.

How To Cook Frijoles Negros

Amigos, the day I shot these photos I decided to use my Instant Pot pressure cooker. But you can also cook the beans on the stovetop, instructions below.

• Pick through the dry beans and remove any dirt, debris, damaged beans or little stones.
• Rinse the beans under cold running water for a few minutes.
• Place beans inside the pressure cooker.
• Add the onion, garlic, epazote, salt into the pot.
• Pour in the water. Make sure it’s enough water to cover the beans by a few inches.
• Place the pressure cooker lid on the pot, set valve to Sealing. Select High Pressure and set time to 35 minutes.
• Allow to naturally release pressure once finished cooking. Carefully open the pot away from your face.
• Taste the beans for doneness and salt. Adjust as necessary.

How To Cook Stovetop

If you’d rather cook them on the stovetop then you’re going to pour all of the ingredients into a very large pot (I use my Amazon Basic’s Dutch oven).

You’re going to pour in about 6 to 8 cups of water, enough to cover the beans by several inches.

Turn to medium heat, allow to come to the boil. Cover and simmer on medium-low until the beans have softened and cooked through.

You’ll need to add more water, so keep an eye on the beans.

Cooking time will be about 2 hours or so. It will depend on how old and dry the beans are.

Should You Soak Black Beans Before Cook

Traditional Mexican cooks will tell you to soak the beans to remove the sugars that cause gas from beans. (This is why epazote herb is also used.)

I’ll be honest and tell you that most times I don’t soak beans. Simply because I forget to the night before.

Let me share cooking times for soaked black beans.

• Soaked black beans in the pressure cooker: 20 minutes and natural release.
• Soaked black beans on the stove top: 45 minutes.

How to Store

Leftover beans can be cooled down to room temperature then stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.

Of course you can also make refried black beans with them.

You can also freeze them in an a freezer safe container or reusable plastic bags. They’ll keep fresh for up to 3 months.

Mexican Frijoles Negros Recipe

Ok amigos, below is the printable recipe for my Mexican black beans. It also contains the nutritional and daily value information.

Once you start making your own frijoles at home, I promise you won’t even turn to look at the canned beans at the grocery store.

Your taste buds and wallet will thank you for it too! (Did you know dried beans are much cheaper than canned.)

I hope you enjoy them, remember to leave me a star rating and tag me on social media if you make any of my recipes. Gracias!

Mexican Frijoles Negros Recipe

Nancy Lopez & MexicanMadeMeatless.com

Frijoles negros, or black beans, are a staple of Mexican cuisine. You’re going to love my easy Mexican frijoles negros recipe! These beans are hearty, delicious, incredibly versatile and packed with plant-based protein — making them perfect for vegans and vegetarians alike.

5 from 43 votes

Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Leave a Review Email Recipe

Print Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Video

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 servings

Calories

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups black beans
• 1/4 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 leaves epazote optional
• 1.5 teaspoons salt adjust to taste
• 6 cups water

Instructions

 

• Pick through the dry beans and remove any dirt, debris, damaged beans or little stones.
  
• Rinse the beans under cold running water for a few minutes.
  
• Place beans inside the pressure cooker. Add the onion, garlic, epazote, salt into the pot. Pour in the water. Make sure it’s enough water to cover the beans by a few inches.
  
• Place the pressure cooker lid on the pot, set valve to Sealing. Select High Pressure and set time to 35 minutes.
• Allow to naturally release pressure once finished cooking. Carefully open the pot away from your face.
  
• Taste the beans for doneness and salt. Adjust as necessary.
  

Tried this recipe?Leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and tag me on social media @MexicanMadeMeatless or tag #mexicanmademeatless!

Nancy Lopez

Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…