Flavorful, easy-to-make 6-ingredient black beans cooked in 1 pot and that don't require soaking! A foolproof way to cook black beans from scratch. Perfect for tacos, nachos, enchiladas, taco salads, and more!
Add beans, onion, garlic, and kombu to a pot and cover with 3 inches water/vegetable broth. We went with a ratio of about 2/3 water and 1/3 vegetable broth for a little flavor.
Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 1 hour - 1 hour 45 minutes or until the beans are tender. If during that time the beans are no longer covered in enough liquid to cook, add more water or vegetable broth to just cover.
Once tender, remove the onion and kombu and scoop out any excess liquid that’s making the beans soupy (some liquid is good, just scoop out any excess sitting at the top).
Season beans to taste at this time. We added salt, cumin powder, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Then increase heat to medium/medium-high (the beans should be bubbling) and cook - stirring occasionally (uncovered) - for 10-15 more minutes. The liquid should evaporate a bit more.
Store beans well covered in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days. Will keep in the freezer for 1 month (oftentimes longer).
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Notes
*1 pound dried beans typically equals 2 cups dried or 4-5 cups cooked beans. *We didn't find soaking necessary for texture and flavor. But if you'd like to soak the beans for improved digestibility, soak overnight in cool water, or for 6 hours. Then drain and proceed with recipe as instructed. *Don't worry - you can't taste the kombu in the beans. It's just there to help improve digestibility. *As the recipe is written, we used a ratio of 2/3 water + 1/3 vegetable broth. *Method adopted from the talented folks at Serious Eats. *Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with DIY vegetable broth, 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper, and without optional add-ins.