In the recipe below, I’ve shared how to cook black beans on the stove and how to cook them using an Instant Pot (pressure cooker). These black beans are so creamy and taste much better than canned.
1 pound (450g) dried black beans, rinsed, about 2 cups
3 cloves garlic, peeled and gently smashed
1/2 medium onion, sliced through the root end so that the onion doesn’t fall apart
1 bay leaf
1 lime
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1Add the black beans, garlic cloves, onion half, and bay leaf to a large pot and cover with 3 to 4 inches of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, stir the beans, and reduce the heat to keep the beans at a low simmer.
2Cook the beans uncovered, stirring occasionally, at a low simmer until the beans are tender, 1 ½ to 2 hours. Add more water to the pot as they cook if you notice the beans look a little dry.
3Remove the garlic, onion, and bay leaf. Add the juice from half a lime and season the beans with salt. Start with 1/4 teaspoon, then add more as needed (beans can take a lot of salt, so be generous).
4Serve the beans straight away, or to make the creamy gravy surrounding the beans in our photos, increase the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid around the beans has thickened and sticks to them. Serve with additional lime juice squeezed over the top.
1Add rinsed beans, garlic cloves, onion, and bay leaf to a 6-quart pressure cooker (we have an Instant Pot). Add enough water to cover the beans by 1 ½ inches, but do not fill past the “max fill line.”
2Add one teaspoon of olive oil (this prevents the beans from foaming).
3Seal the lid and cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes, then allow the cooker to naturally release for 20 minutes. Then, use the manual release button to remove the remaining pressure.
4The beans should be perfectly tender, but if they are still hard (this occasionally happens if your beans are old), you can seal the pressure cooker again and cook for another 10 to 20 minutes.
5Remove the onion and bay leaf, then discard them. Add the juice from half a lime and season the beans with salt. Start with 1/4 teaspoon, then add more as needed (beans can take a lot of salt, so be generous).
6Serve straight away, or to make the creamy gravy surrounding the beans in our photos, turn the pressure cooker to Sauté and simmer without the lid until the liquid thickens and sticks to the beans. Serve with additional lime juice as needed.