Easy Homemade Black Beans Recipe From Scratch (Vegan)

Name: Easy Homemade Black Beans Recipe From Scratch (Vegan)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 3/4 pound dried black beans; 6 cups water or vegetable broth (divided); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil; 1 onion (diced small); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 bay leaves; Optional: 1 vegetarian bouillon cube; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; Optional: 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon sugar; 2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 2 hrs

Total: 2 hrs 10 mins

Servings: 8 servings

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Never made homemade black beans from scratch before? Here's an easy way to add plenty of flavor to homemade black beans.

Serve with brown rice, or perhaps paired with a Spanish rice or Mexican rice, use to make burritos, or serve as a side for just about any meal. For something a bit more high protein, pair your homemade black beans with quinoa or kaniwa, instead of rice.

Lately we've been eating lots of homemade black beans topped with salsa alongside a little tofu scramble and topped with salsa for a big "huevos rancheros"-inspired protein-boost at breakfast. And who doesn't love an excuse to have salsa for breakfast? And a high-protein breakfast is always a good idea!

This recipe is both vegetarian and vegan. If you need it to be gluten-free, too, leave out the optional bouillon cube and check your vegetable broth to make sure there's no added or hidden gluten. And, cooked black beans keep fairly well, so there's no reason you can't make extra and keep them in the freezer in ready-to-go portions.

3/4 pound dried black beans
6 cups vegetable broth, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or olive oil
1 onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 vegetarian bouillon cube, optional
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, or red wine vinegar
Cooked rice, for serving

Gather the ingredients.

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Sort and rinse the dry black beans, removing any impurities.

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Add the beans and 2 cups of water (or broth) to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

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Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain the beans and set aside.

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Saute the onions and garlic in vegetable oil until onions are soft, about 4 to 6 minutes.

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Add the beans, remaining water (or broth), bay leaves, bouillon cube if using, oregano, hot sauce if using, salt, sugar, and balsamic vinegar.

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Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer over low heat for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until the beans are done cooking.

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Give the beans an occasional stir from time to time while they are cooking. Keep in mind that once you turn off the heat and remove the pot from the heat, the beans will continue to cook a bit as they cool, so don't be tempted to overcook the beans, unless you are planning on using them for something where you want them extra soft, such as making homemade refried beans.

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Be sure to remove and discard the bay leaves before serving.

The Spruce Eats / Anastasiia Tretiak

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
226	Calories
4g	Fat
37g	Carbs
10g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	226
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g	5%
Saturated Fat 0g	2%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 636mg	28%
Total Carbohydrate 37g	14%
Dietary Fiber 7g	24%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 1mg	7%
Calcium 66mg	5%
Iron 3mg	15%
Potassium 693mg	15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.