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Homemade black beans in a white bowl next to a crockpot, bowl of cheese and pile of tortillas
Victoria Pruett

Homemade Mexican Black Beans

4.48 from 42 votes
Packed with Tex-Mex flavor, this Homemade Mexican Black Beans recipe stands on its own or makes a perfect side dish for your next Mexican food dinner! Plus, you can make it in a crockpot or on the stove!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 14 servings (1/2 cup per serving)
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 126
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb dry black beans
  • 1 packets of taco seasoning
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoons of cumin
  • 8 oz green enchilada sauce
  • Water as needed

Method
 

Black Beans on the Stove
  1. Into a large pot add all of the ingredients and cover with 2-3″ of water.
  2. Bring the beans to a boil, and cook for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until soft. If the beans look dry, add more water as needed during the cooking process.
  3. Once the beans are soft, serve right away or freeze for later (more on that below).
Black Beans in a Crockpot
  1. Into a crockpot, add all the ingredients and cover with 2-3″ of water.
  2. On high, cook the beans until 4 hours. Check the beans a few times during the cooking process and add more water if needed.
  3. Lower the heat to low and let the beans cook for another 6-8 hours, or overnight.
  4. Serve right away or freeze for later.

Notes

Freezing Mexican Black Beans

After you finish cooking them, let them cool quite a bit. After they’re cooled down, you can put them in freezer-safe bags to store them.
I like to put about 2 cups of Crockpot Mexican Black Beans in each bag and then lay them flat in the freezer for easy storing and faster thaw times! I got 7 bags out of my last batch!
Thaw them overnight before using them and you have a great and easy side dish any time!

Using Homemade Black Beans in Place of Canned

If you’re wanting to use these homemade black beans in place of canned beans, here are a few things to make that easier!
    • Don’t Rinse – When a recipe calls for canned beans, they want you to “drain and rinse” the beans. In the case of homemade black beans, it’s a good idea to drain the excess liquid, but you don’t have to rinse them! Homemade black beans tend to be softer, so rinsing them may destroy the beans completely.
    • Measurements – In general, a 15oz can of store-bought beans equals 1 and a 1/2 cups of homemade beans!
    • Spreads versus Salads – For dips and spreads (or a refried beans texture), you want the beans to be soft enough to easily crush or mash. So the beans may need to be cooked a bit longer. When using your homemade black beans for salads, bowls, or soups, only cook them until they are tender but not mushy!