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 black beans to your home kitchen.
Jump to:
- Mexican Black Beans Recipe
- How to Serve Chipotle Black Beans
- What Else Can I Do With Leftover Chipotle Black Beans?
- Ingredients in these Restaurant-Style Chipotle Black Beans
- How to Cook Dried Black Beans
- How to Make this Chipotle Black Beans Recipe
- Do I Have to Soak the Beans First?
- How to Store Chipotle Black Beans
- Chipotle Copycat Black Beans Recipe
Mexican Black Beans Recipe
Add this Chipotle Black Beans recipe to your list of super simple copycat recipes to make at home. We have given you instructions on how to cook your own dried black beans at home, whether you want to use the stovetop, slow cooker or even Instant Pot.
If you are in a rush, you can always substitute canned beans, too. There’s no shame in taking short cuts! 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!
We love Chipotle’s 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!
How to Serve Chipotle Black Beans
You can eat these spicy black beans as a side 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.
If you would prefer to use these in another dish, you have plenty of options. Pair with Copycat Chipotle Chicken, Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice, Guacamole, Easy Homemade Fresh Salsa, and other toppings such as shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, corn, and diced tomatoes to make a variety of Chipotle-inspired dishes. Depending on your mood, you can make:
What Else Can I Do With Leftover Chipotle Black Beans?
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:
- Vegetarian black bean burgers
- Black bean hummus
- Salsa with spicy black beans
- Add to soup, salad, or Taco Pizza
- Refried Beans
- Bean Dip
Ingredients in these Restaurant-Style Chipotle Black 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 the best flavor, as opposed to dry bay leaves. In order to make them last longer, you can store them 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, drain 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 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 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. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours, or until the beans are soft.
How to Make this Chipotle Black Beans Recipe
- Cook your beans. See above for instructions on cooking dried beans. You can also substitute canned beans and skip this step.
- Cook onions and garlic. In a large pot, add the avocado oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until golden brown, or about 5-7 minutes, then add 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, cumin, salt and bay leaves. 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.
- Serve. Remove the bay leaves and squeeze lime juice into the beans. Serve immediately in tacos, quesadillas, salads or nachos. Enjoy!
Do I Have to Soak the Beans First?
No - all of the instructions so far have shown you how to make Chipotle Black Beans without soaking your dry beans. 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).
Here are two simple ways to soak your dry black beans:
Quick Soak Beans (Stovetop Method)
- 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.
Soak Beans Overnight (Stovetop Method)
- 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.
How to Store Chipotle Black Beans
- 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.
If you love all things chipotle, try out some of these other great tex-mex inspired recipes.
- Copycat Chipotle Chicken
- Copycat Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
- Homemade Guacamole
- Refried Black Beans or Copycat Chipotle Black Beans
- Lime Rice or Spanish Rice would be amazing too.
- Homemade Fresh Salsa
Chipotle Copycat Black Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dry 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 tsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 large Bay Leaves
- 1 medium Lime juiced, for serving
Instructions
- To cook dry beans, first pour them 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 black beans, oregano, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and bay leaves. 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.
- Remove the bay leaves and squeeze lime juice into the beans. Serve immediately in tacos, quesadillas, salads or nachos. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are some other simple Mexican-inspired side dishes that we love!
- Jalapeno Popper Dip
- 7 Layer Bean Dip
- Easy Spanish Rice
- Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole
- Best Guacamole
- 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.