Vegan Cuban Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)

Cuban black beans are delicious, inexpensive and the epitome of Latin American food. This is a totally vegan friendly dish and pork free. A recipe that's great to batch cook on the weekend for your loved ones.

They say you cannot talk about Cuban food without mentioning Cuban black beans (frijoles negros) and you know what I believe this assertion to be true.

When I visited Cuba several years ago I left like I was in a black bean heaven. If you love legumes that are brimming with flavour from slow cooking then this recipe is for you!

Unlike the English speaking islands that favour other legumes such as red kidney beans, pigeon peas etc..

I've noticed that the Spanish speaking islands are notorious for whipping up a mean black bean dish.

Having grown up on legumes all my life this wasn't hardly surprising to me and certainly not an alien concept either.

I've sampled authentic Cuban black beans in two different locations - Cuba and Miami which has a large population of Cuban people.

If my memory serves me correctly, I found identical flavours in both regions - the flavours were rich, bold and the beans were SOOOOO tender.

Canned beans vs dried beans

This recipe is strictly for dried beans only, I haven't tasted the ratio for how to make this recipe using canned/pre cooked beans.

Legumes/beans irrespective of whether they are canned or dried yield the same outcome. 

It really boils down to what YOUR preference is and what works for your lifestyle. By default most Caribbean people will generally use dried beans (cost cutting purposes) over canned ones.

There are pros and cons to both, canned beans are handy, especially if you are leading a busy lifestyle, tired or simply in a rush.

Granted, they are convenient BUT....they can be costly if you plan on using them all the time which is why most Caribbean people will opt for the dried beans.

These beans are significantly cheaper, but do require soaking unless you have an instant pot or pressure cooker.

The recipe update

Several years has passed since I first made this recipe and we food bloggers sometimes like to re-visit our old content and make changes.

I have updated this recipe since it was first made, but I want to talk you through the adaptations that I have made to keep things honest and transparent.

First of all of have increased the cooking time slightly because honestly true Cuban black beans take awhile to cook, but the wait is SO worth it.

Although coconut oil is NOT authentic Cuban or any Caribbean cooking is simply because to wonderful health properties, but olive olive works well and I do like to rotate between the 2 oils, see my Caribbean Foodie 101 post.

I have also added an extra ½ cup worth of beans, to increase the serving quantity to feed up to 6 people rather then 4 and tweaked the amount of herbs/spices to accommodate the additional half a cup.

The cane sugar, this optional but used by some to balance out the acidity from the cider vinegar and this is something that I like to do with its soup counterpart.

Since the cooking time has increased, the sauce thickens even more without the use of starch. If you have made this recipe before than of course, you can follow the old format.

I have also included some step by step pictures which differ from the video enclosed. Again, the difference comes from the updated concept and the video being first made years ago.

The sofrito

In my humble opinion, what really brings out the true flavour of these black beans is the sofrito.

Sofrito is the back bone of the recipe, similar to how Trinidadians have their Green Seasoning and Haitians have their Epis.

It is a blend of aromatic herbs and spices that are either sauteed or blended into a smooth paste.

For our black beans, we are opting for the sautéing method, where we saute our foundation ingredients - onion, garlic in oil and season with oregano, salt (I use pink), cumin and black pepper. 

The steps

• Start by rinsing the beans several times before leaving them to soak overnight in a large pot or bowl of water (not the 6 cups of water).
• The next day drain off the dark coloured water and replenish with the 6 cups of water (add the beans to a large pot if you used a bowl during the soaking process).
• Add the bay leaves and a tablespoon of coconut oil to the pot.
• Bring the water to the boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer with the lid on until they soften (this may take up to 1-1 ½ hours).
• Once the beans have cooked, they should be soft to the touch (use the back of a spoon, to determine tenderness) if ready, it will mash with ease.

• Prepare the sofrito by sautéing the garlic, onions and bell peppers in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil on medium heat until soft and translucent.
• Season the sofrito mix with the black pepper, oregano, cumin and pink salt then stir.
• Once the onions have turned translucent, transfer the contents into the large saucepan with the black beans and stir.
• Use a ladle to extract some of the beans (about ¾ cups worth) and mash them before returning them to the pot. This will help to create a thick bean sauce.
• Stir in the cider vinegar (and sugar if you are using) before reducing to low-medium heat.
• Put the lid on the pot and allow to simmer until the beans start to thicken up (anything from 45 minutes- 1hour). Feel free to mash some more beans during the time of simmering for further thickening or add a splash of water if required to create more sauce.
• Do a taste test and adjust for additional seasoning if required.
• Discard the bay leaves and serve accordingly

Notes and tips

• If you suffer from bloating from the sugar from the legumes then be sure to squeeze some lime juice (about 2 tablespoons) into the water when you are soaking the black beans.
• Cooking time will vary depending on how long the beans take to cook.
• This recipe serves up to 6 people (The quantity has been updated).
• Soak the beans overnight, this really important to get the correct consistency and accurate cooking time.  Try to cheat by using unsoaked black beans as this will alter/delay the overall cooking results.
• The black beans should take about a hour to 1 hr 30 minutes to soften, be sure to test them to determine their readiness.
• This recipe is for dried beans only, using canned beans will quite adjusting the liquid ratio which I haven't tested out yet.
• Remember to do a taste test and adjust the level of seasoning to your preference at the end of the cooking process.
• If you don't have a ladle, that's okay just use a large spoon to scoop out the beans instead.
• This is a freezer friendly recipe, simply freeze down any leftovers for up to 3 months.
• The beans should be soft before adding the sofrito, use a spoon or fork to mash a few, if they mash with ease that means their are ready.
• You don't want the beans to be water logged or like soup, towards the end there should be a thickish sauce (you can evaporate any additional liquid by increasing the heat) but only towards the end of cooking and do this while watching the stove so the beans do not burn.

More Cuban recipes

• Yuca Con Mojo
• Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
• Slow Cooker Black Beans
• Cuban Mojo Marinade
• Moros y Cristianos

Serving suggestions

• Brown Rice
• Vegetable Rice
• Oven Baked Plantain (platanos)
• Steamed Vegetables
• Sweet Potato Mash
• Mashed Plantains (Mangu)

**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

Vegan Cuban Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)

Cuban black beans are delicious, inexpensive and the epitome of Latin American food. This is a totally vegan friendly dish and pork free. A recipe that's great to batch cook on the weekend for your loved ones.

4.89 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Entree

Cuisine: Cuban

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 209kcal

Author: Charla

Ingredients

• ▢ 1½ cup of black beans (260g)
• ▢ 6 cups of water (1.42 litres)
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 3 tbsp coconut oil (44ml) can use olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium onion chopped
• ▢ 1 large green bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 6 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper (5g)
• ▢ 2 tsp cumin (10g)
• ▢ 2 tsp oregano (10g)
• ▢ 1 tsp pink salt (5g)
• ▢ 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (15g)
• ▢ 1 tbsp raw cane sugar (15g) optional, can use coconut sugar
• ▢ additional pink salt and black pepper to taste, if needed

Instructions

• Start by rinsing the beans several times before leaving them to soak overnight in a large pot or bowl of water (not the 6 cups of water).
• The next day drain off the dark coloured water and replenish with the 6 cups of water (add the beans to a large pot if you used a bowl during the soaking process).
• Add the bay leaves and a tablespoon of coconut oil to the pot.
• Bring the water to the boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer with the lid on until they soften (this may take up to 1-1 ½ hours).
• Once the beans have cooked, they should be soft to the touch (use the back of a spoon, to determine tenderness) if ready, it will mash with ease.
• Prepare the sofrito by sautéing the garlic, onions and bell peppers in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil on medium heat until soft and translucent.
• Season the sofrito mix with the black pepper, oregano, cumin and pink salt then stir.
• Once the onions have turned translucent, transfer the contents into the large saucepan with the black beans and stir.
• Use a ladle to extract some of the beans (about ¾ cups worth) and mash them before returning them to the pot. This will help to create a thick bean sauce.
• Stir in the cidar vinegar (and sugar if you are using) before reducing to low-medium heat.
• Put the lid on the pot and allow to simmer until the beans start to thicken up (anything from 45 minutes- 1hour). Feel free to mash some more beans during the time of simmering for further thickening or add a splash of water if required.
• Do a taste test and adjust for additional seasoning if required
• Discard the bay leaves and serve accordingly

Notes

• If you suffer from bloating from the sugar from the legumes then be sure to squeeze some lime juice (about 2 tablespoons) into the water when you are soaking the black beans.
• Cooking time will vary depending on how long the beans take to cook.
• This recipe serves up to 6 people (The quantity has been updated).
• Soak the beans overnight, this really important to get the correct consistency and accurate cooking time.  Try to cheat by using unsoaked black beans as this will alter/delay the overall cooking results.
• The black beans should take about a hour to 1 hr 30 minutes to soften, be sure to test them to determine their readiness.
• This recipe is for dried beans only, using canned beans will quite adjusting the liquid ratio which I haven't tested out yet.
• Remember to do a taste test and adjust the level of seasoning to your preference at the end of the cooking process.
• If you don't have a ladle, that's okay just use a large spoon to scoop out the beans instead.
• This is a freezer friendly recipe, simply freeze down any leftovers for up to 3 months.
• The beans should be soft before adding the sofrito, use a spoon or fork to mash a few, if they mash with ease that means their are ready.
• You don't want the beans to be water logged or like soup, towards the end there should be a thickish sauce (you can evaporate any additional liquid by increasing the heat) but only towards the end of cooking and do this while watching the stove so the beans do not burn.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 605mg | Potassium: 387mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 154IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 3mg

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