How to Cook Black Beans

Part of the learning curve of becoming a vegan is learning how to cook your legumes. I do love legumes, so I started experimenting with the cooking process of dried beans. I recently learned how to cook black beans and I now use them almost every single day. I made these beautiful and tasty black bean toasts for breakfast which are my morning protein bombs.

Nutritional benefits of black beans

Cooking dried black beans can be a bit of a pain, especially because you need to soak them. I must confess, I prefer using a pressure cooker because I always forget to presoak my legumes. It's a nice cheat and it takes a fraction of the time. But the time invested in cooking black beans it's totally worth it if you look at the nutritional value of these legumes.

Black beans are a great source of fiber, protein and folate. Black beans are effective at reducing the rise in blood sugar after a meal. That's super important if you plan on eating healthy or losing weight. Tell me the truth, how many times did you get hungry just one hour after your lunch? It's the worst when you are trying to fit in those magic jeans (trust me, I know!).

But when eating wholefoods, like black beans, your body takes time to process and slowly release the energy. This also keeps your hunger at bay and it had the added benefit of a lower blood sugar.

One cup (172 grams) of cooked black beans contains roughly 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber (half of the daily recommended intake).

Eat one cup of black beans, with two cups wholegrain rice, alongisde carrots and broccoli and one apple and one banana a day and you are gold.

So why am I going on about fiber? Dietary fibre is important for our digestive health. Fibre helps us feel fuller for longer, can reduce the cholesterol and blood sugar levels and it's important to keep nasty diseases at bay like diabetes, heart disease and bowel cancer.

Please, please, eat your black beans. and today I'm going to show you to cook them in three different ways. Ovenight soaking, quick soaking method or in a pressure cooker.

I already mentioned that I love my black beans in a pressure cooker but if you don't have one, you can totally cook them on the hob. Make about 500g at once and store them in an airtight container for up to one week. Every Sunday I make an array of legumes and I store them in containers in my fridge for the week. It saves a looot of time.

How to cook black beans - 3 ways

Overnight soaking method

If you like to presoak your beans, then this is the method for you. While pre-soaking the black beans slightly reduces the cooking time, note that it also reduces the intensity of the colour.

Step 1: Rinse the beans to remove any surface dirt.

Step 2: Place the beans in a large enough container to allow for expansion and cover with 5 cm of water. Let the beans sit overnight.
When ready to cook, remove the water and cook in freshwater.

Step 3: Bring a pot full of water to boil (I use around 8 cups of water per 500g of black beans). Add salt, three garlic cloves, one onion sliced in half, a whole orange sliced in half. Add the beans to the pot, cover and simmer for 45 - 60 min. You can add more water to the pot if needed. Make sure you try the beans after 45 minutes to check if they are done. They should feel creamy and not at all crunchy.

Quick soak method

Step 1: Rinse the beans to remove any surface dirt. Place the beans in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and boil for two minutes. You can now remove from the hob and let them soak for two hours.

Step 2: Identical to step 3 above. Bring a pot full of water to boil, add the aromatics and simmer.

Pressure cooker method

Step 1: Rinse the beans to remove any surface dirt.

Step 2: Add around 6 cups of water per 500g of black beans in your pressure cooker. Add salt, three garlic cloves, one onion sliced in half, a whole orange sliced in half. Cook under pressure for 30 minutes and allow natural release (around 15-20 minutes).

This recipe has been developed entirely by Yuzu Bakes. Any resemblance with other recipes is purely coincidental.

How to cook black turtle beans

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Average: 5 (1 vote)

• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins
• Total: 0 mins
• Serves 6 people

Categories: Sides Cusine: Mexican, South American

Description

This recipe teaches you how to cook black turtle beans on the hob or by using a pressure cooker. Make perfect black beans every time.

Ingredients

(USA / Metric)

• 3 cups black beans
• 8 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 small orange
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic

Instructions

• Overnight Soaking Method

  1. If you like to presoak your beans, then this is the method for you. While pre-soaking the black beans slightly reduces the cooking time, note that it also reduces the intensity of the colour.
     
     Rinse the beans to remove any surface dirt.
     
     Place the beans in a large enough container to allow for expansion and cover with 5 cm of water. Let the beans sit overnight.
     When ready to cook, remove the water and cook in freshwater.
     
     Bring a pot full of water to boil (I use around 8 cups of water per 500g of black beans). Add salt, three garlic cloves, one onion sliced in half, a whole orange sliced in half. Add the beans to the pot, cover and simmer for 45 - 60 min. You can add more water to the pot if needed. Make sure you try the beans after 45 minutes to check if they are done. They should feel creamy and not at all crunchy.

• Quick Soak Method

  1. Rinse the beans to remove any surface dirt. Place the beans in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and boil for two minutes. You can now remove from the hob and let them soak for two hours.
     
     Bring a pot full of water to boil (I use around 8 cups of water per 500g of black beans). Add salt, three garlic cloves, one onion sliced in half, a whole orange sliced in half. Add the beans to the pot, cover and simmer for 45 - 60 min. You can add more water to the pot if needed. Make sure you try the beans after 45 minutes to check if they are done. They should feel creamy and not at all crunchy.

• Pressure Cooker Method

  1. Rinse the beans to remove any surface dirt.
     Add around 6 cups of water per 500g of black beans in your pressure cooker. Add salt, three garlic cloves, one onion sliced in half, a whole orange sliced in half. Cook under pressure for 30 minutes and allow natural release (around 15-20 minutes).

Nutritional Information

Total Nutrition Facts

Serves 6 people

Amount Per Serving
Calories 130
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1 g			1%
	Saturated Fat 0 g		1%
	Trans Fat 0 g		0%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
	Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg			0%
Sodium 402 mg			17%
Total Carbs 24 g			9%
	Dietary Fiber 8 g		29%
	Sugar 2 g		5%
Protein 8 g			16%
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 12% Calcium 4% Iron 11% Vitamin D 0% Magnesium 17% Potassium 8% Zinc 10% Phosphorus 19% Thiamin (B1) 19% Riboflavin (B2) 5% Niacin (B3) 3% Vitamin B6 9% Folic Acid (B9) 0% Vitamin B12 0% Vitamin E 5% Vitamin K 2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice

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