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You are here: Home / Recipes / Easy Slow Cooker Black Beans

May 12, 2015

Easy Slow Cooker Black Beans

Let’s all bow down to the mighty slow cooker. It wins again!

Slow Cooker Black Beans

Matt brought home some local dried black beans from Steadfast Farm from the city market last week, and I decided to meal plan around them. After all, a pound of beans makes a LOT of food!

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Tuesday: nachos. Wednesday: quesadillas. Thursday lunch: bean bowls. Sunday: bean burgers.

I’ve made beans many times in a big pot on the stove, but I haven’t always loved how they turned out. They tended to explode, and my pot always boiled over. I wanted to give the ole slow cooker a try this time and did some internet research on the best method.  Note: the only bean you can’t make in the slow cooker is kidney. They must be boiled to remove phytohemagglutinin toxins! 

There is debate over whether to soak or not soak, to salt or not salt. My research concluded I would both soak and salt.

So I filled the crockpot with the beans and water and let them sit overnight. The next morning I rinsed them off and then covered them with water by an inch.

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You can add any aromatics you like – from garlic and onions to a ham hock. I kept it simple and used 3 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 teaspoon of Mexican seasoning. Plus the 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.

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After just an hour of cooking on low they started to smell great! And about 5 hours later when I tasted them, they were nice and tender. I switched the crockpot to simmer for the remaining 3 hours, but they could have been enjoyed then. If you’re going to be gone for 8 hours, I think adding a wee bit more water and leaving it on low for the full 8 would be just fine.

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The beans were perfectly cooked without much “exploding” out of their skin at all (a problem I’ve had in the past). The beany liquid could either be drained off for nachos or eaten as a thicker soup.

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Perfect for chip dipping!

Black beans

We made nachos, then quesadillas, which was last night’s dinner along with a salad of greens, avocados, and red peppers.

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Comments

  1. Ali says

    May 12, 2015 at 8:55 am

    They freeze well too, so you don’t have to eat them all at once 🙂

    Reply
  2. Irene says

    May 12, 2015 at 8:55 am

    You did great! I like that you seasoned them.

    Here is my favorite way to do “plain” beans in the slow cooker: http://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2008/10/cooking-dried-beans-in-crockpot.html

    This web site describes how to cook them plain, then portion them out into freezer bags in “one can” sizes. When you need a can of beans, just pull a bag out of your freezer! If you find a sale on dried beans, it can be a real money saver. But if you find a sale on canned beans, and have space to store them, that can be cheaper!

    I enjoy your blog. Thank you.

    Reply
  3. Lisa C says

    May 12, 2015 at 9:10 am

    I also started cooking beans in the crockpot this year- game changer! It’ so much easier (no babysitting the stove) and they turn out much better. I’ve got my eye on the Instant Pot but haven’t been able to justify it yet!

    Reply
  4. Linda @ thefitty says

    May 12, 2015 at 9:22 am

    Love the time saving aspect of slow cookers.

    Reply
  5. Kate says

    May 12, 2015 at 9:41 am

    I will have to try this! I am all about cooking with dried beans lately because they are so economical and a good source of protein, but I have the same problem as you. The black beans always seem to explode open and I hate it. Looking forward to seeing how the crock pot method works!

    Reply
  6. Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says

    May 12, 2015 at 9:44 am

    MMM…they look great. I used to make black beans in my slow cooker once a week for a while. I loved adding jalapeño to the pot.

    Reply
  7. Amanda @ Slimplify Life says

    May 12, 2015 at 10:08 am

    Yum, thank you! These look so easy and delicious, I’ll definitely be trying this soon!

    Reply
  8. mary @ minutes per mile says

    May 12, 2015 at 10:11 am

    I’ve been wanting to get on the dried bean train for a while to save $$. Canned beans are definitely cheap, but dried beans are insanely cheap! Great protein alternative, too. Going to try this out next week and shall report back 🙂

    Reply
  9. Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says

    May 12, 2015 at 11:20 am

    Omg these look fabulous! Is it lunch time yet??

    Reply
  10. Elyse says

    May 12, 2015 at 11:22 am

    I so wish I had a slow cooker! It looks so easy to cook beans that way. Unfortunately, my husband is weird about things staying plugged in all day when we aren’t there, so we won’t be getting one anytime soon.

    Reply
    • Matt says

      May 12, 2015 at 2:12 pm

      Good in practice but man are they ever convenient! You can tell him that even the strongest slow cookers pull maybe an eighth of the power that a toaster uses. And the weakest ones are maybe a twentieth!

      Another comparison: a DVR player uses about half the power of the average slow cooker while it’s running. Not the perfect comparison here because the DVR might run for an hour or two while you’re not home, but the point is that slow cookers are pretty dang safe overall, especially given that the manufacturers realize people typically use them un-monitored.

      Reply
  11. Chelsea @ TableForOne says

    May 12, 2015 at 11:33 am

    Those look delicious!! I think canned beans are so much more convenient, but if I cook dried beans, I cook a ton and freeze them in single or double portions.

    Reply
  12. Cheryl says

    May 12, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    I cook black-eyed peas in the crock pot all the time… no need to soak ahead of time since they are cooking slow. The soaking is just to speed up the cooking process

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      May 12, 2015 at 2:05 pm

      I was afraid to try it without soaking, but I will next time to save a step!

      Reply
      • Cheryl says

        May 12, 2015 at 3:15 pm

        They still need to be rinsed and sorted (to pick out any stones or wonky beans)

        Reply
  13. Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties says

    May 12, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    Alright, you miiiiight have convinced me to try to make beans again!! I tried it once wtih (I think?) just water, and then came out just kinda blahhh. Not good, not bad. So I figured I would stick with cans. But maybe I’ll try your method and see how it goes!! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  14. Elise says

    May 12, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    Only a teaspoon of salt for a whole pound of beans?! When I cook beans from scratch, I’m adding tablespoons of salt. Did you plan to add salt to the recipes you used the beans for? Otherwise I would imagine they would be extremely bland.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      May 12, 2015 at 2:05 pm

      I added a teaspoon at the beginning and a teaspoon at the end. I like to keep the salt minimal so I can add depending on the recipe I use them for, but you certainly could add more!

      Reply
  15. sassygirl711 says

    May 12, 2015 at 2:30 pm

    these look yummy! I am going
    to try cooking them in my
    zojirushi rice cooker tonite.
    :=>

    Reply
  16. Anika Yael Natori, aka, The Josie Girl says

    May 12, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    Oooo these would go perfect with my kids favorite cheese quesadillas..If i can get them to eat them: http://josiegirlblog.com/2015/05/01/raw-tortillas/

    Reply
  17. Christine Allen says

    May 12, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    Looks great! I’m a fan of slow cooking large batches to use from for the week for salads, stews, etc. So cheap and easy!

    Reply
  18. Rita Weaver says

    May 12, 2015 at 5:20 pm

    I’ve been making beans since I started learning how to cook. My grandparents are hispanic, so that was kind of their thing. I never salted with the initial cooking and use a lot more seasonings than that. You didn’t find them too bland?

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      May 12, 2015 at 7:27 pm

      They were not bland bUT they weren’t super seasoned either. I wanted to be able to use them in multiple recipes. If you have a spice blend you recommend please share!

      Reply
      • Rita Weaver says

        May 12, 2015 at 9:39 pm

        after you cook them initially (like you did), then I add about 8-10 fresh garlic cloves (pressed), onion (omit this since you don’t like, but I use a half diced), 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and 1 8oz can of tomato sauce. Toss in a couple of bay leaves and an envelope of achiote sazon seasoning. This is a Spanish seasoning that our local grocer sells but I live in South Florida and am not sure how readily available it is in other areas. Let this simmer for 20 min or so. The time it usually takes rice to cook. Serve over rice. Yum.

        Reply
        • KathEats says

          May 13, 2015 at 7:24 am

          Sounds great!

          Reply
  19. [email protected] says

    May 12, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    Great post! I love slow cooker beans and make them usually once a week. I like to alternate the beans I use, though.

    Reply
  20. Cassie says

    May 13, 2015 at 1:05 am

    I love black beans! I’m thinking of making myself a Mexican style omelet tomorrow for breakfast!

    Reply
  21. JB says

    May 13, 2015 at 4:39 am

    First time commenting (read your blog for aaaaaaaaaages and love it!!) but so inspired by this idea because I have been looking to use my slow cooker more going into our New Zealand winter. Although, I’m such a garlic fiend I would probably need like 10 cloves to do the job – were just 3 okay, or would you recommend more? Although I know you have are a super-taster, so you might be more sensitive – I’m pretty sure I’m not!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      May 13, 2015 at 7:24 am

      If you love garlic by all means use more!

      Reply
  22. Tina says

    May 13, 2015 at 8:09 am

    Great post, Kath! Love your blog. Can’t wait to try these in my slow cooker. Quick question about the kidney beans. Do you know if the toxin issue applies to canned kidney beans? I make a chili recipe in the slow cooker and add a can of kidney beans. Wondering if I run the risk of the toxins or if that only applies to dried beans?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      May 13, 2015 at 8:48 am

      Canned kidneys are fine straight out of the can!

      Reply
  23. Tina says

    May 13, 2015 at 9:28 am

    Thanks, Kath!

    Reply
  24. Jenni says

    May 16, 2015 at 3:17 pm

    Hi Kath,

    Thanks for the great tip!

    I had a slow cooker given to me as present years ago and after a while the novelty wore off.

    It ended up in the cupboard with some other gadgets that at the time seemed like a great idea but turned out to be too finicky.

    This gives me a chance to resurrect that old slow cooker and get it going again.

    Reply
  25. Alice says

    June 8, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    Why do you have to soak black beans?

    Are they like chick peas in the sense that they need soaking to remove toxins (so I read).

    Thanks

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      June 8, 2015 at 5:12 pm

      It just decreases the cooking time. Kidney beans are the only ones with the toxin

      Reply

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    hi! Im Kath.

    I'm a Registered Dietitian, healthy eater, and mom of two from Charlottesville, Virginia. Here you’ll find a healthy mix of real-life meals made from whole ingredients balanced with the pleasures of life, including buttercream frosting and good wine. Plus a sprinkle of nutrition, home life, beauty, parenting, and travel.
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