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Cuban · Caribbean

Cuban black beans

Vegetarian

Frijoles negros

Dried black beans simmered until creamy, then finished with a sofrito of green pepper, onion, garlic, cumin and oregano and a dash of vinegar. A daily staple with white rice in Cuba.

Cuban black beans is a Cuban side dish, ready in about 2 hours 15 minutes and made with black beans (dried) and green bell pepper. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

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Cuban black beans served over white rice with bread
Photo: Thraddax / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
2 h
Total
2 h 15 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
267

Plus overnight soaking of the beans.

Ingredients

8 servings

For the sofrito

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the soaked beans in a large pot with the water and bay leaves (opens in a new tab). Bring to the boil, then simmer partly covered until tender, about 1½ hours.

    A pressure cooker does this in about 35 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Make the sofrito: cook the onion (opens in a new tab) and green pepper (opens in a new tab) gently in the olive oil (opens in a new tab) until very soft, then add the garlic (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab) and oregano (opens in a new tab) for a minute.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Mash a ladle of beans into the sofrito, then stir it all into the pot with the vinegar, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt.

    • 3 min
    • medium-low heat
    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, until thick and creamy. Remove the bay leaves (opens in a new tab).

    • 25 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Cuba · Commonly attributedAlso popular in United StatesMore food from Cuba
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes · Stews & braises
Cooking method
Simmered, Sautéed
Taste
earthy, savoury, garlicky, tangy
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-fibre
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-fibre · Low-fat · DASH-style · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Black beans (dried) · Green bell pepper · Bay leaves · Onion · Garlic · Cumin
Techniques
Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom wine vinegar

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

267 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 349 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 56%
  • Fat 25%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy267 kcal77 kcal
Protein12.7 g3.6 g
Carbohydrate38.7 g11.1 g
Net carbohydrate29.3 g8.4 g
Sugars2.7 g0.8 g
Added sugars0.5 g0.2 g
Fibre9.4 g2.7 g
Fat7.6 g2.2 g
Saturated fat1.2 g0.3 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium593 mg170 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
898 mg
Calcium
109 mg
Iron
3.2 mg
Magnesium
106 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
3 µg
Vitamin C
14 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
254 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.
  • “—” 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

Tips

  • Add salt only once the beans are soft for the most even texture.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the vinegar too early — it can stop the beans from softening; add it once they are tender.

Serve with

  • Serve over white rice with ropa vieja and fried plantains.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water.

Variations

  • Moros y cristianos (Cuba): The beans and rice cooked together in one pot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

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

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