These Costa Rican black beans are packed with flavor, fiber, and protein. This traditional Costa Rican recipe is the only one you’ll ever need!
About This Costa Rican Black Beans Recipe
You will never go to a Costa Rican home where there are no beans on the stove or in the fridge. Many Costa Rican moms even batch-cook black beans for their kids when they leave for the week for work or college.
Costa Rican black beans are made and used most specifically in the traditional Costa Rican gallo pinto recipe, for a Costa Rican casado, and the traditional Costa Rican bean dip, also known as frijol molido. These beans are also eaten as a simple black bean soup accompanied by a hard-boiled egg and Salsa Lizano.
The most traditional way to make Costa Rican black beans is in a pressure cooker, but you can also use a slow cooker. I use an Instant Pot because it has both a pressure cooker and a slow cooker, so I can decide how I want to cook them!
For the beans in this recipe, I use dried black beans, and I usually use whatever variety is on sale at the grocery store. I really like the Kroger store brand, and the Goya brand is also great. You really can’t go wrong.
Many Costa Ricans will also substitute red kidney beans in place of the black beans, and that is totally fine as well.
RELATED POST: Traditional Costa Rican White Rice Recipe
Costa Rican Black Beans Recipe
Printable Recipe Below
Ingredients:
- 1 lb black beans
- ½ red bell pepper, cut into 3 pieces
- A handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, whole
- ½ white or yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tsp salt (we prefer sea salt)
- Salsa Lizano (optional, for garnish)
- Pressure cooker (I use an Instant Pot; slow cooker directions under “variations” heading)
Instructions
Rinse the black beans and place them in the pressure cooker.
Rinse and chop your veggies, then add them on top of the beans.
Add salt and enough water to cover the beans, plus about another 4 inches. Since the beans absorb quite a bit of water when cooking, you want to have some extra so the beans don’t scald and stick to the bottom of your pot. Plus, the extra broth is great for a caldo de frijol! (Costa Rican black bean soup)
Add salt, and pressure cook for 25 minutes. I let the air out naturally as opposed to forcing it out, but you can do it either way. I notice beans are more tender if you let the pressure cooker rest for about 10 minutes after it is finished.
I add the salt at the beginning of the recipe, but many people prefer to add it in the last 30 minutes of cooking because they say the salt makes the beans harden. I don’t think it does, but to each his own.
When you are ready to serve, just remove the large vegetable chunks and serve separately, or keep them in!
Black beans are often served with Salsa Lizano, but if you add the Lizano to the entire pot of beans, they can go bitter fast. It is better to put the Lizano on individual portions or on the beans that you are sure you will serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Related Article: What Is Salsa Lizano From Costa Rica?
Substitutions
You can really use any type of beans with this recipe- we will sometimes get tired of black beans and then use a red bean, like a dark red kidney. When we make white beans with pork, we cook the beans in this style as well.
You can also cook your garbanzo beans in this style- really, all of the Costa Rican beans are cooked this way, and then different ingredients are added depending on what recipe we are making.
Variations
Cook the beans in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours, or cook on high for 4-5 hours. The cooking time varies depending on your pot and electrical current.
Some people simmer the beans for several hours on the stovetop, but for that method, I recommend soaking the beans overnight first.
You can add bay leaves to the recipe to add some flavor, and you can get away with using Worcestershire sauce in place of Salsa Lizano if you have to, but Salsa Lizano is better.
Some people cook their black beans in chicken broth, but that is not traditional in Costa Rica at all. Neither is adding chili powder or lime juice- those are Mexican variations.
Related post: 30+ Foods To Try In Costa Rica
Serving Suggestions
Costa Rican Black Beans are a staple of the Costa Rican diet and therefore, are a part of many of our hallmark recipes. Here is a list of black bean recipes we eat regularly at Casa Pura Vida.
- Costa Rican Gallo Pinto Recipe
- Costa Rican Black Bean Dip Recipe
- Traditional Costa Rican Black Bean Soup Recipe
Printable Costa Rican Black Beans Recipe
Costa Rican Black Beans Slow Cooker
These slow cooker black beans are packed with flavor, fiber and protein. This traditional Costa Rican recipe uses dry black beans, salt, garlic and onion to create a delicious recipe that's both vegetarian and vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 lb black beans
- ½ red bell pepper, cut into 3 pieces
- Handful cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, whole
- ½ white or yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tsp salt (we prefer sea salt)
- Salsa Lizano (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Rinse the beans and place them in the crock pot..
- Rinse and chop your veggies, then add them on top of the beans.
- Add salt and enough water to cover the beans, plus about another 2 inches. Since the beans do absorb quite a bit of water when cooking, you want to have some extra so the beans don't scald and stick to the bottom of your pot.
- Cook the beans in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours, or cook on high for 4-5 hours. The cooking time varies depending on your pot and electrical current.
- I add the salt at the beginning of the recipe, but many people prefer to add it in the last 30 minutes of cooking because they say the salt makes the beans harden. I don't think it does, but to each his own.
- When you are ready to serve, just remove the large vegetable chunks and serve separately, or keep them in!
Notes
Black beans are often served with Salsa Lizano, but if you add the Lizano to the entire pot of beans, they can go bitter fast. It is better to put the Lizano on individual portions, or on the beans that you are sure you will serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
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