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It couldn’t be easier to make your own black beans, and this is the best slow cooker black beans recipe! No soaking required, just 2 minutes to prep, and 5 basic ingredients. In a few hours, you’ve got black beans! I recommend using them in Cuban black beans and rice and huevos rancheros with salsa – these beans are the ultimate vegetarian cook once, eat twice meal.

Slow Cooker Black Beans Ingredients

You’ll need just a few basic ingredients to make these black beans:

• White onion
• Garlic
• Dried black beans
• Broth (chicken or vegetable)
• Bay leaves

How to Make Slow Cooker Black Beans

Cooking black beans in the slow cooker is the easiest way to ensure your beans end up perfectly cooked. Here’s how we make them:

• Prep onion and garlic. Cut onion in half and lightly smash garlic.
• Prep beans. Rinse beans and pick over, looking for any pebbles.
• Cook beans. Add beans, broth, bay leaves, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 1/2-3 hours, until beans are tender. Discard onion and bay leaves before serving.

Slow Cooker Black Beans Recipe FAQs

Are these slow cooker black beans Cuban?

No, these are not Cuban black beans. We’ve kept these black beans super simple with the seasoning so that we can use them in many different ways…one of which IS Cuban Black Beans and Rice and the other is easy huevos rancheros.

You can also use the cooked beans anywhere you would cooked black beans: in black bean quinoa salad, black bean skillet dinner, or quesadillas.

Are these slow cooker black beans Mexican?

No, these black beans aren’t Mexican-flavored either, but they can definitely be used in Mexican-inspired recipes like huevos rancheros.

Are these slow cooker black beans vegetarian?

Yes, these black beans are vegetarian IF you use vegetable broth. If you use chicken broth, they obviously wouldn’t be vegetarian.

How to Store Leftover Black Beans

Store the leftover beans in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Reheat in the microwave or a hot skillet until heated through.

Can you freeze slow cooker black beans?

Yes, you can also freeze the black beans for 2-3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

If you like this slow cooker black beans recipe, you might also like some of these other slow cooker recipes that you can cook once, and eat twice:

• Crock Pot Shredded Beef – Serve this tender beef as shredded beef tacos and shredded beef sandwiches.
• Slow Cooker Butter Chicken – Don’t be intimidated by this dish, it’s easy to make and you don’t need to buy 25+ special spices that you’ll never use again. Use the leftovers for butter chicken pizzas.
• Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken – Just two ingredients to make this simple chicken, then use in baked chicken tacos and cheater chilaquiles.
• Slow Cooker Korean Bibimbap Bowls – A great way to easily dip your toes into Korean-inspired cooking.

Helpful Tools to Make Black Beans in Slow Cooker

• Slow Cooker – Can’t make easy slow cooker black beans without the slow cooker. This one is basic, but does everything you need it to do.
• Glass Storage Containers – Store the black beans in these containers – they can even be frozen.

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