Frijoles de olla

Name: Frijoles de olla
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Ingredients: 500 g black beans (dried), picked over and rinsed; 2.5 l water; ½ onion, peeled, left whole; 3 cloves garlic, peeled; 1½ tsp salt; 1 tbsp lard (optional); 10 g coriander leaves (optional); ½ onion, finely chopped (optional); 60 g queso fresco, crumbled (optional)

Non-vegetarian

Dried beans simmered slowly with onion and garlic until creamy, served brothy in a bowl — the everyday foundation of Mexican home cooking and the starting point for refried beans.

Frijoles de olla is a Mexican side dish from Mexico, ready in about 2 hours 40 minutes and made with black beans (dried), onion and garlic. It serves 8 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

Bowl of brothy pot beans topped with tomato, coriander and fresh cheese — Photo: Salvador alc / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 2 h 30 min
Total: 2 h 40 min
Serves: 8
Level: Beginner
Calories: 218

Soaking the beans overnight is optional and shortens cooking.

Ingredients

8 servings

500 g Black beans (dried) (opens in a new tab), picked over and rinsedBlack beans in central and southern Mexico; pinto beans in the north.
2.5 l Water (opens in a new tab)
½ (55 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), peeled, left whole
3 cloves (12 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), peeled
1½ tsp (9 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (13 g) Lard (opens in a new tab) (optional)Swap: Neutral vegetable oil
10 g Coriander leaves (opens in a new tab) (optional)A sprig of epazote is traditional for black beans.

To serve

½ (55 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), finely chopped (optional)
60 g Queso fresco (opens in a new tab), crumbled (optional)Contains milk

Equipment

Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Put the beans, water, onion (opens in a new tab) half and garlic (opens in a new tab) in a large pot and bring to the boil.
- 10 min
- high heat
- Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Reduce to a gentle simmer, partly covered, adding hot water as needed to keep the beans covered, until tender and creamy, 2–2½ hours.
- 135 min
- low heat
Always top up with hot water; cold water toughens the skins.
3
Step 3
Add the salt, lard (opens in a new tab) and cilantro (opens in a new tab) or epazote in the last 15 minutes. Serve in bowls with their broth, topped with chopped onion (opens in a new tab) and cheese.
- 15 min
- low heat

About this dish

Origin: Mexico · Well documentedMore food from Mexico
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes · Soups
Cooking method: Simmered, Boiled
Taste: earthy, savoury, mild
Diet: No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-protein · High-fibre
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · High-protein · High-fibre · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Dairy-free, Pork-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · One-pot · Freezer-friendly · Batch cooking · Everyday · Meal-prep friendly
Cook more with: Black beans (dried) · Onion · Garlic
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom queso fresco

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

218 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 385 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

Protein 25%
Carbohydrate 72%
Fat 4%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	218 kcal	57 kcal
Protein	13.7 g	3.6 g
Carbohydrate	40.1 g	10.4 g
Net carbohydrate	30.3 g	7.9 g
Sugars	1.6 g	0.4 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	9.8 g	2.6 g
Fat	0.9 g	0.2 g
Saturated fat	0.2 g	0.1 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	447 mg	116 mg
Salt equivalent	1.1 g	0.3 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 943 mg
Calcium: 113 mg
Iron: 3.2 mg
Magnesium: 114 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 1 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 279 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: lard, coriander leaves, onion, queso fresco.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Serve with

Eat with warm tortillas and salsa, or mash and fry for frijoles refritos.

Storage

Refrigerate in their broth up to 5 days; freeze up to 6 months.

Variations

Frijoles charros: Northern pinto beans simmered with bacon, chorizo, tomato and chiles.
Frijoles refritos: Mash cooked beans and fry them in lard or oil until thick.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Black beans (dried), picked over and rinsed500 g

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

Molletes
Mexican · 25 min · 494 kcal · Vegetarian
Birria de res
Mexican · 4 h · 563 kcal
Pozole rojo
Mexican · 2 h 55 min · 500 kcal
Black bean tacos
Mexican · 25 min · 388 kcal · Vegetarian