These copycat Chipotle Black Beans taste just like the real deal and are so simple to make. We use onions, garlic and a range of flavorful Mexican spices to bring the taste of Chipotle’s famous black beans to your home kitchen.
Jump to:
Easy Copycat Chipotle Black Beans Recipe
We love this recipe for Chipotle black beans because they are so perfectly full of flavor without being overpowering. They are spicy, smokey, and finish with a hefty dose of zesty lime. So yum!
This recipe calls for using dried beans but if you are in a rush, you can always substitute canned beans, too. There’s no shame in taking shortcuts! The most important thing is that you are learning to make simple, delicious, and nutritious recipes for your entire family without having to leave your house. It’s tasty and it’s good for your budget!
In this post, you will find serving suggestions, instructions on how to cook dried black beans, and answers to some of your frequently asked questions. Is there anything better than copycat Chipotle Recipes straight from your kitchen? It's de beeessstt!!
How to Serve Chipotle Copycat Black Beans
You can eat these spicy black beans as a side dish or all on their own. They have tons of flavor and taste great with a variety of other Mexican dishes, such as Steak Fajitas, Shredded Beef Tacos or Cafe Rio Sweet Pork.
Or, mix and match with Chipotle Chicken, Cilantro Lime Rice, Guacamole, Easy Homemade Fresh Salsa, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, corn, sour cream, diced tomatoes and more to make a variety of Chipotle-inspired dishes. Depending on your mood, you can make:
Ingredients in Chipotle Beans
- Black Beans - you can use either dried beans or canned to make Chipotle Black Beans. We have given you instructions on how to do both.
- Avocado Oil - you can substitute another type of cooking oil if you would like.
- Onions - we like to use white or yellow onions, finely diced.
- Garlic - fresh minced garlic tastes best.
- Dried Oregano - if you can find Mexican oregano, use that. Otherwise, Italian oregano will work.
- Spices: in order to make these taste like Chipotle, we add chili powder, cayenne pepper and cumin. These are just for flavor and can be adjusted to your liking. Another great seasoning to add is about a tablespoon of the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It’s deliciously spicy and smokey.
- Salt - sea salt works great.
- Bay Leaves - fresh bay leaves have a far better flavor than dry bay leaves, if you can find them. In order to make a fresh bay leaf last longer, store in your freezer for up to 6 months.
- Lime Juice - this is to season your black beans after they have cooked. Fresh lime juice always tastes best.
How to Cook Dried Black Beans
Cooking Beans in Instant Pot
- Pour beans into a large bowl and sort out any broken beans. Rinse the beans, drain, and then add to the Instant Pot.
- Close the Instant Pot and turn the steam release valve to the sealing position. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes, then let the Instant Pot natural release for about 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, quick-release any remaining pressure.
Cooking Beans in a Slow Cooker
- Pour beans into a large bowl and sort out any broken beans. Rinse, drain and then add to the slow cooker.
- Cover with cool water or broth, about 1" above beans, and cook on high for 5-7 hours, or until beans are tender.
Cooking Unsoaked Beans on the Stovetop
- Pour beans into a large bowl and sort out any broken beans. Rinse, drain and then add to a large pot.
- Cover with cool water about 1" above the beans. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the beans are soft.
How to Make Copycat Chipotle Black Beans Recipe
- Cook the beans. See above for instructions on cooking dried beans. You can also substitute canned beans and skip this step. If using canned black beans, be sure and rinse the beans under cold water before using.
- Cook onions and garlic. In a large pot, add the avocado oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden brown, or about 5-7 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook until garlic is soft and tender, or about 2 more minutes.
- Add the beans and cook. Next, add in the black beans, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, (or ground chipotle peppers) cumin, salt and bay leaves. Add water until the beans are barely covered and continue to cook on medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until most of the water has evaporated.
- Serve. Remove the bay leaves and squeeze lime juice into the beans. Serve immediately in tacos, quesadillas, salads or nachos. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all. Our instructions show you how to make Chipotle Black Beans without soaking your dry beans first. If you would prefer to soak your beans, they will end up taking less time to cook (about 30 minutes less if you use the stovetop method).
Yes! You can make Chipotle Black Beans up to 3 days in advance. Just cool completely, store in the fridge and then reheat slowly over medium heat.
Chipotle Black Beans are super versatile. You’ll never need to worry that they will go to waste, so go ahead and make a big batch. Besides the lunch and dinner ideas above, you can use black beans to make a variety of other recipes. Some ideas include black bean burgers, black bean hummus, Salsa with spicy black beans, Refried Beans and Bean Dip.
You can also toss them into your favorite soups and salads, or even onto pizza.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: you can store completely cooled Chipotle Black Beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: if you would prefer, you can also freeze these spicy black beans in an airtight container (or freezer bags) for up to 4 months. You’ll want to transfer to the refrigerator overnight (or at least 6 hours) before using.
- To reheat: transfer to a saucepot and add a splash of water. Heat over medium stirring occasionally until the beans are warmed through. If you are reheating a small portion, you can also reheat in the microwave for about 30-60 seconds on high.
Chipotle Copycat Black Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dried Black Beans or 4 cans black beans
- Water only necessary if using dry beans
- 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil
- 2 cups Onions white or yellow, diced
- 6 cloves Garlic minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 large Bay Leaves
- 1 medium Lime juiced, for serving
Instructions
- Pour dried beans into a large bowl and sort out the broken beans. Rinse, drain and add to a large pot. Cover with cool water about 1" above the beans. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours, or until the beans are soft. (Note: if using canned beans, you can skip this step)
- In a large pot, add the avocado oil and heat over medium heat. Add the minced onions and sauté until golden brown, or about 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until garlic is soft and tender, or about 2 more minutes.
- Next, add in the cooked (or canned) black beans, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and a bay leaf or two. Add water until the beans are barely covered and continue to cook on medium heat for 30 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated and beans are tender.
- Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves. Squeeze lime juice into the beans and serve immediately as a side dish or in burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads or nachos. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pour beans into a large bowl and sort out any broken beans. Rinse, drain then add to a large pot.
- Cover with cool water, about 1" above beans, then bring to a boil. Boil beans for 3 minutes, then turn off heat and let stand for 1-4 hours.
- After they have soaked, drain beans and rinse in cool water. Cook as directed.
- Pour beans into a large bowl and sort out any broken beans. Rinse, drain then add to a large pot.
- Cover with cool water, about 1" above beans. Place a lid on the pot and let soak overnight, or up to 12 hours.
Nutrition
Here are some other simple Mexican-inspired side dishes that we love!
- Jalapeno Popper Dip
- Easy Spanish Rice
- Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole
- Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls Recipe
- More of the Best Side Dishes
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!
We love these copycat Chipotle Black Beans because they are so perfectly full of flavor without being overpowering. They are spicy, smokey and finish with a hefty dose of zesty lime - yum!
Allison
So delicious! And easy, too. Thanks for sharing.
Katie
So happy to have a copycat for these for home! It's a staple anytime we have mexican food around here.